A fishing net caught on a wreck in the Solent and divers went to investigate on 16th June 1836, it was time to pioneer the Deane's Patented Diving Apparatus. Following the dive, the Mary Rose had been discovered.  The diving apparatus was improved later in the 1830s by Augustus Siebe, who produced his own equipment consisting of bonnet (or helmet), integral watertight canvas suit and lead boots.  Colonel Charles Pasley (Royal Engineers), suggested the bonnet should be detachable from the corselet (or breastplate), giving rise to the Standard Diving Dress. This dress was to dominate diving for the next 160 years as Siebe Gorman Ltd., was making bonnets until the late 1990s.

David, looking through the view portSteven underwater

Wind forward to the present day.  What did it feel like to undertake these daring underwater adventures?  A pair of Southsea SAC divers were invited to a dress rehearsal to shake down HDS’s Working Equipment Group’s (WEG) living history.  David Bryant (The Southern Regional Coach & Southsea SAC member) commented “I have always wanted to plumb the depths just like in those old tales of daring do”.  So, he donned a brass bonnet and lead boots for a historical try-dive day.

The HDS WEG supplied the equipment and the support staff for the event.  The equipment consisted of: a Siebe Gorman manually operated single cylinder double acting air pump; a 6-bolt brass and copper bonnet; corselet; canvas suit; front and back lead chest weights (each 18kg); lead-soled boots; diver’s knife in a brass scabbard and of course the obligatory red-woollen diver’s hat.

Steven after the dive_2

On the try-dive, you are dressed sat on a bench by two diver supervisors and after 5 minutes the last piece, the bonnet, is lowered over your head.  At this moment you suddenly realise that you have stepped back in time to the Victorian era.  The pump operator begins their repetitive task of rotating the handle and the throb of air from each sweep of the piston can be heard entering the bonnet.  The front viewing port is screwed down and now you are hermetically sealed from the environment.  The Dive Superintendent gives a double tap to the top of the bonnet to indicate you to stand and take your first step… except your leg does not move.  Steven Winstanley commented “The entry was awkward, the boots were heavy and lumbering down the Cromhall Quarry’s shore in 86kg of gear, stumbling on pebbles under the lead-boots was hard.  It felt as though I was going to plunge to depths with the weight and never return.  Once I was in, however, the buoyancy of the water and the restricted but weightless steps meant you came close to the sensations of walking on the moon.  It was much different from the horizontal finning attitude of a frogman”.

Adjusting Buoyancy

Underwater the buoyancy is controlled by a pressure relief valve on the side on the bonnet, loosening the valve air escapes and your buoyancy is reduced.  The diver optimally chooses the correct buoyancy, so the corselet just bounces off the shoulders.

Diver underwater_10

Steven Winstanley said, “During the dive, I was amazed at how much movement was possible with the heavy dress, you can kneel, lie-down, and getting up is easy.  When walking you lean forward into the steps and dig in your toes.  You are unable to pinch your nose to clear your ears, as your hand cannot pass into the bonnet and lord help you if a spider gets trapped in there with you; the making of a horror movie I’m sure.  To de-mist the viewing port you are required to bend forward and open a leaver called a spit-cock that trickles water over the front viewing port”.

Diver being helped out of the water

During the dive, communications is maintained with the surface over a microphone and speaker inside the bonnet and the dive superintendent gives instruction on how to improve your try dive experience.  All too soon the dive is over and you tighten the pressure relief valve to help raise yourself to the surface, as you break the surface you give the OK signal, and you hear over the speaker the superintendent call, “Diver well!”.

The kit becomes heavy again as you walk out of the water, and you are escorted to the diver’s dressing bench to de-kit.  "What a superb experience, I'll remember it like I recall the first time I put on scuba, it should be on every diver's bucket list", David Bryant said.

Old and new dive gear

Thanks have to go Ty Burton (diving superintendent), John Wilkins (manual pump operator), Elliot Morris and Lenny Lennox (diver supervisors), and Dig Hastilow, Phil and Daniel Churches (the safety divers) of the HDS Working Equipment Group who perform Standard Dress try-dives. 

Steven and David pumping

If you are interested in a try-dive, places are very limited, and group bookings are needed well in advance.  Better still, join the HDS (www.thehds.com) and help with the Diving Museum and Working Equipment Group yourself. 

About the Historical Diving Society (HDS)

HDS Group PhotoThe Historical Diving Society (HDS) members meet and exchange information through various functions and activities.  The HDS have several specialist interest groups include: film and book groups; an active “Working Equipment Group” that maintains a living history of vintage diving equipment; the Society publishes a journal, magazine, facsimiles and newsletters and has an extensive reference library.  Finally, the Society runs the diving museum in Gosport UK which is also an entertaining day out.  For more information see www.hds.com and www.divingmuseum.co.uk

About Cromhall Quarry

Thanks also go to Cromhall Quarry, for the venue in South Gloucestershire.  SouthWest Maritime Academy (SWMA) have full use of the lake at Cromhall Quarry and offer both open water swimming and diving for recreational and training requirements.  Presently, a booking system is in place for weekends and the quarry can be allocated to clubs mid-week.  SWMA have a technical services department that cater for a range of diving equipment repairs, cylinder refills and servicing and advice.  For further information see www.cromhallquarry.com