Diving equipment

Diving equipment

Surface supplied commercial diving equipment on display at a trade show
Other names	Dive gear
Uses	Facilitate underwater diving operations

Diving equipment is equipment used by underwater divers to make diving activities possible, easier, safer and/or more comfortable. This may be equipment primarily intended for this purpose, or equipment intended for other purposes which is found to be suitable for diving use.

The fundamental item of diving equipment used by divers is underwater breathing apparatus, such as scuba equipment, and surface supplied diving equipment, but there are other important pieces of equipment that make diving safer, more convenient or more efficient. Diving equipment used by recreational scuba divers is mostly personal equipment carried by the diver, but professional divers, particularly when operating in the surface supplied or saturation mode, use a large amount of support equipment not carried by the diver.

Equipment which is used for underwater work or other activities which is not directly related to the activity of diving, or which has not been designed or modified specifically for underwater use by divers is excluded.

A US Navy diver at work. The umbilical supplying air from the surface is clearly visible

Diver in standard diving dress entering water at Stoney Cove, England

Scuba diver with single cylinder and open circuit regulator

Free-diver with monofin, ascending

The Newtsuit is an atmospheric diving suit which has fully articulated rotary joints in the arms and legs.

This is the diving equipment worn by or carried by the diver for personal protection or comfort, or to facilitate the diving aspect of the activity, and may include a selection from:

Early twin cylinder set with twin hose regulator

Twin scuba cylinders with isolation manifold

Charging a small bailout cylinder from a larger aluminium scuba cylinder

Scuba regulator: First stage with primary and secondary demand valves, submersible pressure gauge and low pressure hose for BC inflation.

Technical diver with back mounted open circuit scuba and sling mounted decompression cylinders

Diving with a closed circuit rebreather