Diving equipment

Diving equipment: diving suits, helmets, boots, machinery for pumping air… The suits are of rubberised cloth to make them watertight, with rubber sleeves and collar; the area of the elbows and knees are reinforced with cloth appliqués, and the soles of the feet are rigid. The helmet is of bronze with spyholes at the front and sides. The boots are rigid and weighted. The whole suit could weigh up to one hundred kilos to aid submersion. The air pump was manufactured in London.

From 1873 the London company Siebe Gorman marketed these outfits for “heavy diving”, which was common in port facilities. They were used in repair work and other underwater tasks requiring little movement.

These suits come from Pasai San Pedro (Gipuzkoa) and belong to the collection of the Naval Museum.

Bibliography:

Escudero Domínguez, Luis Javier. En torno a la draga Jaizkibel. Itsas Memoria. Revista de Estudios Marítimos del País Vasco. 6, 331-342.