Technical diving requires a variety of different equipment. Backplates that attach to a harness are made from aluminum, carbon fiber, and stainless steel. Diver knives, lights and safety buoys are just a few of the technical gear available. These items can be used to ensure safety and comfort when diving.
Technical divers use equipment
Technical divers often have more advanced equipment than those who are recreational divers. It includes specialized gear, which can be used in hazardous conditions, and sophisticated computers that help them monitor their decompression and other dive-related data. Multigas dive computer allows divers to modify gas blends in real time and regulate their decompression. Submersible pressure gauges are also essential, and they help divers monitor how much air they have in their cylinders. Dry suits provide insulation for long-duration dives. Another diving equipment is a slate, compasses, and delayed-surface marker buoy. A decompression trapeze can help divers maintain correct depth during in-water decompression stops. A lift bag is also used to carry the equipment.
The technical diver may also use a full mask to cover his nose, mouth, ears, and eyes. A safety harness is also essential, as it can be used to lift the diver out of the water. Other items that technical divers may need include a shotline and a buddy line. A shotline is a connection to a shot weight that gives a diver a point of reference for their descent. A buddyline connects two divers in shallow water to one another and prevents them getting separated. A buddy line attaches the diver on a shotline. A surface marker buoy is used to indicate the divers' location to others.
Equipment used by ice divers
Safety reasons make it possible for ice divers to use different types of equipment. They typically use two first-stage regulators. This allows them to switch between the regulators without the need of a second tank. If the first-stage regulator breaks, the diver can just pick up the second-stage regulator and attach it to the working first-stage regulator. Double tanks are used by ice divers to provide redundant air supply and delivery systems.
Support personnel must always be on hand for ice divers. The safety rope is fastened to the harness of the diver and acts as an emergency communication device. The safety line can be as long as 150 feet. In some cases, the two-person team may use separate lines. Line tenders should be wearing thermal protection, and may need to get into the water if they become separated from the diver.
Before ice diving, the team must prepare the area and cut a hole in the ice. Although the most common tool for cutting ice is the chainsaw it must be properly used. The hole should not be too rough to cause damage to the equipment or diver. Many ice divers choose to cut triangle-shaped holes, which provide a safer entry and exit.
Equipment used for decompression divers
Decompression divers use specialized equipment when they are underwater. Multigas dive computers are used to track decompression needs and allow divers to switch between different types of gas in a cylinder. Also included is a submersible gauge to display the air remaining in the cylinder. Another equipment used by decompression divers is a drysuit, which provides insulation during long diving.
Divers use equipment that connects and is independent of their breathing device. Divers can adjust their stop depth, monitor their depth, and many other underwater tasks with this equipment. The umbilical supplies the breathing gas to the diver's helmet and may also contain two-way communications, a depth measurement tube, a camera, and hot water to warm the diver's dive suit.
A jonline, a long-lined instrument used by divers to aid in their search and work sessions, is an important piece. The lifting bag is another piece of equipment. It is an airtight bag that is attached to a weighted rope and suspended at the bottom. These tools allow divers to lift heavy objects out of the water and then use them as floats when filled with air. A shot line allows decompression divers, who are able to navigate to surface areas and do a stop at safe places, to use.