Technical diving requires a variety of different equipment. Backplates that attach to a harness are made from aluminum, carbon fiber, and stainless steel. Diver gear that isn't technical includes lights, rebreathers stage tanks, safety boss buoys, bailout bottles, and dive knives. These items can be used to ensure safety and comfort when diving.
Technical divers often use the following equipment:
Equipment used by technical divers is often more advanced than that used by recreational divers. It may include special gear that can only be used in extreme conditions. Additionally, it includes sophisticated computers that aid them in monitoring their decompression, as well as other data. Multigas dive computers enable divers to control their decompression and change gas blends while diving. Submersible gauges are an essential tool for divers. These gauges allow them to see how much air they have and help them monitor their cylinders. Dry suits provide insulation for long-duration dives. Additional equipment include a compass (or a delayed surface marker buoy), a slate and compass. A decompression trapeze can help divers maintain correct depth during in-water decompression stops. A lift bag is also used to carry the equipment.
Technical divers also use a full-face mask, which covers the nose, mouth, eyes, and ears. Safety harnesses are also important as they can be used to lift divers out of the water. Other items that technical divers may need include a shotline and a buddy line. A shotline connects to a shotweight to provide a reference point to the diver for their descent. A buddy line connects two divers in the water to each other and prevents them from becoming separated. A jonline attaches the diver and to a shotline. A surface marker buoy shows the position of divers to the people at the top.
Equipment used for ice divers
Safety reasons make it possible for ice divers to use different types of equipment. They generally use two-stage regulators. This allows them to switch between the regulators without the need of a second tank. When the first stage regulator is damaged, the diver simply needs to attach the second-stage controller to the broken one. Ice divers often use double tanks, which provide redundant air delivery systems and air supplies.
Support personnel must be accessible above the ice when ice diving. The safety line attaches to the diver’s harness and serves as a communication device in an emergency. The safety line can be as long as 150 feet. The safety line may be used by two people in certain cases. The line tenders must be dressed in thermal protection and may need to enter the water if the diver becomes separated from them.
The team must prepare their area and cut a hole through the ice before they can go ice diving. The most commonly used tool to cut the ice is the chainsaw, but it must always be used correctly. To avoid damage to equipment and divers, the hole should be smooth. Many ice divers opt to cut triangle-shaped openings, which offer safer entry and exit.
Equipment used by decompression divers
When diving underwater, decompression divers need to use special equipment. Multigas dive computers track divers' decompression needs, and permit them to switch between the different gases in a tank. Also included is a submersible gauge to display the air remaining in the cylinder. The dry suit provides insulation and protection during long dives.
Divers use equipment that connects and is independent of their breathing device. Divers can perform many underwater tasks using this equipment, including adjusting their stop depth or monitoring it. The umbilical supplies the diving gas to the helmet. It can also include two-way communications, depth measurement tubes, cameras, hot water, and hot water for warming the dive suit.
The jonline, another piece of equipment decompression divers need to use, is a very important tool. It is a long straight line used to guide divers during search and work sessions. The lifting bag is another equipment piece. This bag is attached to an airtight line and suspended in the bottom of the dive chamber. These tools allow divers to lift heavy objects out of the water and then use them as floats when filled with air. Shot lines are also used by decompression divers. They consist of a weight and a line that allow them to navigate to the surface, and then make a safety stop.