Hardhat Diving Introduction
at
Santa Barbara City College
Dominique waits for the final phase of gear up before entering the diving well at Santa Barbara City College. Surface-to-diver communication equipment can be seen in the background (orange box). Tenders constantly monitor divers underwater using hardline communication.
Dom gives the "OK" sign to signal her tender that she's ready to enter the well.
Jim acts as tender and guides Dom to the diving well making sure to keep the lines clear of obstructions.
Inside the 55-gallon drum is a pipe puzzle the diver must put together with a large crescent wrench. The puzzle must be completed before the diver's exhaust bubbles fill the drum enough to rise it to the surface.
In this exercise, the diver's faceplate is blacked out with duct tape. The diver must tie four knots, a bowline, figure eight, sheet bend and square knot onto the bar by feel alone.
After the exercises are completed, Wes leads Dom back to the surface station where she can get out of her gear and pass it on to the next diver.
Once out of the water, it was a relief to get the helmet off. Superlites are really not very light!
Photos by Dieter Schwake