I finally looked up how deep the first commercial dives actually went

Was reading through a old diving history book I picked up at a used store in Norfolk. Turns out the very first commercial dives using a proper helmet and hose only went down like 20 feet in the 1800s. That blew my mind considering we do 300 foot sat dives now like it's nothing. Those guys were basically just wading into a lake with a brass hat on lol. Makes you appreciate how far the gear and training have come. Any of you ever read about the old school hard hat days and think we have it easy?

3 comments

3 Comments

fionamurphy9d agoMost Upvoted

You really think those old boys were tough as nails just because they went down 20 feet with no gauges? I get what you're saying @wells.evan, but I see it the other way. They were basically testing gear by trial and error, and plenty of them died doing it. We've got way better training and safety standards now, not just fancier equipment. That first guy who nodded off on the pump could have killed you, but today we have backup systems and buddy checks for that. I'm not saying they weren't brave, but calling them tougher than us feels like romanticizing the past.

kimdixon9d ago

Another thing that stands out to me is how much those early divers relied on the people topside. Your life literally hung on whether some random guy on the boat could keep pumping air steady. We focus on the gear they wore, but the teamwork aspect had to be intense too. Did they pick pump operators based on reputation or just grab whoever was nearby?

wells.evan9d ago

...and exactly, I had pretty much the same reaction when I first read about it. I mean sure, 20 feet sounds like nothing now, but back then they had no gauges, no comms, just a hand pump on the surface and a rope tied to your waist. In my experience, we really do have it easy today with all the modern gear, but those old boys were tough as nails. Your mileage may vary, but I think there's something humbling about strapping on a 200 pound brass helmet and just hoping the pump guy doesn't fall asleep.