Week 4, Day 17

Today the weather was wonderful. I cannot remember a day like this in Scotland. The sea was dead calm and the sky was crystal clear… I think you get the picture.
In any case, I managed to make up the dive I missed a few weeks ago using the CR 9 pneumatic drill and then we mobilized all the necessary equipment to the barge ‘AKA’ The Red Baron.
As you can see by the photo it does not look great but it has all the equipment needed for a safe dive. Under the decks there are two HP Compressors that provide air for the divers and the Decompression Chamber.
At the same time there is a Moon Pool and a Wet Bell (which basically means a hole in the middle of the boat where winch lowers a large basket with two divers to the bottom of the sea).
Also, today we looked at using KM18 hats. These are different from our normal diving helmets because they are half masks. The front part is exactly the same but on the back of the mask there is a neoprene hat and special rubber bands to hold it on. It is very light and a lot easier to put on.

Tomorrow I will have a go into the water using one!
A. Head Harness (Spider) keeps the mask in place on the divers head. The neoprene rubber spider has adjustment holes for varying the tension of the harness.
B. Hood/Face Seal provides the diver a comfortable thermal barrier around his head as well as pockets for earphones
C. Steady Flow Valve provides an additional flow of air into the mask for ventilation and defogging.
D. Auxiliary Valve supplies backup breathing gas to the diver.
E. Gas Supply Non-Return Valve prevents loss of gas pressure in the event of umbilical damage, preventing a "squeeze".
F. Communications Connections can be either bare wire posts or a waterproof connector. The waterproof type is recommended when a "round robin" or diver/tender both mics "on" communications system is used.
G. Tri-Valve™ Exhaust Whisker (Patents Pending), which retrofits to many previous Kirby Morgan Helmets and Band Masks®, has less breathing resistance than the older single valve exhaust while providing an extremely dry hat. The Tri-Valve™ Exhaust is made of a chemical resistant compound.
H. Water Exhaust automatically keeps water drained from the mask.
I. Demand Regulators The SuperFlow350® KMB 18 and KMB 28 regulator provides easy breathing for hard work.
J. Nose Block Device allows the diver to block the nose to equalize ears.
K. Silicone Oral Nasal Mask is made of a superior silicone material which is hypo-allergenic.
L. Mask Frame hand laid fiberglass for the KMB 18, injection molded plastic for the KMB 28