Helmets of The Deep II

Left: UHEXSO diver, John Hoover is wearing a General Aquadyne free-flow hat. Its model designation was AH2. This hat featured a locking neck ring seal with a jocking strap to keep the hat from floating up over the diver's face. The hat offered a good field of vision for the diver and was more comfortable than free-flow hats which used a breastplate to hold the hat in place. Also this hat can be worn with either a wet suit, dry suit or hot water suit. On the left side of the hat you can see the air-flow control knob (closest to the front) and the exhaust valve and exhaust control knob to the back.

Above: A front view of a Savoie free-flow hat. These hats were made by Joseph Savoie. A few models were made with removable face plates and were known as "Flip-ups". However, the model shown here is not one. The hat is made from stainless steel.

A left side view of the Savoie hat. You can see the neck ring locking assembly which secured the hat to the diver's head.

Above and to the left is another Gulf of Mexico commercial diving classic, the Miller Series 200 demand hat. The hat is made from brass and was cast in a mold. It was then coated in a rough epoxy finish. The helmet is very heavy and the diver had to have a strong neck to support the weight, even underwater. It uses a demand second stage, like on a traditional scuba regulator to deliver air to the diver on demand. The inside of the hat has a oral nasal mask to reduce the build up of carbon dioxide or CO2. On the side of the hat you can see the connection point for the diver's umbilical, the bail-out connection with check valve or non-return valve and the communication lead or EO connector as it is sometimes called. The hat uses a locking neck dam to secure the hat to the divers head. The helmet was made by Ben Miller and the current version is the series 400.

Above is a General Aquadyne DMC-7 demand hat. The hat is made from fiberglass which makes it much lighter that the Miller. Next to the hat you can see the locking neck dam assembly. The neoprene fabric makes a seal against the diver's neck and helps hold the hat in place.

To the left are divers wearing a DESCO Air Hat (left) and the diver on the right is wearing a Diving Systems International (DSI) Superlite demand hat. The photograph is from the South African HDS event at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town.

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