Divers are untethered when diving in springtime when underwater visibility is hundreds of feet. Safety is emphasized and though McMurdo Station has a hyperbaric chamber to treat diving accidents, the objective is not to use it. Diving gear is kept in the Diving Locker building at McMurdo Station.
Dive teams meet there to prepare and pack their diving equipment before a field diving excursion.
The Scientific Diving Coordinator maintains the customized scuba diving regulators seen here hanging from a wall rack. Oxygen kits for emergency use in the field by dive teams are underneath. The batteries of underwater lights are recharging on the cabinet top at the left. The diver changing area is in the background. After a diving excursion, scuba diving gear is rinsed and stored in individual lockers in the Diving Locker's diver changing area.