page_title: Diving suit
section_title: Ambient pressure suits
hierarchical_section_title: Diving suit / Ambient pressure suits
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. S.S.R. Estland, Raval 13.9.1941 Estnischer Selbstschutz. Aufräumungsarbeiten im Hafen von Reval [Tallin]. Taucher bei der Bergung von Wrackstücken im Hafenbecken. Taucher steigt vom Boot ins Wasser. Neg.Nr.: M.244/4 von H.F. [Heeresfilmstelle]
context_page_description: A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit may also incorporate a breathing gas supply. but in most cases applies only to the environmental protective covering worn by the diver. The breathing gas supply is usually referred to separately. There is no generic term for the combination of suit and breathing apparatus alone. It is generally referred to as diving equipment or dive gear along with any other equipment necessary for the dive.
  Diving suits can be divided into two classes: "soft" or ambient pressure diving suits – examples are wetsuits, dry suits, semi-dry suits and dive skins – and "hard" or atmospheric pressure diving suits, armored suits that keep the diver at atmospheric pressure at any depth within the operating range of the suit.
context_section_description: Ambient pressure suits are a form of exposure protection protecting the wearer from the cold. They also provide some defense from abrasive and sharp objects as well as potentially harmful underwater life. They do not protect divers from the pressure of the surrounding water or resulting barotrauma and decompression sickness.
  There are five main types of ambient pressure diving suits; dive skins, wetsuits and their derivative semi-dry suit and hot-water suits, and dry suits. Apart from hot water suits, these types of suit are not exclusively used by divers but are often used for thermal protection by people engaged in other water sports activities such as surfing, sailing, powerboating, windsurfing, kite surfing, waterskiing, caving and swimming.
  Added buoyancy due to the volume of the suit is a side effect of most diving suits. A diving weighting system can be worn to counteract this buoyancy. Overalls may be worn over the diving suit as additional protection against cuts and abrasion. This is more usual for professional divers. Overalls increase drag while swimming and are not popular for recreational scuba.
caption: Diver of the Estonian Home Guard, 1941
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