Suiting Up
As you saw yesterday, Antarctic diving requires a lot gear. Each piece serves a very important purpose. Here's a look at what a typical diver might wear.
Mike likes to begin with two layers of thermals. This includes two layers of socks.
Mike actually has his first two layers on already. The first layer is thermal underwear and the second is fleece. That goes for the socks too. (Photo courtesy of Steve Rupp)
Next, Mike puts on his drysuit underwear, which acts just like his ECW Big Red Parka. This layer is for warmth. It is NOT waterproof.
Mike in his drysuit underwear. This layer is super poofy! Thick about a giant snowsuit. It's super warm, but not water proof. (Photo courtesy of Steve Rupp)
On top of that, Mike wears his drysuit. Most people are familiar with wetsuits, which keep you warm, but do allow the water to get in. So, you get wet. Drysuits don't really keep you warm, but they do keep you dry. There are rubber seals in the wrist and neck. There is a watertight zipper in the back.
Mike's drysuit is the layer that keeps the water out and keeps his thermal under-layers dry. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Guida)
On top of this Mike wears his weight belt. By the way, Mike wears 42 lbs of weight in Antarctica. That's because his drysuit and all the layers underneath trap air. The air helps keep Mike warmer, but what does trapped air make you do in the water? If you can figure that out, you know why Mike needs all that weight.
Dive Tender extraordinaire Stephanie helps Mike adjust his weight belt and tank backpack. (Photo courtesy of Annamarie Pasqualone)
Next, Mike puts on his fins and tank.
Dr. Marsh adjusts his gear before a dive. (Photo courtesy of Annamarie Pasqualone)
Divers fins hover over the water while they prepare. (Photo courtesy of Annamarie Pasqualone)
Then, divers put on their hoods and masks.
Steve Rupp is about to put on his gloves in preparation for a dive. (Photo courtesy of Annamarie Pasqualone)
The last items to go on are usually the dry gloves. These gloves have layers underneath for warmth and are dry. They attach to the dry suit. They are very important, but are also difficult to get on and make other tasks (like putting on the rest of your gear) difficult to do. So, they go on last.
Getting in...
Once all the gear is on, the diver is usually pretty warm. Nothing will cool you off like a jump in the 28˚F ocean underneath the ice. Remember, the diver is wearing about 60-75 pounds of gear. It's not as easy as it looks to get in.
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