Helmets without Headaches

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Helmets without Headaches The newest diving helmets offer many advantages, including increased durability and comfort

CERTIFIED COMMERCIAL DIVERS ARE a lot like football players, motorcyclists, construction workers and racecar drivers in at least one respect: They all need a good helmet for protection. These days, commercial divers have a wider variety of helmets to choose from than ever before. Here are a few of the latest offerings from companies with a history of producing quality helmets.

Kirby Morgan’s KM-37SS helmet

Kirby Morgan Dive Systems International Inc.

At fi rst glance, Kirby Morgan’s list of diving helmets reads kind of like the roster of a football team, with the numbers 17, 27, 37, 47, 57 and 77 all representing diff erent models and giving certifi ed commercial divers a variety of helmets to choose from. Among divers seeking an especially rugged helmet, the Kirby Morgan 37 SS helmet has proven to be popular.

Th e 37 SS features an entirely stainless-steel shell as well as a stainless side block, helmet ring, bent tube, handle and other key components. It also features a quick-change communications module, available with either bare wire posts or a waterproof connector, and allows for easy, effi cient maintenance of the helmet’s communications equipment.

Th e advantages of the stainless-steel helmet include: • Rugged helmet shell and other components • No refi nishing required if the surface is scratched or gouged • Elimination of threaded inserts for securing port retainer to helmet shell

Th e 37 SS is built for comfort, with a head cushion that gives the helmet a secure, wellbalanced feel as well as excellent thermal protection during long work periods. Th e internal adjustable chin strap, along with the adjustable neck pad on the locking collar, gives the diver a comfortable, secure fi t. And the helmet-attached yoke system has an adjustable neck pad made from a scuff -resistant elastomer. In conjunction with the spring-activated front neck dam ring lock, it provides protection for the bottom of the helmet.

Connie Morgan, the owner of Santa Maria, Calif.-based Kirby Morgan, said the company’s

long history of producing quality helmets and diving and diving equipment allows divers to feel comfortable with their with their purchase.

“Th e Kirby Morgan 37 SS is a nice helmet,” she said. t,” she said. “Our product line has been proven over time. Th e U.S. e. Th e U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and militaries around the globe use our lobe use our helmets. We’re consistent. We’ve been here since 1965, so nce 1965, so we can back up our product.”

Th e 37 SS also features bubble-defl ecting “whisker wings,” whisker wings,” which keep bubbles farther from the face port and ears, improvand ears, improving visibility and decreasing internal noise.

It also has a “Positive-Lock” latching system, fi rst developed tem, fi rst developed by Kirby Morgan in 1992, consisting of two sealed pull pins that sealed pull pins that are pulled forward to release the neck collar and neck dam lockand neck dam locking system. Even when the latches are released, the O-ring-sealed ed, the O-ring-sealed neck dam maintains a positive seal and will not allow the seal to be ot allow the seal to be broken until the collar clears the diver’s shoulders, thus helping to ders thus helping to prevent fl ooding of the helmet.

DESCO Corp.

DESCO Corp., founded in 1937 under the name Diving Equipment and Salvage Co., was among the four fi rms that produced the bulk of the U.S. Navy’s diving equipment during World War II. DESCO made more than 3,000 Mark V and Navy helium helmets during the war, and more than half a century later, those models are still among the 14 varieties of helmets produced by the Milwaukeebased company.

DESCO owner Ric Koellner said the DESCO Air Hat is especially popular among certifi ed commercial divers, who use it for tasks such as contaminated water and nuclear wastewater work. Koellner said one of the helmet’s most attractive attributes is its durability.

“Since it’s a free-fl ow air hat with a double exhaust, it’s really the hat of choice for contaminated water, including nuclear,” he said. “It’s copper- and brass-constructed, so in essence, I could drop it off the top of a four-story building and fi x it for about a third of the cost of a replacement hat. If you did that with a fi berglass hat, you might as well just buy a new hat for $6,000 or $6,500.”

Th e DESCO Air Hat is used in all types of contaminated environments, including sewage treatment facilities, nuclear power stations, oil tanks, chemical facilities, disaster-recovery work, foodprocessing plants and paper mills.

Th e Air Hat’s brass castings are deep-soldered to a 1/16-inchthick spun copper shell. It can be disassembled and reassembled

Desco Air Hat

using only a screwdriver and a wrench, and it can easily be put on and removed by the diver without assistance from the tender. Using the adjustable exhaust valve, the Air Hat can be adjusted to either side of neutral buoyancy underwater with ease. With its low center of gravity and balance, it rests comfortably on the diver’s head. Th e interior headliner is adjustable for size, and the foam pads are covered in leather for comfort.

Among the standard features on the Air Hat, which sells for $4,980, are: • Double air inlet valve with non-returns (bail-out non-return machined for SCUBA whip) • Adjustable double exhaust valve • Stainless-steel air-control valve rated at 6,000 psig • Two video/light blocks • Communications housing fi tted with two binding posts, with a communication plug connection option • Two-wire communications transceiver • Tin-plated fi nish • Brass parts have high-polish fi nish • Size 15 neck dam is standard (other sizes can be substituted by request) • Adjustable safety jock strap

Also standard is a double air inlet elbow equipped with two non-return valves. Th e lower inlet is for the surface air supply line, while the upper bail-out non-return is machined to accept a SCUBA whip. Th e upper inlet is supplied with a dust cap to protect the threads and prevent dirt entry while not in use.

Composite Beat Engel

Beat Engel, the owner of Biel-Bienne, Switzerland-based Composite Beat Engel, pronounces his fi rst name as if it were two words, “be at,” but when it comes to his DSL B-2 helmet, he feels that his product simply can’t be “beat.”

Unlike many free-fl ow air hats, which subject the diver to about 100 decibels of noise, the DSL B-2 reduces the noise inside the helmet to somewhere between 65 and 82 decibels, according to the most recent round of tests performed by the company.

“With some of the other helmets, divers can eventually go deaf,” Engel said. “Guys are working with those helmets for several hours, and it’s louder than at a rock concert.”

One of the DSL B-2’s best features is that it’s easy to fi nd replacement parts. Engel said his company can ship parts worldwide, but the metric screws and other key parts can be found at most hardware stores and dive shops.

“Th ere are many people who don’t want to be dependent on the manufacturer aft er they buy the hat,” Engel said. “With this hat, there is no dependence on the manufacturer. Th e DSL B-2 is our most versatile helmet. With this model, you can do everything. You can have it as a free-fl ow hat or as a demand-valve hat. It’s the same shell, and all you need is a kit for whatever purpose you want.”

Engel’s DSL series of helmets are made of hand-laminated fi berglass and are built in a modular fashion, ranging from a demand valve for simple underwater work to a quiet free-fl ow helmet for contaminated environments. Th e helmets also provide a fi eld of vision that is up to 40 percent greater than other commonly used helmets.

“Strong front and side covers protect the entire air distribution system and vent the exhaled bubbles to the back,” Engel said. “Th ere is a full compatibility for mounting lamps and cameras on top of the helmet as well as the possibility of mounting an underwater welding lens. Th e fl exible handles on the bail-out valve, free-fl ow/defog valve and adjustable demand valve are shock-absorbent and provide the best protection from harsh environments.”

Th e DSL B-2 sells for between $5,500 and $9,300. Its features include: • Neutral buoyant • Ergonomic shape, adaptable for diff erent head sizes and forms • Optimized angle of vision • Solid, round O-ring-sealed neck ring with horizontal-clamping levers and safety locking system

• Optimal protection of entire air distribution system; exhaled air guided to the backside • Most parts are standard and obtainable anywhere, allowing for inexpensive and easy maintenance • Increased wearing comfort • Compatible with commonly used communication systems and diving suits

Gorski

When Les Gorski sought to invent a durable helmet that could be used for a wide range of diving jobs, one of the fi rst ideas he came up with was to put all of the helmet’s main components inside the shell. His GS2000SS stainless-steel helmet, which sells for $6,395, has no exterior components that can be damaged, so maintenance is simple and inexpensive.

“Th e things that divers like most about this helmet are the simplicity and the ease of maintenance,” said Gorski, who runs his company out of Houston. “It’s extremely simple, and that’s really important because it’s life-support equipment. It has to be functional, but it has to be simple.”

Th e G2000SS’s all-metal design makes adapting it to auxiliary equipment such as lights or a helmet-mounted camera easy. Th e front port window is made from the strongest machineable Lexan material for increased safety. Th e mounting holes in the port are individually drilled through, allowing the retaining bolts to pass through the window itself, reducing the risk of the window popping out in the event of a hydrogen explosion during underwater cutting operations.

Gorski designed a unique retaining system to lock the neck dam in place. Th e second-stage demand was designed for higher input pressure to eliminate any dial breath necessity, achieving balance

and ease of breathing. Th e Poseidon Cyclone 5000 has been proven to work for depths up to 1,800 feet when used by U.S. Navy EDU at the simulated test dive in 1979, in addition to being used as a workhorse scuba regulator around the world for decades. Gorski incorporated this regulator to fi t within the helmet, where it is fully protected at the lower front portion of the nose area, an integral part of the shell confi guration.

Th e helmet does not require a side block, which was replaced with a free-fl ow/exhaust valve in-line with the second-stage regulator. Th e back-mounted manifold contains the internal screen used to strain any debris, the auxiliary port and two check valve assemblies, one for the main supply and the other for the reserve backup air or gas supply. Th is confi guration allows for the high-pressure stainless-steel tubing between the back manifold and second-stage regulators to be kept inside the helmet.

Some of the Gorski G2000SS helmet’s features include: • Designed using SolidWorks 3D soft ware • Investment casting used for casting parts • All castings done using 316L-grade stainless steel • Drag fi nish for best surface protection from saltwater • All castings stress-relieved to eliminate cracks • All machining programmed and done in CNC • Poseidon Cyclone 5000 second stage for the helmet regulator • Total helmet weight: 29 pounds