Commercial Equipment Allows for Longer, Deeper Dives

The equipment commercial divers use differs substantially from recreational diving equipment. You cannot just walk into the local dive shop and find equipment for commercial diving.

On the other hand, online retailers and other outlets that carry a lot of inventory often have equipment for recreational, technical and commercial diving.

Professional divers need different equipment because they often are diving at greater depths for longer periods of time.

Commercial divers frequently use full-face masks and diving helmets. They may wear different suits, depending on the commercial diving job: standard wetsuits; drysuits for cold-water diving; or a hot-water suit that sends warm water from the surface around the diver.

Dives for extended periods may require a long hose, or umbilical, that links the diver to breathing gas at the surface. Umbilicals often contain hoses for other equipment, such as tools, electric power and communication devices.