Log / Pic 110 Mark V Helmet Dive

After SW and Mexico, we went to the Keys for a week.  the dives got canceled each day due to poor weather, so among other things we went to this incredible museum on the history of diving.

This guy above gave me ideas.
This guy below made them reality.

This man is Richard Ford. He owns a Mark 5 helmet and dry suit and this is him wedging me into it.

This is old school diving and it is when air gets pumped down from the surface to the diver-before SCUBA (self contained underwater breathing apparatus) 

When I dive scuba i wear like 10 pounds of weight. This outfit weighed more than 150 pounds between the shoes, belt, helmet and collar.

Above is me remembering that I am claustrophobic-or as my instructor pointed out, I have confinement anxiety (he said if I was a true claustophobe, I would have been ripping off my drysuit at this point. 

Here is the cool part. Look at this antique-nothin' cooler!

Taking a knee and having a moment of silence before...

I'm trapped with no way out

And then he screws it down and uses a tool to seal the window.
Heading down...

...and under

Once I was off the ladder, the weight turned into like 30 pounds verses 150 and I was relieved.

The loud sound of air getting pumped into my helmet still left me a bit uncomfortable.

But this experience was way to amazing to waste it being nervous. 

I bounced around like I was on the moon-the weight of my shoes and lift form the air in my helmet made it feel just like that.

I saw a few fish and some strange jellies.

Climbing up the ladder was quite the feat.

My dry suit had filled up completely with air after the pressure of the water was gone. 

Now that it was over I was feeling cocky.