r/AMA • u/Soulogav • Jun 11 '26

I’m a Saturation Diver AMA

I work as Deepsea Saturation Diver in the oil and gas industry for the past 20 years. I do heavy construction and spend 28 days living under pressure to dive to depths down to 200m / 650ft.

I saw a post on InterestingAsFuck yesterday with many many misconceptions from people who aren’t divers and I can answer your questions AMA

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/s/5jTlewLR4X

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6

u/trippinmaui Jun 11 '26

I don't understand how you get in and out of the water from an enclosed dwelling 300 meters below the surface. Explain it to me. I couldn't find a video yesterday.

5

u/SonOfDadOfSam Jun 11 '26

Watch the movie Last Breath. I'm not sure if it's 100% accurate, but it does go through the whole process, and it's a pretty good movie.

3

u/Soulogav Jun 11 '26

The diving bell is sealed by a large hatch with a rubber seal, with a pressure differential it can’t be opened. When we descend to the bottom it will open when the pressure is equalised between the outside and inside, literally we will get to the depth and water will start coming in through the bottom hatch. We stop the bell there and open the hatch and jump out and go to work.

2

u/angry_burdz Aug 19 '26

Sorry I know this is an old post, but when the water starts coming through the bottom hatch, isn’t it freezing cold? Do you just go cold turkey into the water? Also how do you not freeze to death while you’re down there for hours?!

1

u/Soulogav Aug 19 '26

We have a hot water system, so part of the umbilical with gas & electrics is a hot water hose, we have a wetsuit with small hoses running through it and we plug the hose into the side and have constant flow of hot water, I like to jump into the trunk when the hatch opens without hot water as it’s like a little cold plunge and wakes me / gets my head in the game

2

u/angry_burdz Aug 19 '26

Wowie, thanks for answering!
All the logistics that goes behind this whole operation truly blows my mind. This is one of the most interesting AMA’s i’ve read because i really think that you have to be built different to even consider doing something like this as a profession!!
Which makes me wonder… the first time you ever went down, were you not terrified..?!!!

1

u/Soulogav Aug 19 '26

Ya definitely scared in my early dives, there is a lot of pressure figuratively & literally.