Originally published at: Earliest known diving suit, the "Old Gentleman of Raahe", used in the 1700's | Boing Boing
…
3 Likes
Claustrophobia level up!
3 Likes
What is the purpose of the mouth hole, other than making it look more like a face?
3 Likes
A better view for looking down.
If this was used for inspecting hulls then the lower viewport may have been for looking straight ahead, with the upper ports for viewing the hull above.
2 Likes
Which season of Doctor Who is this from?
11 Likes
The oldest surviving one we know of. There could be a whole community living somewhere underwater wearing suits like this. They never travel up our way due to the bends.
4 Likes
Gonna say Pertwee or Troughton, unless they decided it was cyberpunkish enough to do after 2005.
3 Likes
Definitely Pertwee
2 Likes
The museums exhibit:
https://www.raahenmuseo.fi/en/information-about-museums/old-gentleman
1 Like
there is a lovely replica of this suit in the History of Diving Museum here in Islamorada. my brother and I hit the museum every time he comes down.
the hard hat diving helmet collection is outstanding! really worth a look if anyone finds themselves on vacation in the Conch Republic!
3 Likes
if anyone is interested it really is a cool place!
2 Likes
It has been on my must-see list since I began diving, but I have yet to get to the Keys. Got kinda hung up on the sights/sites in cave country.
2 Likes
Just the aesthetics of the suit would heighten the ignominy of dying in it. (Remember that one Mary Tyler Moore Show episode, when Chuckles the Clown, donned in a giant peanut costume, was “shelled” to death by a rogue elephant?)
the diving here is still incredible even with the loss of so much coral. there are marine sanctuaries that can be visited on private or group charters, or if you have a boat. my brother, mother and I all go out together to molasses reef, alligator reef, the Pennecamp reef or our “secret spots” and the fish and other denizens of the reef are still abundant and colorful!
the museum does talks, lecture, seminars and other educational affairs on top of the rotating galleries of “what’s happening now” in diving. it is definitely worth a trip. there is so much more to these islands than the craziness of Key West 
caves are way cool and when mum lived up by Wiki Watchee, we went diving in the Crystal River system (also populated by the beautiful, gentle manatees!).
mum did her check-out dive there many years ago.
but to get back on topic, the oldest diving “suit” of the OP is certainly not the oldest of the diving apparatus on display at the HoDM here as they do center on working divers, deep water suits and yet still plenty of SCUBA recreational stuff.
here is a pic I took of a small part of the dive helmets collection from commercial operations around the world:
5 Likes
4 Likes
Thank you, @FloridaManJefe! I am really looking forward to getting back down there one day. In the early 90s, well before I learned to dive, I was planning to move to Marathon and guide fishing trips, but life went an entirely different direction.
@jerwin - mid last year I plotted to create/order a covid mask of my lower face with dive regulator in place.
Because I also wanted it printed on a good quality shaped mask with filter pockets, the search eventually petered out and optimism for ‘the end’ replaced my zeal. There are a couple out there now, but at this point I just want to get back to diving.
3 Likes
Check out the surfboard
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
