Studies on Saturation Diving in Poland and Practical Application of their Findings. Part 2A. Developing a Polish System of Saturation Diving in the 1980s and 1990s

This is another from the series of papers discussing studies on saturation diving technology and its use in Poland. This part explains the specificities of the Polish context and achievements against the backdrop of economic and historical circumstances. It describes how the central base for saturation diving came into being in the times of economic collapse in the country. At that time, the shipbuilding industry was the driving force behind research on saturation diving as a cornerstone for building a framework for diving systems to be exported to other countries to secure the extraction of assets from the sea shelf. The paper introduces the readers to the efforts of animators and protagonists of that period of underwater research in Poland whose achievements are continued until to-date. The second part of the paper shows how the Polish system of saturation diving was created. The article also considers the technical and organisational aspects of the first saturation diving experiences and the history of the Polish method of decompression for saturation diving. To accomplish this difficult task, it was crucial to ensure a solid industrial and academic base working for the defence sector and assisted by relevant state agencies. A multiannual CPBR programme was also set up with measures 9.2 and 9.5 dealing with medicine and technology which resulted in the development of a diving system with its organization, medical support and reliable technology. Outcomes of this programme are still being implemented today. Despite progress made in medicine, technology, and organisation issues involved in saturation diving are still pertinent because independently of their complexity and high cost this type of diving is the most efficient and allows for very deep diving operations up to 400-500 m.