Welcome to the

Historical Diving Society

The Home of Diving History

International Network of Societies

Extensive Events Programme

Accredited Diving Museum

Promoting and Preserving Our Diving Heritage

Welcome to the

Historical Diving Society

Our members come from a wide range of backgrounds with a shared passion for exploring, preserving and recording our diving heritage. Our members are encouraged to meet and exchange information through our various functions and activities. Our specialist interest groups include film and book groups and we have an active ‘Working Equipment Group’ which maintains and demonstrates vintage diving equipment. We maintain close relations with our international Societies and enjoy regular exchange visits. The Society publishes a journal, magazine, facsimiles and newsletters and has an extensive reference library. We also have the only museum in the UK which is dedicated solely to diving.

The world’s first Historical Diving Society

Visits to historical diving sites in the UK and abroad

Museum and reference library

Working equipment displays

Annual conference

Artefact and data source for TV and film industry

Friendly, active special interest groups

Genealogical data base of helmet divers

Try Dives for Non Members

Try Dives for Non Members

FROM Saturday 24 June 2023

TO Saturday 24 June 2023

Experience a dive in vintage Standard Dress at Cromhall Quarry, Gloucestershire. (Please note: This event is now sold out)

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Join Us

Being a member of the Society not only introduces you to other like-minded individuals but also rewards you with exclusive offers and discounts to selected events and goods. Our e-newsletter, Rope Signals, will also keep you right up to date with our news and events. We look forward to welcoming you to the HDS family!
Image of rows of people sitting, listening to a presentation

Annual Conference

10.00am on Saturday 19th November 2022.

Our conference will be held at Subsea7 in Sutton on Saturday 19th November.

Full details can be found here

Image of rows of people sitting, listening to a presentation

Annual General Meeting

10.00am on Sunday 27 November 2022.

This year our AGM this year will be held via Zoom.

Our Zoom AGM meeting will be held at 10.00am on Sunday 27th November.

Zoom meeting ID: 845 7442 9553
Zoom password: 884215

We anticipate the meeting lasting 2 hours: ie. 10am to 12 noon.

Latest News

Commemorating Cdr. Lionel ‘Buster’ Crabb

On 28 January 2023, on what would have been Commander Lionel 'Buster' Crabb's 114th Birthday, a small celebration was held at Durrants Cottage in Rowlands Castle where Crabb lived with for a short time with his wife Margaret in the last few years before his famous...

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Peter Kreeft dives again!

Peter Kreeft dives again!

In 2018, Franz Rothbrust of Historische Tauchergesellschaft e.V. (HDS Germany) gave a lecture at our Conference on a project to reconstruct a Kreeft diving suit. (A transcript can be found in our 2018 Conference Proceedings.) Around 1799/1800 Peter Kreeft lost a ship...

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Subsea to Summit – 3 days on Snowdon

Subsea to Summit – 3 days on Snowdon

Having successfully climbed Ben Nevis in Standard Dress two years ago, the Working Equipment Group repeated the challenge on Mount Snowdon, the highest point in Wales.  This year the team were raising funds not only for the Society but also for a little girl in Wales...

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