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 carrying a valuable cargo of copper bars and so he designed and built a diving ‘machine’ to recover his cargo. At some time in the following 5 years, he manufactured a suit made of leather with a leather-covered copper helmet and strap-on lead soles. Using original source material Franz and his team of enthusiasts have meticulously reconstructed the entire outfit including a bellows and have successfully dived it.
Nordmagazin’s video of their fourth dive showcases their superb achievement. (The commentary is in German).
