Shadowy figure of a diver in looking at camera holding up his right hand to make an 'OK' sign
Black and white illustration of Peter Kreeft on the seabed with his support boat and personnel above.

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).