Vintage Diving Helmet Underwater Shoot: Josh Myers and the Mermaid
Myers Marine Division owner Joshua Myers dove in a restored antique Kirby Morgan helmet during a vintage diving helmet underwater shoot off Santa Catalina Island on October 30, 2021, working beside professional mermaid Hannah Fraser while photographer Brett Stanley shot the images and producer Justin Lutsky documented the day on film. The project, called The Diver and the Mermaid, was Josh's tribute to the commercial divers who worked in heavy gear before him.
A Commercial Diver's Tribute to Dive History
Myers Marine Division owner Joshua Myers championed The Diver and the Mermaid because he has a deep respect for commercial dive history and wanted to honor the divers who worked in heavy gear. He and a team of Southern California dive professionals and artists spent two months on prop creation, logistics and planning to put a real vintage diver and a real mermaid on the seafloor together.
That respect comes from a career spent in the work. Josh graduated from the College of Oceaneering in Wilmington, California in 2003 as an AWS certified underwater welder and ADC certified underwater commercial contractor. He went on to marine construction, environmental response and deep-sea salvage before founding Myers Marine Division in 2017. Today the company performs commercial diving for clients across Los Angeles, Riverside and Ventura counties, and Josh has logged several thousand dives worldwide.
The creative team matched that commitment. Brett Stanley, a Los Angeles underwater portrait photographer, shot the images. Hannah Fraser, who created the vocation of professional mermaid, performed. Justin Lutsky of Submerge Underwater produced the shoot, managed the logistics and filmed the behind-the-scenes documentary. Until now, a vintage diver and a mermaid together had only been created with computer graphics, paintings or drawings.
Original Gear, a Hand-Built Chest and a Rocky Catalina Reef
Myers Marine Division's Joshua Myers restored an original Kirby Morgan helmet to diveable condition, wore a complete set of authentic period gear, and built the treasure chest by hand. His dive knife was authentic too and mattered to him. Nothing in the kit was a costume replica, which is what separates this shoot from the computer-generated and painted versions of the same scene.
According to the project, the helmet was the seventh Kirby Morgan air hat ever made. Josh restored it so it could be dived rather than displayed, and the rest of his gear matched it. Every piece was original and authentic, down to the dive knife, which carried real meaning for him as part of the complete period kit.
He also built the treasure chest himself. Josh is a fifth-generation master carpenter, and the same hands-on fabrication skill shows up in Myers Marine Division's underwater construction work. On the bottom, the chest caught the light and glistened with gold and jewels beside him.
The dive took place on a rocky Catalina reef. Ron Warren of Warren Diving and Salvage chartered his commercial dive boat, Marlin, out of Long Beach, with Dan Berman serving as boat captain.
What Heavy Gear Demands on the Bottom
Diving antique heavy gear in the open ocean is far more strenuous than a dive in modern gear. Joshua Myers of Myers Marine Division wore the full weight of the suit and helmet, breathed air from a single hose that simply displaced the water in his helmet, kept purging carbon dioxide, and had none of the redundancies built into modern helmets. He described feeling pinned to the seafloor.
Photographer Brett Stanley, who has worked around sharks and shipwrecks, admitted to a panic attack as he watched Josh drop 40 feet to the bottom in that suit, while producer Justin Lutsky documented the entire process on camera. Once Josh landed he started running across the ocean floor, and Brett had to fin backward to keep him in frame. All of it happened in strong surge against a rocky reef.
Josh found the experience humbling. "I felt almost more connected with the ocean being stripped of all those modern systems," he said. He thought about how far equipment has come and about what it must have been like for divers working wreckage with a cutting torch in World War II. That contrast between then and now is a large part of why the project mattered to him.
The Safety Plan Behind the Spectacle
Myers Marine Division approached the dive as a supported commercial operation even though the diver's gear was historic. An ADC-certified safety support diver stood by in a modern Superlite Kirby Morgan 77 helmet with cutting tools, ready to slice open the suit and feed in a spare air hose if the antique helmet flooded. Safety divers and a boat captain completed the team.
The rest of the crew reflected the same standard. Joe Rosado served as commercial safety diver, Jon Curtis of the Riverside County Sheriff Dive Team and PADI instructor Brandon Wermes served as safety divers, and Brandon also flew the drone. Josh filled two roles, diver and dive operations manager. Hannah Fraser, in a mermaid tail that took six months to create, slipped into 63-degree water without a drysuit and performed for nearly 30 minutes.
Production work like this follows the same discipline Myers Marine Division brings to jobs such as shark cage rigging for a Los Angeles commercial. "We have the ability to facilitate full-blown underwater production work in the open ocean," Josh said. Productions and project owners can reach Myers Marine Division through the contact form at myersmarinedivision.com.
Questions About Vintage Helmet Diving
Can a diver work in an original antique helmet in the open ocean?
Yes, with serious preparation. Myers Marine Division owner Joshua Myers restored an original antique Kirby Morgan helmet to diveable condition and wore it in open ocean off Santa Catalina Island, breathing through a single surface air hose. The dive worked because it was run as a supported commercial operation, with a standby diver, safety divers and a boat captain on site.
How is heavy-gear diving different from modern commercial diving?
Heavy gear is far more physically demanding. The diver carries a heavy suit and metal helmet, receives air through one hose that displaces water in the helmet, and must keep purging carbon dioxide. Modern commercial helmets add redundancies and safety systems that antique gear lacks. Joshua Myers described feeling pinned to the seafloor under the weight of the gear.
What safety support does a vintage helmet dive need?
A vintage helmet dive needs a dedicated standby diver and a flooding plan. On this project, an ADC-certified safety support diver wore a modern Superlite Kirby Morgan 77 helmet and carried cutting tools to open the suit and feed in a spare air hose if the antique helmet flooded. A sheriff dive team member, a PADI instructor and a boat captain rounded out the team.
Does Myers Marine Division support photo and film productions?
Yes. Myers Marine Division brings dive operations management and commercial dive planning to productions in Southern California, from the open-ocean Diver and the Mermaid shoot to shark cage rigging for a Los Angeles commercial. Production teams can start by sending details through the contact form on myersmarinedivision.com, including location, dive depth and schedule.
