A hyperbaric chamber has 2 main functions:

1) It takes divers underwater to provide a temporary base and retrieval system in the depths, as a simpler form of submersible vessel.

2) It is used to artificially reproduce conditions under the sea which are hyperbaric (pressures above normal atmospheric pressure). This chamber can be on land or ship-based, and is used for diving-related and non diving related medical applications.

There is a national hyperbaric center in Scotland, which plans to build the world’s largest and deepest chamber, so it can test underwater equipment at depths greater than 5,000m.

These chambers not only save diver’s lives, they are also used to treat non-divers’ medical conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning. Recent studies have shown that the chamber can be used in the treatment of specific eye conditions, where the retina has been starved of oxygen.

With a hyperbaric chamber being used to treat non diving related conditions, this is good news for divers. It means the chambers could become more accessible.