A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers from the surface to depth and back in open water, usually for the purpose of performing underwater work. The most common types are the open-bottomed wet bell and the closed bell, which can maintain an internal pressure greater than the external ambient.

A wet bell ascent usually includes decompression stops in the water, and sometimes surface decompression.

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  • Historical Diving Society: The History of the Diving Bell
  • Historic diving bells
  • Modern diving bells
  • close call rapid depressurisation