Specially designed diving magnets are used by many scuba and commercial divers as temporary anchor points on ferrous objects when exploring or working underwater. These temporary anchor points are vital for divers wanting to maintain complete control of their position in the water in strong currents and keep both hands free for the task before them.
Following requests from divers all over Europe the technical experts at first4magnets sought advice from a selection of divers and set about designing a diving magnet that would be an ideal solution for both recreational and commercial divers. The F4MB60DIVE diving magnet has been available for several months now and feedback from the diving community has been overwhelming.
For recreational divers the use of a diving magnet provides greater control and freedom for exploring wreckages of ships and even aircraft. Considering a staggering 250,000 ships are estimated to have sunk off the coasts of Great Britain, more than any other country in the world, you can see why wreck diving is a popular pastime for UK divers.
Magnets as temporary anchor points are equally useful for commercial divers allowing them to secure themselves to underwater ferrous surfaces while they conduct scientific studies or perform tasks such as welding, drilling and blasting.
Let’s take a closer look at how the diving magnet works:
Super-strong neodymium pot magnet
Each diving magnet assembly is supplied with one or two super-strong N42 neodymium 60mm diameter pot magnets. Neodymium magnets are the strongest in the world and each pot magnet can support a vertical weight of up to 110kg when in flush contact with a steel surface of equal thickness. The pot magnet is made from a neodymium magnet coated with triple layer of nickel-copper-nickel sunken into a stainless steel shell. The stainless steel shell concentrates magnetism on the magnetic face maximising the performance generating sufficient magnetic pull to attract through debris such as seaweed, barnacles and marine plant life.
Stainless steel eyebolts
Each diving magnet is supplied with two removable stainless steel eyebolts at either end of the assembly for attaching guide and anchor lines or hooking equipment. Strong underwater currents have the potential to move the diver but also any tools being used could be lost in the current. By having two eyebolts the diver can attach themselves to one and their equipment to the other. The threaded eyebolts can be removed for cleaning and drying and also provide an additional safety measure.
Aluminium handle
The main body of the assembly is made from aluminium to reduce the overall weight of the diving magnet and to minimise the possibility of corrosion. In total the whole assembly weighs approximately 1kg and is just 330mm long making it really easy to handle. Plenty of thought has gone into the handle’s design; the ‘crank’ shape enables the diver to easily get their gloved fingers underneath to remove the magnet from any surface. Plus, the length of the handle has been specially designed to provide enough leverage so that the diving magnet can be removed from the surface it is attracted to quickly and easily.
Jack release
The stainless steel jack release provides an additional safety feature for removing the diving magnet from any ferrous surface that it is attached to. If the diver is unable to use the handle’s leverage to remove the diving magnet all they need to do is turn the handle clockwise until the magnet is pushed from the surface.
Other designs of diving magnets are available such as ‘bear paw’ style magnets and traditional clamping magnets (also available from first4magnets.com), none of which we believe offer the unique safety and usability features of the first4magnets diving magnet.
You can find out more about the first4magnets diving magnet here.
Matt Newby, first4magnets.com’s resident blogger met with Paula Crosby from Hughes Sub Surface Engineering Ltd to find out more about how their sub-surface engineers use magnets:
Matt: How are magnets used by your divers?
Paula: The divers use magnets for positioning themselves when working off the seabed by using guide and anchor lines to attach themselves to the magnets. This allows the diver to use both hands to work.
Matt: Why are magnets an essential tool for sub-surface engineers?
Paula: The magnets have become a very useful tool as they are very quick to install and diver friendly. They are really easy to use underwater and using magnets make many tasks much more efficient.
Matt: Which of the many challenges faced by sub-surface engineers are minimised by the use of strong magnets?
Paula: Working off the seabed is a unique and challenging environment. Using magnets to install down lines from dynamic positioned floating vessels is much easier with the use of strong magnets. Before our divers were able to use magnets they relied on rigging in the form of slings, lever hoists and mules to assist with the tasks now performed using magnets.
