Kirby Morgan Dive Systems

Kirby Morgan Dive Systems is an American professional-diving equipment brand and manufacturer associated with commercial, military, and other specialized underwater operations. The company is based in Santa Maria, California, and is best known for helmets and masks that deliver breathing gas to divers working from surface-supplied systems. Its equipment is used in environments where reliable breathing, communications, visibility, environmental protection, and compatibility with demanding operational procedures are more important than recreational convenience. The business emerged from the design partnership of Bob Kirby and Bev Morgan. Their work grew out of practical diving problems encountered by working divers, including the need for better-fitting full-face equipment and more effective commercial helmets. An early Bob Kirby mask, developed from ideas associated with Henry Hanson’s handmade stainless-steel masks, was intended for abalone diving. Bev Morgan subsequently developed experimental full-face designs, including the Morgan Mask series, which explored rigid frames, free-flow supply, demand regulators, and improved downward visibility. These prototypes established a design lineage that led to commercial helmets and masks. Kirby and Morgan formed a partnership in the mid-1960s to produce commercial diving helmets. The initial designs included a commercial air helmet and a commercial helium helmet. The air helmet used a copper shell, a breastplate, replaceable viewing ports, and design features intended to improve field of vision and reduce noise. The helium model incorporated a rear scrubber arrangement and gas-recirculation concept for helium-based diving. Production of these early commercial helmets was later undertaken by Yokohama Diving Apparatus, with the designs remaining in production for many years. The corporate history includes several changes of name. The business was formed as Kirby Morgan Corporation in 1966. Bob Kirby sold his interest to Bev Morgan in 1967, after which the company became Deep Water Development in 1969 and Diving Systems International in 1977. The present Kirby Morgan Dive Systems identity is used for the company and its product brand. The brand has retained a strong association with lightweight demand helmets, particularly the Superlite family, while expanding into band masks, full-face masks, regulators, communications-related equipment, and systems for helium reclaim or other specialized gas-management arrangements. Its product portfolio is primarily open-circuit, surface-supplied breathing equipment. The Superlite 17 family is particularly associated with commercial diving and includes the KM 17B configuration used by the United States Navy as the Mk 21 helmet. Other helmet families use fiberglass or stainless-steel shells and are configured for different operational requirements, including compact size, durability, environmental protection, and integration with helium-reclaim or exhaust-return systems. Band masks such as the KMB-18 and KMB-28 provide a quicker-to-fit alternative to a helmet for applications including standby diving. The KM 48 Supermask and EXO-26 extend the portfolio into full-face equipment, while the company also supplies regulators for helmets, masks, scuba use, and related breathing systems. Kirby Morgan’s positioning is consequently professional and safety-oriented rather than lifestyle-oriented. Its products are designed for trained divers, commercial diving contractors, public-sector users, and specialist operators who require maintainable equipment and established compatibility with diving-support infrastructure. The brand’s continuing relevance rests on its long-running product families, a large installed base, and the practical demands of professional diving, although individual models and certifications can change over time.

Kirby Morgan’s history combines the development of working-diver equipment with a series of corporate reorganizations and name changes. The technical lineage began before the company’s formal incorporation. Bob Kirby developed an early mask for abalone diving, drawing on practical ideas associated with Henry Hanson, a shipyard welder who had made stainless-steel full-face masks for his own use. Commercially available masks did not provide Hanson with a satisfactory fit, and the resulting design approach emphasized a substantial rigid shell, a face seal, and a broad field of vision. Bev Morgan later pursued a related series of experimental masks. The Morgan Mask, Experimental 1, was a rigid-frame, free-flow full-face mask made from fiberglass. Other experimental versions investigated demand delivery using regulator components and modified faceplates intended to improve the diver’s downward view. These prototypes were produced in small numbers, but they established design principles that would inform later commercial products. In 1965, Bob Kirby and Bev Morgan collaborated on commercial helmet designs. Their commercial air helmet used a copper shell produced by Hummel Products in Santa Barbara and a breastplate supplied by Yokohama Diving Apparatus. The design used threaded viewing ports sealed with O-rings and sought to provide a wider field of vision while reducing the noise associated with earlier equipment. The same period also produced a commercial helium helmet. That helmet incorporated a cylindrical scrubber canister on the rear, a replaceable carbon-dioxide absorbent cartridge, and a venturi-based gas-circulation arrangement. It was intended for helium-related commercial diving applications and reflected the increasingly technical requirements of deep and specialized diving. Kirby Morgan Corporation was formed in 1966. In 1967, Bob Kirby sold his share to Bev Morgan. The business later changed its name to Deep Water Development in 1969 and to Diving Systems International in 1977. Early commercial helmets, including the air and helium designs, were produced by Yokohama Diving Apparatus from 1966 through 1990. The company eventually became known as Kirby Morgan Dive Systems, Inc., with its base in Santa Maria, California. The modern product range centers on professional breathing apparatus, especially lightweight demand helmets. Fiberglass and stainless-steel shells are used across different models, allowing the range to address varying requirements for weight, durability, compactness, corrosion resistance, and specialized gas handling. The Superlite 17 series became a particularly prominent commercial-diving platform; the KM 17B configuration is also used by the United States Navy under the Mk 21 designation. Other helmet families include the compact Superlite 27, the 37 and 37SS, the 47, the 97, and specialized designs such as the Diamond helmet. Some earlier models, including the Superlite 57 and model 77, are no longer produced, while certain discontinued products remain supported. Kirby Morgan also developed band masks and full-face masks. Band masks use a rigid frame, a clamped face seal, and a multi-strap harness. They can be fitted more quickly than helmets and are useful for standby divers and other operations where rapid donning is valuable. The KMB-18 and KMB-28B differ principally in frame construction, using fiberglass composite and molded thermoplastic respectively. The KM 48 Supermask combines features of a half mask and a full-face mask and uses a removable regulator pod, allowing operational flexibility when changing gas supplies or using bailout equipment. The EXO-26 provides another full-face option for scuba and surface-supplied air, with provisions for communications equipment; its market availability and certification status have changed over time. Today, Kirby Morgan is associated with an extensive installed base in commercial diving and with equipment used by military and other professional operators. Its portfolio remains focused on breathing systems rather than general recreational diving accessories. The company’s enduring market position comes from specialist product knowledge, established helmet and mask platforms, and the high switching costs involved in professional diving equipment, training, maintenance, and operational procedures.

• 1990

  End of documented Yokohama production period

  [1]Kirby Morganen.wikipedia.org

  The referenced history identifies 1990 as the end of the period in which Yokohama Diving Apparatus produced the early commercial air and helium helmet designs.

• 1977

  Company renamed Diving Systems International

  [1]Kirby Morganen.wikipedia.org

  The company changed its name to Diving Systems International before later operating as Kirby Morgan Dive Systems.

• 1969

  Company renamed Deep Water Development

  [1]Kirby Morganen.wikipedia.org

  The business adopted the name Deep Water Development.

• 1967

  Bob Kirby sells his interest

  [1]Kirby Morganen.wikipedia.org

  Bob Kirby sold his share of the business to Bev Morgan.

• 1966

  Kirby Morgan Corporation formed

  [1]Kirby Morganen.wikipedia.org

  The business was formally established as Kirby Morgan Corporation.

• 1965

  Commercial air and helium helmet designs developed

  [1]Kirby Morganen.wikipedia.org

  Bob Kirby and Bev Morgan developed commercial air and helium helmet designs, including a copper-shell air helmet and a helium helmet with a rear scrubber and gas-recirculation arrangement.

Professional-grade underwater breathing and diving-support equipment emphasizing reliability, maintainability, visibility, environmental protection, and compatibility with commercial and military diving operations.

• Commercial diving helmet

  KM Superlite 17A/B/C

  The Superlite 17 family is a lightweight demand helmet platform for professional surface-supplied diving. The series uses a fiberglass shell and is widely associated with commercial diving. The KM 17B configuration is also used by the United States Navy as the Mk 21 helmet. Its role is to provide a rigid protective housing for the diver’s breathing, viewing, and communications equipment while remaining suitable for extended working dives.

• Commercial diving helmet

  Superlite 27

  The Superlite 27 is a compact fiberglass lightweight demand helmet in the Kirby Morgan professional range. It is intended for operators who need the protection and breathing-system integration of a helmet in a smaller form factor. As with other commercial helmets in the range, its primary application is surface-supplied professional diving rather than ordinary recreational use.

• Commercial diving helmet

  Kirby Morgan 37 and 37SS

  The 37 family consists of professional lightweight demand helmets offered with different shell materials. The standard model uses fiberglass, while the 37SS uses stainless steel. This lets operators select between material characteristics suited to their working environment, maintenance preferences, and durability requirements while retaining the basic architecture of a Kirby Morgan commercial helmet.

• Commercial diving helmet

  Kirby Morgan 47

  The model 47 is a fiberglass-shell lightweight demand helmet for professional divers. It belongs to the established Kirby Morgan commercial helmet family and is designed for integration with surface-supplied breathing and communications arrangements. The referenced material identifies the model among the company’s product families, while also noting that some versions or listings may be discontinued but supported.

• Commercial diving helmet

  Superlite 57

  The Superlite 57 is a fiberglass commercial diving helmet that forms part of the brand’s earlier lightweight demand-helmet range. The model is no longer in production according to the referenced material, but it is included in the historical product family and may remain relevant to operators maintaining existing equipment.

• Commercial diving helmet

  Kirby Morgan 77

  The model 77 is an earlier stainless-steel Kirby Morgan diving helmet. Its metal shell reflects the brand’s long-standing use of stainless steel for applications where robustness and material durability are priorities. The model is no longer produced, although historical support for legacy equipment is part of the practical context of professional helmet ownership.

• Commercial diving helmet

  Kirby Morgan 97

  The 97 is a stainless-steel lightweight demand helmet in the professional Kirby Morgan range. It is intended for commercial diving use and provides a durable rigid shell for breathing, viewing, and associated equipment. The model represents the company’s continuing stainless-steel helmet offering alongside fiberglass-shell alternatives.

• Specialized commercial diving helmet

  Kirby Morgan Diamond

  The Diamond is a stainless-steel lightweight demand helmet designed for specialized gas-management arrangements. It can be used with helium reclaim systems or with direct venting through an exhaust-gas return line. This configuration is also intended to provide strong protection in contaminated environments when used within applicable procedures and regulations.

• Band mask

  KMB-18A/B

  The KMB-18 is a professional band mask with a rigid hand-laid fiberglass composite frame. A band mask uses a clamped face seal and a multi-strap harness, allowing it to be donned more quickly than a full helmet. The design is particularly relevant to standby and commercial diving operations where speed of fitting and a full-face breathing interface are valuable.

• Band mask

  KMB-28B

  The KMB-28B is a band mask with an injection-molded thermoplastic frame. It serves a similar operational purpose to the KMB-18, combining a full-face interface with a faster fitting procedure than a traditional helmet. The United States Navy Mk 1 mask is identified as a Navy specification of the Kirby Morgan band-mask concept.

• Full-face diving mask

  KM 48 Supermask

  The KM 48 Supermask uses a configuration between a conventional half mask and a full-face mask. Its skirt seals around the eyes, nose, and lower face, while a removable regulator pod carries the second stage. The pod can be removed at the surface or exchanged for another gas-supply arrangement, and the regulator’s bite grip permits use with a standard alternative regulator in appropriate bailout situations. A rebreather-oriented pod is also identified for military users.

• Full-face diving mask

  KM48 Mod 1

  The KM48 Mod 1 is a heavier-duty version of the KM 48 Supermask concept. It retains the removable regulator-pod approach and the full-face breathing interface while being oriented toward more demanding professional or military applications.

• Full-face diving mask

  EXO-26

  The EXO-26 is a full-face mask with a balanced regulator for scuba or surface-supplied air. The referenced material describes it as rated to 50 metres on air, capable of relatively clear speech, and compatible with wireless diver communications equipment. Its regulator is intended for cold-water and under-ice use and may be used in mildly contaminated water where permitted. The product was removed from the CE market in 2017.

• Diving regulator

  Kirby Morgan regulators

  Kirby Morgan supplies regulator systems for scuba, helmets, and masks. These components provide the breathing-gas delivery function within the company’s broader equipment ecosystem and are designed for integration with professional diving helmets, full-face masks, and surface-supplied systems.

1. 1Kirby Morganen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kirby Morgan Products: Regulatorskirbymorgan.com
3. 3Kirby Morgan Dive Systems official websitekirbymorgan.com