Purisima, the world's first commercial diving lock-out bell, supported deepwater oil and gas exploration offshore of Santa Barbara in the 1960's. Named after Purisima Point in Santa Barbara County, it was rated to 1,000 feet. Santa Barbara abalone diver and deepwater diving pioneer Hugh D. "Danny" Wilson conceived and designed Purisima in 1962, and his company General Offshore Divers, an affiliate of Union Carbide, built it in 1964. The system was launched and tested in Santa Barbara Harbor before being used on various offshore projects. Although Purisima had several design shortcomings, it set a standard and served as a catalyst for future commercial deep diving systems and equipment used worldwide, and it remains one of the historical icons that made Santa Barbara the birthplace of deepwater commercial diving.
