Once Human Diving Gear is how you survive longer underwater trips in Isles of Abyss. The Basic and Shark Diving Suits protect against ocean contamination, while the Oxygen Tank, Inflatable Float and Air Cushion deal with separate problems involving air, emergencies and the water’s surface.
You can explore shallow shipwrecks before owning every upgrade. The trick is preparing for the depth you’re going to reach, learning how oxygen behaves and bringing a way back up. Start with the Basic Diving Suit and work towards the Shark Diving Suit as your ocean Tech develops. Carry an emergency ascent item before attempting deeper laboratories.
Once Human Diving Gear: all confirmed equipment
Each item has a different purpose. Don’t mistake the Shark suit’s swimming benefit for extra oxygen, or expect the Float to provide permanent protection against underwater contamination.
| Item | Effect | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Diving Suit | Base ocean-contamination resistance | Early shallow diving |
| Shark Diving Suit | Better contamination resistance and swimming speed | Later Tech progression |
| Fish Oil Paste | Temperature resistance and temporary isolation from water contamination | Extra protection |
| Oxygen Tank | Replenishes oxygen automatically when depleted | Deeper dives |
| Inflatable Float | Consumable for rapidly ascending | Emergency exit |
| Air Cushion | Temporary floating foothold on the surface | Surface support |
| Spear Gun | Underwater combat | Hostile sea creatures |
Best early setup for Once Human Diving Gear
Start with the Basic Diving Suit and pick a shallow wreck near shore. Identify where you’ll resurface before swimming toward an objective. Ocean contamination and oxygen are different hazards; protecting yourself from one doesn’t eliminate the other. Fish Oil Paste is an additional consumable that increases temperature resistance and temporarily blocks water contamination.
Once you’ve progressed far enough through the Tech system, consider Shark Diving Suit for stronger contamination protection and faster swimming. The developers describe it as a further unlock, not a starting item. Open the Tech tree to find the Shark Diving Suit unlock, then check the crafting station for its materials. The suit improves swimming speed and contamination resistance; it does not replace oxygen supplies.
Once Human Diving Gear is best tested on a shallow wreck before you head into deeper laboratories. Underwater locations become more dangerous further from the surface, so the first run is best used to learn how quickly your oxygen falls and how easily you can return.
How Oxygen Tank, Inflatable Float and Air Cushion work
Oxygen Tank activates automatically when your oxygen runs out and restores your breathing reserve. This is an emergency resource, not permission to ignore your remaining air. Keep an eye on the meter and head upwards before it becomes a crisis.
Inflatable Float is a consumable that quickly carries you towards the surface. That’s useful if you run into a hostile creature or realise you’re too deep to swim back comfortably. Air Cushion has a different job: throw it to create a short-lived floating platform after surfacing. It’s a foothold, not a diving suit.
When arranging Once Human Diving Gear in your inventory, separate the items you wear from supplies you consume. Check you have the right tools before leaving your ship, particularly on a long crossing between islands.
Once Human Diving Gear for underwater treasure: choose a safe destination
Look for surface clues, including floating containers, ruins and glowing algae. Glowing algae around laboratory leaks can point to an underwater research facility, while drift bottles and coastal finds may lead to treasure maps. Start from shallow shipwrecks and upgrade before attempting deeper ruins.
The joining guide covers the scenario entry requirements. The Haywire Zones guide covers environmental hazards on different islands. Those threats need different protection from ordinary ocean diving.
Once Human Diving Gear: oxygen refills and helpful sea creatures
Bubble Fish release bubbles you can absorb to replenish oxygen underwater. They can give you extra breathing room, but keep enough air to reach the surface. Anglerfish provide a different benefit: swimming near their glowing lures gives refuge from seawater contamination. Avoid jellyfish, which can deliver electric shocks.
For a longer swim, add food to your Once Human Diving Gear loadout. Silky Fish Oil Soup reduces consumption while swimming, while Stealth Cuttlefish Sashimi reduces the range at which underwater enemies lock onto you. Neither food replaces the Oxygen Tank or diving suit.
Can you fight while using Once Human Diving Gear?
The Spear Gun is the underwater combat option announced for Isles of Abyss. Carry it if a wreck may be guarded by sea creatures, but don’t let a fight distract you from your oxygen reserve. If escape is safer, move towards the surface and use your emergency supplies.
Major ocean encounters such as Voyager Ships and Calamity Towers also depend on ship readiness. A Spear Gun isn’t a substitute for naval cannons, and diving equipment alone won’t prepare you for the scenario’s largest fights.
Why some Once Human Diving Gear items aren’t craftable yet
The scenario starts characters at maximum level, but Tech progression controls higher equipment crafting rarity and how many Mod attributes work. An item being unavailable in the crafting menu may therefore mean you haven’t reached its relevant unlock. Check Tech rather than assuming a high character level should give you every item immediately.
For Once Human Diving Gear, the key difference is between baseline equipment you can prepare early and more advanced options earned through progression. The same logic applies to your ship and its weapons. For unrelated free launch equipment, see the 10,000 Starchrom and Legendary blueprint giveaway.
Build up from short, shallow dives. If oxygen is the problem, prepare a tank and float. If contamination is the problem, improve your suit and supplies before going deeper.
Related Guides
Official source: Once Human version 3.1.1 update notes.
