had changed from the days of donning metal helmets and lead boots to today's sophisticated apparel and high-tech equipment.

When he bought Lawrence Marine in 1954, it consisted of one boat, the Grandma , and some diving tools, which he carried around on his motorbike.

Since then, barges, towboats, cranes, pile drivers, a bobcat and several trucks have been added.

The company now has equipment to clean fuel tanks, clean ships' hulls, assist in oil spills, cut off piles and drive piles. It also has non-explosive material for cracking hard rock, both on land and underwater, taking the place of underwater explosives.

Speaking at Hamilton Rotary's Tuesday luncheon, Mr. Lawrence said it was he who introduced aqualungs and lightweight diving suits to Bermuda, having used them while serving in the Canadian Navy.

"In those days it was no mean feat to secure a wet suit,'' he recalled. "My first one was made on the kitchen floor with pieces of neoprene cut from a mail order pattern and a pot of glue.'' Mr. Lawrence also brought back from the navy an air-compressor that had a gas engine turning the crank handle -- it used to be done manually.

Construction methods for underwater projects such as docks had also changed over the years, he noted, with cranes now being used to do a lot of the work that used to get done by divers.

"Up until recently, docks were constructed entirely of concrete,'' he said.

"Now most docks are built using PVC pipe pilings that are filled with concrete and anchored to the seabed by steel beams. These pilings are then attached to the shoreline with wooden beams and covered over with wooden decking.'' But a commercial diving business does not survive on building docks alone, he pointed out.

Scrubbing of ships' bottoms -- which saves fuel by getting rid of barnacles, putting down moorings and conducting underwater surveys are all included in the day-to-day business.