flipper
Well-Known Member
You could source the pony cylinder, contents gauge, regulator, weight belt and harness for around the 300 quid mark. If you did decide to do a diving course then you are half way to having all the gear.
Can YOU clear ropes and stuff off your props?
- Thread starter David_J
- Start date
You could source the pony cylinder, contents gauge, regulator, weight belt and harness for around the 300 quid mark. If you did decide to do a diving course then you are half way to having all the gear.
doug748
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that Flipper. For £300 it could be very useful - Tempting
Marsupial
Well-Known Member
HI
I had the same concerns so I did a PADI course to get some idea of how diving works and give me some confidence under water. I did my course in the RED sea although I did the PADI with SCUBA the guys and girls there had no hang up abouts deck compressor systems (Hookahs). Someone wanted to know what happens if the compressor stops working while your under, I imagine its simialr to what happens when the instructor turns your air off while your under (part of the course) - scary but you survive!!! I am now in the process of getting one of these http://seabreathe.com/ the power dive system was just too expensive. I did ask the question and these systems can be used with a BCD, this makes me feel happier.
The problem with the pony bottle or even SCUBA gear is that it only lasts for a few breaths underwater then you have to get it refilled, not easy if the rope is still round the prop and you're 40 miles off shore.
Like others have said I hope I never need to use it off shore, just a scrub and anode change every year.
Cheers
David
I had the same concerns so I did a PADI course to get some idea of how diving works and give me some confidence under water. I did my course in the RED sea although I did the PADI with SCUBA the guys and girls there had no hang up abouts deck compressor systems (Hookahs). Someone wanted to know what happens if the compressor stops working while your under, I imagine its simialr to what happens when the instructor turns your air off while your under (part of the course) - scary but you survive!!! I am now in the process of getting one of these http://seabreathe.com/ the power dive system was just too expensive. I did ask the question and these systems can be used with a BCD, this makes me feel happier.
The problem with the pony bottle or even SCUBA gear is that it only lasts for a few breaths underwater then you have to get it refilled, not easy if the rope is still round the prop and you're 40 miles off shore.
Like others have said I hope I never need to use it off shore, just a scrub and anode change every year.
Cheers
David
Scubadoo
Well-Known Member
I am Padi & TDI diver and spend my time wreck diving off chartered boats. When I am not wreck diving I enjoy my own boat and shallow diving what I call doing a bit more then snorkerlling.
A few years ago I decided I didn't want to carry my normal dive gear on my boat just too much weight etc etc. So I got myself a Mini-B for £190 off ebay and it was brand new, however I still had it all serviced before use. It only has a 3.8litre cylinder but gives me at least 30min at around 5/6metres.
I strongly suggest that anyone thinking of going under water with weights and dive gear must get at least a Padi Open Water training - a weekend course (if I remember correctly), for the reason Dive Master and other have said. Our coastline is one of the most challenging to dive even doing just a couple of metres, as you know you have neap/springs and strong currents and under currents, if you not prepared you could seriously injure yourself. For example just anchour in Alum Bay and get too close to the Needles and at just about 6metres there can be a strong under current.
When I clean the stern gear etc I tend to use one arm stretch out under the boat so I go up and down with it. Also I keep my fenders down and trailing rope for added safety just in case there is a strong current etc. Lastly you should have the Dive flag on display to warn other boats - but I guess some of you don't know what that is, based on experience of boats going through dive sites.
A few years ago I decided I didn't want to carry my normal dive gear on my boat just too much weight etc etc. So I got myself a Mini-B for £190 off ebay and it was brand new, however I still had it all serviced before use. It only has a 3.8litre cylinder but gives me at least 30min at around 5/6metres.
I strongly suggest that anyone thinking of going under water with weights and dive gear must get at least a Padi Open Water training - a weekend course (if I remember correctly), for the reason Dive Master and other have said. Our coastline is one of the most challenging to dive even doing just a couple of metres, as you know you have neap/springs and strong currents and under currents, if you not prepared you could seriously injure yourself. For example just anchour in Alum Bay and get too close to the Needles and at just about 6metres there can be a strong under current.
When I clean the stern gear etc I tend to use one arm stretch out under the boat so I go up and down with it. Also I keep my fenders down and trailing rope for added safety just in case there is a strong current etc. Lastly you should have the Dive flag on display to warn other boats - but I guess some of you don't know what that is, based on experience of boats going through dive sites.
AndieMac
Well-Known Member
Interesting point........I guess its the same blue and white one we have.
This same issue gets raised here quite frequently, but its more the smaller dinghies darting in and out around closer inshore areas being a danger to shore based divers. They don't have anywhere on the water to display their flag.
A previous poster mentioned keeping a shorty wetsuit onboard, just in case you need to jump over to free something. I would suggest a preference towards a full length, at least 5mm, with booties, gloves and hood (hood will provide some protection against light impact on hull, not sharp props though), given the likely water temps around the UK.
Scubadoo
Well-Known Member
Yes the Blue&White is the international flag "A" for divers. However I also have a SMB with a flag on it for my shallow diving 5/6metres so there is no excuse for divers not to display the flag. Of course "real" diving i.e. to 40metres etc then I use a DSMB.
Agree for UK waters I wear a full length 5mm wetsuit with hood etc and agree the hood acts as limited addtional protection.
Unfortunately most boaters like you describe are not aware of meaning of Flags for drivers, a few years ago I was following divers displaying the Flag and two power boats went either side of me straight over where the divers were, fortunately they were not about to surface.
Agree for UK waters I wear a full length 5mm wetsuit with hood etc and agree the hood acts as limited addtional protection.
Unfortunately most boaters like you describe are not aware of meaning of Flags for drivers, a few years ago I was following divers displaying the Flag and two power boats went either side of me straight over where the divers were, fortunately they were not about to surface.
Richard10002
Well-Known Member
I carry a 10l tank, Cressi Aqualight BCD, 5mm full wetsuit, Regulators, Mask/Snorkel, Flippers and Boots, set of weights.
Cost about £600 using ebay for most of it. I've saved well over that in lift outs, lost anchor, and professional divers.
It doesnt take up that much room, and is bloody handy if you get a rope round the prop, or want to change an anode without lifting out. It's also handy to check the anchor is dug in, or to free it if it snags. Great on sunny days to have a swim around and look at the fishy fishes.
PADI Open Water is about £300-£400, Advanced is about another £200. Takes about 20/30 dives to start feeling like you know a bit about how it all works, but you will have done about 12 dives after the above courses.
So for just over £1000 you have a new hobby and are self sufficient, (and money saving), in terms of many underwater problems.
Rope around the prop in Bayona marina - I just hopped over the side and cut off the remnants that the cutter didnt deal with. Very reassuring to know that it's as simple as that.
The change in water pressure with depth is greater the closer you get to the surface, so even at 1 or 2 meters, you can cause yourself great harm if you are not trained to do things instinctively.
Definitely cant recommend buying the gear and doing it with no training - you could die!!!
Cost about £600 using ebay for most of it. I've saved well over that in lift outs, lost anchor, and professional divers.
It doesnt take up that much room, and is bloody handy if you get a rope round the prop, or want to change an anode without lifting out. It's also handy to check the anchor is dug in, or to free it if it snags. Great on sunny days to have a swim around and look at the fishy fishes.
PADI Open Water is about £300-£400, Advanced is about another £200. Takes about 20/30 dives to start feeling like you know a bit about how it all works, but you will have done about 12 dives after the above courses.
So for just over £1000 you have a new hobby and are self sufficient, (and money saving), in terms of many underwater problems.
Rope around the prop in Bayona marina - I just hopped over the side and cut off the remnants that the cutter didnt deal with. Very reassuring to know that it's as simple as that.
The change in water pressure with depth is greater the closer you get to the surface, so even at 1 or 2 meters, you can cause yourself great harm if you are not trained to do things instinctively.
Definitely cant recommend buying the gear and doing it with no training - you could die!!!
tico
Well-Known Member
'Smug icon'.. yes , I keep a full kit on board for such eventualities & yes I am qualified.
However , I would take some issue with boaters not recognising the 'A' flag.
Where I boat is a popular diving location and most (i wont say all) recognise the flag and keep clear. However, the thing that annoys me is the dive ribs merrily blasting along at 30+ kts back to base with the 'A' flag still flying... does this mean that their divers are keeping up underwater?... it becomes a case od 'cry wolf'... does he really have divers down or could he just not be bothered to take it down?
Rant over
However , I would take some issue with boaters not recognising the 'A' flag.
Where I boat is a popular diving location and most (i wont say all) recognise the flag and keep clear. However, the thing that annoys me is the dive ribs merrily blasting along at 30+ kts back to base with the 'A' flag still flying... does this mean that their divers are keeping up underwater?... it becomes a case od 'cry wolf'... does he really have divers down or could he just not be bothered to take it down?
Rant over
oGaryo
Well-Known Member
has got me thinking this.. I've never scuba dived but love to dive down with a snorkel to a depth where I feel fairly significant pressure on my ear drums, at a guess it'd be 3+ metres. I'm holding my breath the whole way down and up again until I blow out the water when surfacing.. doing this several times a session..... reading some of the above posts my lungs should have popped. I'm still breathing today (just ;-) ) so have I just been lucky or is the depth thing just a consideration when breathing with tanks?
neale
Well-Known Member
Holding breath on the way down and then back up again is different from taking a breath while down and surfacing while holding your breath.
neale
Well-Known Member
As you descend from the surface your lungs and the air in them will compress and then as you surface they will expand to the same size you started with. Take a big lungfull at 10 mtrs and it will still expand as you rise but as the lungs are already fully expanded they will burst.
Nick_H
Well-Known Member
It's only a risk if you take a full breath at depth, then as you ascend the pressure reduces and the air expands. If you took the breath at the surface and then dived down, it can't expand to a bigger volume than you originally took, so impossible to burst your lung snorkelling.
I'd remind everyone that the OP asked about using compressed air eqp't to clear his props. That takes a couple of minutes at a depth of no more than 2m, so 5mm full wetsuits are not required, nor is a BCD (you can always drop the weight belt in an emergency), and the only real danger is if you tried to completely fill your lungs to capacity, and then rise to the top. Why anyone would do this I don't know, and would the pressure change in 2m be enough to burst your lungs anyway? However, good idea to be aware of it I suppose.
I'd remind everyone that the OP asked about using compressed air eqp't to clear his props. That takes a couple of minutes at a depth of no more than 2m, so 5mm full wetsuits are not required, nor is a BCD (you can always drop the weight belt in an emergency), and the only real danger is if you tried to completely fill your lungs to capacity, and then rise to the top. Why anyone would do this I don't know, and would the pressure change in 2m be enough to burst your lungs anyway? However, good idea to be aware of it I suppose.
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Actually, I think a BCD is a good idea.
You need something to carry the tank and a BCD does that along with some useful support at the surface.
Both my sets have BCDs and they were both less than £600 - one of the BCDs has an inbuilt weight system as well. - not bought from Ebay either - just go to any good dive shop and they will do a deal - probably get some training from them as well.
You need something to carry the tank and a BCD does that along with some useful support at the surface.
Both my sets have BCDs and they were both less than £600 - one of the BCDs has an inbuilt weight system as well. - not bought from Ebay either - just go to any good dive shop and they will do a deal - probably get some training from them as well.
BartW
Well-Known Member
the answer to your question about lung pressure has been well covered by neale and NickH,
but you're the first to mention about the ears;
anybody who will ascent in water will get +0,1 bar/meter depth , extra pressure on his body.
so:
on the surface at 0m depth, surrounding pressure is 1 bar
at 1m depth pressure is 1.1 bar
at 2m depth pressure is 1.2 bar
at 3m depth pressure is 1.3 bar
at 5m depth pressure is 1.5 bar
at 10m depth pressure is 2 bar (this is double from the surface)
most parts of your body have no problem with that, (behave like fluids)
but the problematic parts are the ones filled with gas / air, such as:
- lungs (as discussed above)
- ears,
for every dive, with or without compressed air, it is very important that you can "clear " the pressure in you ear while decending. or that you can "'equalize" the pressure in your ears.
There is a quite simple manipulation to do this.
simply discribed it goes like this:
While keeping your mouth closed, and closing your nose with your fingers, you have to try to breath "out" a little pressure out of your ears, until you hear a equlising pressure click in your ears, (you can use this trick also in a decending airplane)
BE CAREFULL WITH THIS AS IT CAN DAMAGE YOUR EARS when you put too much pressure, or exagerate this !!!
When ascending, this equalation goes automatic when your air way's are normal, and not filled with slime (flu f.e.)
yes I agree all difficult to explain, especially as I'am not native enlisch,
step by step we have the basic scuba training course here in this post
a scuba diving course will better explain these things, and the restrictions, etc..
and will allow you to exercise them
Scubadoo
Well-Known Member
Simply put...Your not breathing air underwater to "compenstate" for the change in pressure on your lungs i.e. the deeper you go the more air you need to breathe to fill your lungs etc. However as you ascend the pressure drops and your lungs expand hence why you need to breathe all the time! Snorkelling where you just hold your breathe from the surface will have no affect on your lungs going pop.
mikehibb
Well-Known Member
On my diving courses the instructor did brilliant but very simple demonstrations.
Take an empty coke bottle with lid screwed on tightly down with us to 10m then look at how bottle is deformed, at 20m look how it is crushed, at 30m it looks like it has been vacuum packed.
Then he did the what happens if you breath in hold and you breath demonstration by using a floatation bag tied to a spare weight belt.
Take down to 30m, deflated, add a breath full of air, he took his regulator out of hs mouth and used a real breath full at 30m, then as the dive progressed and we slowly ascended we all watched how the flotation bag had expanded. That is enough to explain what happens inside your body.
just to add this was advanced open water course, hence the depths involved, even on basic open water the demostration still holds for a coke bottle at 10m.
Regarding the above air hogs,
I used to be an air hog, well not me, my BCD to be exact, until I got the neutral buoyancy thing sorted.
Now I use less weight, buoyancy is spot on, and now use a smaller bottle and bring it back half full most dives.
However it did take 30 dives to get to that stage.
My instructor though, we think has a genetic throw back to millions of years ago, we think that he has gills, his heart rate also defies medical explanation.
No mater which method any of you decide to use, please get training, and even more important please do not just keep the kit on board in a locker without having it serviced regularly.
Did not get any diving in this year, kit was serviced in Jan.
I will have it all checked again next season too.
Take an empty coke bottle with lid screwed on tightly down with us to 10m then look at how bottle is deformed, at 20m look how it is crushed, at 30m it looks like it has been vacuum packed.
Then he did the what happens if you breath in hold and you breath demonstration by using a floatation bag tied to a spare weight belt.
Take down to 30m, deflated, add a breath full of air, he took his regulator out of hs mouth and used a real breath full at 30m, then as the dive progressed and we slowly ascended we all watched how the flotation bag had expanded. That is enough to explain what happens inside your body.
just to add this was advanced open water course, hence the depths involved, even on basic open water the demostration still holds for a coke bottle at 10m.
Regarding the above air hogs,
I used to be an air hog, well not me, my BCD to be exact, until I got the neutral buoyancy thing sorted.
Now I use less weight, buoyancy is spot on, and now use a smaller bottle and bring it back half full most dives.
However it did take 30 dives to get to that stage.
My instructor though, we think has a genetic throw back to millions of years ago, we think that he has gills, his heart rate also defies medical explanation.
No mater which method any of you decide to use, please get training, and even more important please do not just keep the kit on board in a locker without having it serviced regularly.
Did not get any diving in this year, kit was serviced in Jan.
I will have it all checked again next season too.
Divemaster1
Well-Known Member
That is technique and experience... after a couple of hundred dives (I have 2780 something logged dives)....you find your comfort level and learn to let your body enjoy the weightless sensation which contributes to relaxating other muscles in your body which normally are "loaded". This combined with improved swimming technque and find the balance between effort and speed of propulsion with air consumption (Students tend to follow instructors speed)... you will use less air..... fitness level also play a major part of course...
mikehibb
Well-Known Member
Divemaster1:
The aforementioned instructor was ex Turkish Navy Diver, then commercial diver, then decided a dive school in Kemer in Turkey was a lot safer than commercial contracts in very cold water is Russia with dubious equipment.
He is now a personal friend rather than "my instructor".
I have found that with my now better buoyancy expertise I carry a lot less weight, smaller air tank. I also now dolphin kick or frog kick rather than finning most of the time too.
The aforementioned instructor was ex Turkish Navy Diver, then commercial diver, then decided a dive school in Kemer in Turkey was a lot safer than commercial contracts in very cold water is Russia with dubious equipment.
He is now a personal friend rather than "my instructor".
I have found that with my now better buoyancy expertise I carry a lot less weight, smaller air tank. I also now dolphin kick or frog kick rather than finning most of the time too.