Hookah Diving

Tried the long snorkle as a kid. No way. An interesting book by Peter Keeble. 'Ordeal by water' His experiences as a Naval mine disposal guy in WW2. They used to use the Standard compressor (as in pic above) running several divers on tubes with gas masks fitted, in the med with shallow water. So, an early Hookah.
The book is on Amazon.
 
A quick on line search gives $1000+ for a hookah system and £499 for a BCD, regulator, spare reg & 2 guages.
Any DIY lash up is in the realms of one-off experimentation as when you really need to use one of these systems, conditions won't be of your choosing. Why would you go for a hookah when a scuba set is cost comparable and far far more versatile & has proven safety?

surface diving/snorkelling if shallow and quick
proper hookah if long time, just sub surface (1-3m) and limited in range
Scuba is you want the security of being able to inspect/minor repair under the boat

Is that barrier to scuba doing a PADI (or equivalent) and that with a hookah, you get the impression that your risk is minimsed by the length of hose?

DIY hookah: A sure way to appear in the press for all the wrong reasons, all as stated in the earlier posts: Physics, reliability etc etc
 
I use mask, snorkel, fins & shorty wetsuit with 4kg weights on a belt to clean the undersides of Albin Vega (27ft longish keel). It's a pretty good workout, need to be fit and good in the water. I do have full dive kit on the boat as well (PADI Instructor), would be happy to use a Hookah but don't really see the point when dive kit and PADI course is comparable. Wouldn't use anyone else's home made system, don't know enough about what's involved to make my own (& why would I want to?). Please don't experiment with long snorkels, etc., you're rebreathing the same air, etc., an accident waiting to happen...
 
gardenshed said:
A quick on line search gives $1000+ for a hookah system and £499 for a BCD, regulator, spare reg & 2 guages.
Any DIY lash up is in the realms of one-off experimentation as when you really need to use one of these systems, conditions won't be of your choosing. Why would you go for a hookah when a scuba set is cost comparable and far far more versatile & has proven safety?

surface diving/snorkelling if shallow and quick
proper hookah if long time, just sub surface (1-3m) and limited in range
Scuba is you want the security of being able to inspect/minor repair under the boat

Is that barrier to scuba doing a PADI (or equivalent) and that with a hookah, you get the impression that your risk is minimsed by the length of hose?

DIY hookah: A sure way to appear in the press for all the wrong reasons, all as stated in the earlier posts: Physics, reliability etc etc
Click to expand...

Bought hookahs are just a handful of off the shelf products bought and put together, usually with a sticker over the original manufacturers tag and sold on with a huge mark up.

The different approach is to buy the very same compressor, the same hose but longer and the same reg and assemble this home built unit for a fraction of the price. The only difference is you might like to add a gauge for example or better quality fittings.

What has not been mentioned in this discussion is the other alternative, SNUBA. This is where a gas bottle stays on the boat and a long hose and stage 2 reg is used. Popular alternative to a hookah in America but with the same disadvantages as a scuba.
Surface supplied diving is a common term for hookahs in the States too, seems the name puts off some people. Hookahs are in wide use for prospecting and gold mining.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface-supplied_diving
 
djbreeze said:
I use mask, snorkel, fins & shorty wetsuit with 4kg weights on a belt to clean the undersides of Albin Vega (27ft longish keel). It's a pretty good workout, need to be fit and good in the water. I do have full dive kit on the boat as well (PADI Instructor), would be happy to use a Hookah but don't really see the point when dive kit and PADI course is comparable. Wouldn't use anyone else's home made system, don't know enough about what's involved to make my own (& why would I want to?). Please don't experiment with long snorkels, etc., you're rebreathing the same air, etc., an accident waiting to happen...
Click to expand...
I'm more interested in something that can be used in emergencies - fouled propellor or rudder for instance. Routine maintenance I can do by drying out. I carry a wet suit and snorkelling gear haven't got much room for SCUBA gear, compressors etc.
 
For doing the underside of the boat or emergency work on the prop, then you don't need full scuba kit. Just a small tank plus regulator - something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3Lt-scuba...a_SnorkellingEquipment_SM&hash=item1c2356679f . Wear a web belt and bungy the tank to the belt and there you go. 3 litres will give you probably 20 minutes under water if you're reasonably fit - certainly enough to clear a prop. Keep your eyes on ebay and something will come up at a price you can afford. If you do go down that route, then remember never stop breathing underwater - even if you run out of air, breathe out as you surface to prevent a ruptured lung.
 
duncan99210 said:
For doing the underside of the boat or emergency work on the prop, then you don't need full scuba kit. Just a small tank plus regulator - something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3Lt-scuba...a_SnorkellingEquipment_SM&hash=item1c2356679f . Wear a web belt and bungy the tank to the belt and there you go. 3 litres will give you probably 20 minutes under water if you're reasonably fit - certainly enough to clear a prop. Keep your eyes on ebay and something will come up at a price you can afford. If you do go down that route, then remember never stop breathing underwater - even if you run out of air, breathe out as you surface to prevent a ruptured lung.
Click to expand...

No test on that bottle and you should also have to show a dive certification (minimum PADI Open Water or equivalent) when getting a tank filled. I know SCUBA is far from rocket science but your last sentence really isn't sufficient substitute for a proper training course...

Edit - for clearing fouled prop I'd have thought mask/snorkel would be ok....
 
neale said:
My post above pointed to the Mini B and the Microdiving training course. This is much simpler than PADI and does provide all the knowledge for shallow water diving (down to 9 metres) so would be perfect for hull scrubbing etc etc.
Click to expand...

I was replying to someone who appears to be suggesting going ahead using scuba gear without any training...
 
I built a fully working system along similar lines several years ago (even held a patent briefly - but no commercial interest at the time). The big trick is to have an air bladder (I actually use the liner out of a 3 litre wine box!) in a box (which has holes to allow expansion/contractin) strapped to your back. You draw air from the bladder (which is at the same pressure as your lungs) through a non-return valve (readily obtainable from chandleries - intended for water but work fine for air) to a simple mouthpiece and expelled air goes out via another non-return valve. In my system, the pump is installed in a float (a 5 litre fuel tank), draws air in through a snorkel and pumps it at a constant rate down through a relatively small diameter, 5 meter plastic tube to the bladder. The bladder inflates and deflates as you breath which means that the air from the pump simply reinflates the bladder. The float also holds a rechargeable 12V gel battery (runs for about 45 mins - depending on depth) and so the system is self contained and the float can be towed around behind you as you swim. All works well - max depth about 4 metres.
NOTE - any system that connects your lungs directly to the surface will seriously injure or kill you below about 1 meter!! Including the valves in the pump, my system has 3 non-return valves between my lungs and the surface.
 
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