Hookah Diving

Personally I'd be a bit worried about "snorkel adapted as regulator"!

Best make sure the one you buy includes an actual regulator.

Sorry I don't have any pointers to them in this country.

Pete
 
Snorkel adapted as a regulator it ain't. Looking at the pic, the tube is just attached to the top of the snorkel. Assuming the pump does work to the spces shown, the air will be pumped down at a rate far in excessof what required to breath. Therefore, the excess air will need to vent from the snorkel mouth-piece or a simple flap-valve in the base of the snorkel. Divers are trained to cope with afre-flow situation like this but it isn't pleasant. Whatever the case, you will have lots of air to contend with which is not good under a boat.

It will never work with a real diving regulator either. It's designed to pump air continuously. A diving regulator is designed to work form a tank where flow is interrupted.

Stay well clear. It may work, but will be potentially lethal.
 
I've been thinking of producing a similar thing for maintenance under the boat - max 2m down. Comprising 1/2" hose clipped to stanchion, inlet non return valve, mouthpiece, outlet non return valve. No pump required. Only problem is sourcing suitable nrv's.
 
You will always need air under pressure. For every 10m of depth the pressure increases by 1bar. Therefore at 2m, the ambient pressure is 1.2bar. Your lungs just won't have enough suck to breath through a tube from the surface.
 
Save yourself some money and make your own using a 12v dingy inflater :D

12-volt-airbed-inflator-and-deflator-pump.jpg
 
I saw a much better device in use in Turkey a year or so ago. The builder of it was attempting to patent it and get it manufactured commercially. It used a foot pump worked by one crew member, and a flexible "tank". All the crew member had to do was watch the gauge and keep the tank pressure within upper and lower limits. An electric pump and pressure switch could have been used but would add to the complication. A proper facepiece with a demand valve was used on the diver's end of the pipe. It was designed to let the diver go down to 2 metres or so and work under the boat. The designer pumped, whilst a local man dived with it to clean my propeller.
 
ghostlymoron said:
I've been thinking of producing a similar thing for maintenance under the boat - max 2m down. Comprising 1/2" hose clipped to stanchion, inlet non return valve, mouthpiece, outlet non return valve. No pump required. Only problem is sourcing suitable nrv's.
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Errrrm, much bigger problem is the apparent complete absence of a pump.

Back to the physics drawing board :)

Pete
 
Something around the prop if you cannot dry out even on your side as a one off then whats wrong with a facemask and simple snorkel?-add a sharp serated bread knife and you can cut away anything.
If you are on extended world cruising then learn basic diving skills and carry a small tank with you.
 
pmyatt said:
Stay well clear - this could pressurise your lungs and cause an embolism.
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I don't think so - looks like it uses one of those snorkels with a drain valve at the bottom (for people who don't know how to clear a snorkel). So the air rushes continually down the tube and out the bottom, and you breathe what you need off the side. Not a very sophisticated system and not one I'd like to use, but should work adequately within the limits of the pump.

Pete
 
prv said:
I don't think so - looks like it uses one of those snorkels with a drain valve at the bottom (for people who don't know how to clear a snorkel). So the air rushes continually down the tube and out the bottom, and you breathe what you need off the side. Not a very sophisticated system and not one I'd like to use, but should work adequately within the limits of the pump.

Pete
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Yes the pump in the picture is a diaphragm pump used to supply air to a fish tank. They are fairly cheap to buy. Modern snorkels are superb but I think I would rather have a low pressure hookah regulator. The unit would be fine for 3metres or so though. At least it has the correct hose or appears too.

Dinghy inflation pumps of the diaphragm type are fine though a bit expensive. I have a Thomas diaphragm pump used for hospitals etc and commercially assembled hookah's plus 50 feet of hookah hose and a low pressure regulator.

Have a look about and assemble the items yourself. The critical item is the hose, use only hose made for hookahs.

Hookahs are very common in Australia. Probably 50% of the local yacht owners have one.
 
prv said:
Not disagreeing - but what's critical about it?

Pete
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The lining is food quality "plastic" and the outer sheath should not allow sunlight through. Sunlight though the hose encourages nasty stuff to grow in the hose. It is reasonably expensive, probably the most expensive part of my kit. It has to be long enough as well so the water cools the compressed air before you breath it. 50foot seems to be the length required to do this plus give a little reserve with out using a floating air tank.
 
fishermantwo said:
Yes the pump in the picture is a diaphragm pump used to supply air to a fish tank.

Have a look about and assemble the items yourself. The critical item is the hose, use only hose made for hookahs.

Hookahs are very common in Australia. Probably 50% of the local yacht owners have one.
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Thanks for your comments. I found this advertisment while trying to source a hookah type regulator. I have never stubbed my toe on a hookah, but heard plenty of yotties say "I should get one of those".

Second-hand does not come along often, I guess because peeps having bought it, keep it because it may be very important some day.

Those who have suggested "Just use a snorkel" do not seem to realize how quickly a snorkeller runs out of breath when doing any physical work underwater.

I have wondered if some sort of hand-pump could be used. Thus no power would be used, less complication, and it would enforce a surface person to be supervising the dive.
 
BobPrell said:
I have wondered if some sort of hand-pump could be used. Thus no power would be used, less complication, and it would enforce a surface person to be supervising the dive.
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As a kid I made a diving helmet by gluing a piece of perspex into a square bucket (too complicated to make it fit in a round one!) and adding a hose fitting. Air supply was a mate with a dinghy footpump. It worked adequately in the swimming pool we tried it in (as long as you kept the helmet upright!) but that wasn't very deep at all.

I'd still prefer an electric pump, as long as it has enough volume and pressure and is known to be clean (oil is the usual problem with improvised diving compressors - breathing it is not recommended).

Pete
 
Hookah

I would disagree that 50% of boat owners in Oz have a hookah set up. I don't know of any.
However I have always just used snorkel for boat cleaning. If you are patient you can do a bigger boat over several sessions. Currently mine is done every day but that is just weird and A/F doesn't last long. And of course it must be good exercise. I have a scuba tank but find it more trouble than it is worth for hull work. Good for mooring work though. olewill
 
William_H said:
I would disagree that 50% of boat owners in Oz have a hookah set up. I don't know of any.
However I have always just used snorkel for boat cleaning. If you are patient you can do a bigger boat over several sessions. Currently mine is done every day but that is just weird and A/F doesn't last long. And of course it must be good exercise. I have a scuba tank but find it more trouble than it is worth for hull work. Good for mooring work though. olewill
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Well you've won even more of my admiration olewill!

Should I have diving weights to hold me under? That seemed to be a lot of the work whenever i've tried it.

cheers man always find your posts of value.
 
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