1960 DA Aquamaster

[Paladin]

Well, I am now the proud owner of a DA Aquamaster. It just came this morning direct from Bryan at Vintage Double Hose. This is the second AM that I have owned and I have been kicking myself for years for ever having sold the first one.

Kudos to Bryan for a great job of restoring this old beauty. His descsription on the VDH website and the accompanying photos did not do true justice to the reg's actual condition. In spite of the fact that this Aquamaster was made nearly fifty years ago, it looks as if it is only four or five years old. My hat is off to Bryan for a great reg at a good price!

I can't wait for the weekend so I can mount this baby on my old 72 and get her in the water!

P.S.

If I would have waited another week before ordering, I would have caught his sale and saved myself fifty bucks! Oh, well. That's life!

 

[SwimJim]

The fifty will be a non issue once you hit the water. With the new parts in that reg it will breath better then when it left the factory. Post an action shot if you can!!

 

[james croft]

Don't forget to wear your mask on your forehead !

 

[Paladin]

I ALWAYS wear my mask on my forehead!

 

[Paladin]

I'm taking her out in the morning. Gonna have some fun!

 

[Paladin]

I took my "new" DA Aquamaster up to the lake today. I chose a spot near the campground with easy access to the water and snorkeled out a couple hundred feet to plant my dive flag. Back on shore. I got my gear out of the truck and got ready to dive.

It was just like old times. No wetsuit, just a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. I mounted the AM on my Sherwood/Healthways 72 (on a backpack), slipped on my horse collar BC, my weight belt and, finally, the tank. I walked barefoot down to the water and sat on a rock to pull on my Aquanaut full foot fins. After a couple of test breaths from the AM, I slid into the water.

The water was rather chilly but I got used to it pretty quick. I followed the bottom down to sixty feet and passed through two thermoclines. I don't know what the water temperature was at depth, but it was pretty cold. I didn't care. It was like coming home after a long absence. The feeling of freedom was indescribable. Just me, my Aquamaster, my watch and my J valve. No SPG, no octopus and no inflator hose on my horse collar. It was just like going back in time to 1965 (Except for the BC. I never used one back then.)

It was a little darker down there than I had expected and the visibility wasn't great but I didn't care. Until that moment, I had not realized what I had lost when I sold my first Aquamaster so long ago. For a brief time, I was eleven years old again and it wouldn't have surprised me to look over to see Harold swimming along beside me. In a way, I think he was.

All too soon, my time was up and it was time to head back to the surface and 2009. I stopped at 15 feet for my safety stop (a nod to modern diving) for five minutes. Just as I was continuing my ascent, the J valve started ringing, telling me that I was at 500 PSI. I reached back to pull the rod down and the valve fell silent.

I emerged from the water a bit chilled but thoroughly elated. I can't wait to do it again!

There was one sad note to the experience. I used to dive this same area years ago and the bottom was pristine with lots of fish. On this dive, I found the bottom covered in bottles, cans and assorted trash with no fish to be seen. Very disappointing.

 

[vintagediver]

And that is the way it is supposed to be....
Next time wear the wet suit. Proper weighting is not hard to achieve.

 

[spectrum]

Paladin954

It sounds like a memorable experience. Congratulations on turning the clock back and thanks for sharing.

Pete

 

[james croft]

I went a couple of days ago with a 3 mil suit and only needed 4 pounds of lead to be neutral. Glad you had a good time. Thanks for the update.

 

[Paladin]

I have a lot of natural buoyancy. To be slightly negative at the end of a dive (my preference) without a wetsuit, I use five pounds with my 72 and ten with my AL80. With a 5mm full wetsuit, I need eleven pounds with my 72 and 16 with my AL80.