Anyone ever heard of this ...

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I have been wanting to dive out of a Kayak and the zuba system (shown below) seems to be the solution to tank on the back problem. Does anyone have experience with this configuration?

Certification Configuration (Jr Open Water & Open Water Diver) - ZUBA Diving

Would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[emoreira]

This is a snuba type of diving, but instead of supplying air from a compressor, it does from a scuba tank located in a floating device.
Your depth is limited by the length of the hose.

 

[diversteve]

It's UTD's version of SNUBA. Unified Team Diving - Progressive Training & Equipment

It appears to have a 20' depth limit.

 

[freewillie]

I tried to get my 8 yo son to try it in a swimming pool once. He didn't want to. The hotel we stayed at was having free pool demonstrations for SNUBA, then you could sign up for actual SNUBA on the reef. Many of the snorkel boats on Maui also have this as an option (for extra fee of course). Neat way introduce scuba concepts and maybe get someone interested in actual scuba diving.

 

[iluvtheocean]

i've seen up to a 60' hose for snuba - biggest issue i see right off is no way to tell how much air is left in the tank -- and unless i'm doing a lot of shallow bounce dives - all less than 10' (like lobstering in the bay) i'd rather have the tank on me. othwise use a hookah like system with a compressor and even then i'd want at least a small pony bottle for emergencies.

 

[elmer fudd]

It sounds like a pretty slick idea. If you were to leave the tank in your kayak and run the hose down from the point of the bow then you could just tow your kayak behind you. There would probably be less towing resistance from your kayak than from whatever surface float is typically used.

 

[Rich Keller]

I dive surface supplied from my kayak. All you need to do is splice a 50' hose between your 1st and 2nd stage so you can leave the tank in the kayak. I also added a life line to make it a small umbilical so I am towing the kayak by the line not the hose. I found using more the 50' of hose tends to be a bit cumbersome given the limited space you have in a kayak, this much hose is good for about 30' maybe 35' of water. At that depth I do not bother with a BCD or bail out bottle but you can use both if you prefer. I also use a commercial diving harness with a quick release snap shackle to tow the kayak with.

 

[The Chairman]

I think that there is a lot of interest in this from many different angles.

 

[Rich Keller]

I think that there is a lot of interest in this from many different angles.

I thought so too when I started kayak diving but in 15 years of doing this I have only meet one other diver who dose it. The LDS I go to has a kayak shop right next door and there is no cross over business between the two at all. As for the zuba idea there may be another way to do this. If you use oxygen tanks that are too buoyant for regular diving, then supplement them with extra flotation at the valve end, maybe from an attached dive flag & float, you could then use your regular gear with the addition of a longer hose between the 1st and 2nd stages.