USNMARS
Registered
I drove down to Dutch springs yesterday and had a little fun that you don't get to do too often. I got to dive an original US NAVY MKV hardhat!!! There is an awesome organization called the North East Diving Equipment Group that had all the gear down there and was allowing any certified diver to give it a shot. Best of all it was FREE!
So I got down there early in the morning and help them set everything up. Once all the gear is set up and tested, they let you have at it. They make you assist in dressing a diver or two before they let you give it a shot. They were very informative and explained absolutely everything prior to you trying it. There was no question at all that I knew what I was doing before I made the dive.
So lets begin.......
First off they have you step into the almost 20lb suit through the neck. Even for me, a big boy, this wasn't bad. Once you are all settled in the suit, next come the brass toed boots. Each boot weighs about 20lbs. Once you have the boots on, next comes the breast plate that the helmet attaches to. After about 10 minutes of bolting the breastplate to the suit, then comes the giant HEAVY weight belt. (this is a bad time to figure out you are either claustrophobic or gotta pee) Once the weight belt is on, it is time for the big old helmet. Once that is on, all you hear is the hissing of the air from the compressor coming. All total, the gear supposedly weighs about 185-200lbs.
Next comes the 10ft walk from the "dressing area" to the steps into the quarry. You have absolutely no periphal vision, so you have to go purely by the voice of the tender assisting you to the water. The helmet has a communication system to they can talk you through it all. Going down the stairs was fun, and next thing you know you are going into the water. You can feel the water going around your legs and waist as you enter, but once it is to your chest you dont feel the water coming up. I actually didn't realize that I was already under 10 ft until the surface told me.
Diving the gear is just absulutely opposite of it on surface. It weighs nothing, and you can move around really freely. I think this must be what it is like in space. I went down to about 35-40 ft down a really steep slope, having fun. I actually came up on an open water class doing their check out dives and they all came over to "check me out." Well going down that slope to go that deep was easy, now I had to come up.....uh-oh. It was like hiking up a 45º incline, and all the gear wasn't helping out at all. It was quite a haul. I get to about 15ft and encounter a professional photographer that did a little 15 min photo shoot with me. She is going to send me some pics in a day or two of me in the gear in the water!!WOO HOO! At this point, I shut of my air for a minute and it was awesome being under water in pure silence. Now I start heading back. Once I get back towards the surface, I have to struggle with the stairs going to the "dressing area." Wow, all of this gear is actually heavier because it is wet!!! I make it over to the stool to sit and "unhat" and they start taking it all off. It takes about 20 minutes to dress into it all, and maybe 5-10 to get it off.
I have to recommend doing this to any certified diver, THIS ROCKS!!! and who else can say they have actually dove a real MKV!!! I actually tried a couple of hardhats today. It is free, and going on all weekend at Dutch. They have tons of modern gear too, but the MKV was the icing on the cake! Check out their website at NEDEG - The North East Diving Equipment Group - Home They are some awesome people, and I made many new friends yesterday. Here are some pics of my little excursion.
So I got down there early in the morning and help them set everything up. Once all the gear is set up and tested, they let you have at it. They make you assist in dressing a diver or two before they let you give it a shot. They were very informative and explained absolutely everything prior to you trying it. There was no question at all that I knew what I was doing before I made the dive.
So lets begin.......
First off they have you step into the almost 20lb suit through the neck. Even for me, a big boy, this wasn't bad. Once you are all settled in the suit, next come the brass toed boots. Each boot weighs about 20lbs. Once you have the boots on, next comes the breast plate that the helmet attaches to. After about 10 minutes of bolting the breastplate to the suit, then comes the giant HEAVY weight belt. (this is a bad time to figure out you are either claustrophobic or gotta pee) Once the weight belt is on, it is time for the big old helmet. Once that is on, all you hear is the hissing of the air from the compressor coming. All total, the gear supposedly weighs about 185-200lbs.
Next comes the 10ft walk from the "dressing area" to the steps into the quarry. You have absolutely no periphal vision, so you have to go purely by the voice of the tender assisting you to the water. The helmet has a communication system to they can talk you through it all. Going down the stairs was fun, and next thing you know you are going into the water. You can feel the water going around your legs and waist as you enter, but once it is to your chest you dont feel the water coming up. I actually didn't realize that I was already under 10 ft until the surface told me.
Diving the gear is just absulutely opposite of it on surface. It weighs nothing, and you can move around really freely. I think this must be what it is like in space. I went down to about 35-40 ft down a really steep slope, having fun. I actually came up on an open water class doing their check out dives and they all came over to "check me out." Well going down that slope to go that deep was easy, now I had to come up.....uh-oh. It was like hiking up a 45º incline, and all the gear wasn't helping out at all. It was quite a haul. I get to about 15ft and encounter a professional photographer that did a little 15 min photo shoot with me. She is going to send me some pics in a day or two of me in the gear in the water!!WOO HOO! At this point, I shut of my air for a minute and it was awesome being under water in pure silence. Now I start heading back. Once I get back towards the surface, I have to struggle with the stairs going to the "dressing area." Wow, all of this gear is actually heavier because it is wet!!! I make it over to the stool to sit and "unhat" and they start taking it all off. It takes about 20 minutes to dress into it all, and maybe 5-10 to get it off.
I have to recommend doing this to any certified diver, THIS ROCKS!!! and who else can say they have actually dove a real MKV!!! I actually tried a couple of hardhats today. It is free, and going on all weekend at Dutch. They have tons of modern gear too, but the MKV was the icing on the cake! Check out their website at NEDEG - The North East Diving Equipment Group - Home They are some awesome people, and I made many new friends yesterday. Here are some pics of my little excursion.
