Diving with just a Pony. 4-8 Metres.

[NothingClever]

@EIREDIVER , you came here looking for advice and I think you’re getting good advice.

I applaud your enthusiasm but right now it seems to be outrunning your experience in equipment selection and dive planning. I think the trash clean up is a noble mission worth your best research towards resourcing used but fully functional equipment. A larger tank and reliable regs will allow you to do a proper job of picking up trash. With that puny little bottle, you’re going to be picking up trash like a 5 year old after a street parade....cute but not really making the strides necessary to get the job done.

What have the experienced divers from your club (BSAC?) said about your proposed kit and dive profile?

 

[Marie13]

If you can't buy a used Al80 tank for $50 you are not looking hard enough.

OP's in Ireland.

 

[agilis]

I've been diving very shallow water with a 19cf tank for years. I generally overfill it a bit. I use it near inlets, or around shallow structure close to the beach. It's an easy rig to carry across a long beach to a rock pile jetty. No BC, weighted just slightly negative. An old Scubapro MkV , an spg, and two sharp cutting devices complete the rig. The deepest I go would be around 10 or 12 feet. Snorkeling depths, I know, but I'm a rather old man and doing it this way allows me to easily observe the Gulf Stream Caribbean tropicals that abound in NJ in August and September, maybe bring home a lobster. My little dives usually last 15 or 20 minutes at most, leaving a small reserve not so much for safety, but to have enough pressure to keep the tank dry. I'm never more than a few yards from a jetty or a short swim to water shallow enough to walk in to the beach. Don't be intimidated by the technicians with their fancy calculations. I've been diving for more than a half century all over the world. Now in my late 70s, simplicity and going minimalist are what suits me. I have lots of experience, and my air consumption is low. I still dive a steel HP tank in deeper inlets but still do my best to keep things simple. These dives are limited to places allowing me to park close by. Be careful (I'd go a little larger on tank size) and cautiously explore your options. You are not a technical diver and neither am I.

 

[Edward3c]

I've been diving very shallow water with a 19cf tank for years. I generally overfill it a bit. I use it near inlets, or around shallow structure close to the beach. It's an easy rig to carry across a long beach to a rock pile jetty. No BC, weighted just slightly negative. An old Scubapro MkV , an spg, and two sharp cutting devices complete the rig. The deepest I go would be around 10 or 12 feet. Snorkeling depths, I know, but I'm a rather old man and doing it this way allows me to easily observe the Gulf Stream Caribbean tropicals that abound in NJ in August and September, maybe bring home a lobster. My little dives usually last 15 or 20 minutes at most, leaving a small reserve not so much for safety, but to have enough pressure to keep the tank dry. I'm never more than a few yards from a jetty or a short swim to water shallow enough to walk in to the beach. Don't be intimidated by the technicians with their fancy calculations. I've been diving for more than a half century all over the world. Now in my late 70s, simplicity and going minimalist are what suits me. I have lots of experience, and my air consumption is low. I still dive a steel HP tank in deeper inlets but still do my best to keep things simple. These dives are limited to places allowing me to park close by. Be careful (I'd go a little larger on tank size) and cautiously explore your options. You are not a technical diver and neither am I.

There is a big difference between you, an experienced diver in clear warmish water, and the OP an inexperienced drysuit diver in cold (<6’C) muddy (vis <10in) water.

I’ve done underwater rubbish collection. It is easy to get snagged or caught on something that you can’t release yourself. Hence diving with a buddy.

 

[Angelo Farina]

For the job you want to do (cleaning a pier) one possible low-cost solution is using an Hookah, that is simply a second-stage reg connected with a long LP hose.
Here the reg:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/REAMTOP-Equipment-Regulator-Octopus-Mouthpiece/dp/B01M2AC0VX/
Here the hose:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Metalsub-Hookah-Regulator-Yellow-Rubber/dp/B07MK43T7Q
There are longer ones, of course.
For supplying LP compressed air, you could use a standard LP compressor with a decent air filter. I assume you have electricity on the pier...
There are three severe dangers with such a system:
- for any reason the air supply is interrupted, and you need to resurface without any pre-advice
- the hose could get entangled
- the air quality could be bad, making you sick
On the third point the usage of an oil-free compressor can be the solution...

 

[lamarpaulski]

If your lake has snags,fishlines and other grabby things besides litter you might really regret such a small amount of air to "play" with. Murphy's Law.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Eirediver,

Trying to protect and clean the marine environment is something good divers strive to do, so I commend your intentions.

However, everything else about your plan is inconsistent with how good divers plan. Please don't do it.

First, good divers dive within the limits of our training and experience, and we try to add only one extra level of difficulty or complexity or newness at a time until we have mastered it and are ready to build on it. In your case, you're an inexperienced brand new diver attempting to dive with unfamiliar nonstandard gear, to dive in low visibility with risk of entanglement, to dive in unfamiliar water without a local guide, to add extra tasks, and to dive solo. That's not just pushing the envelope--it's shredding and burning it.

Second, good divers understand that water is a foreign environment that can kill us, so we endeavor to identify and mitigate the risks we will encounter. We would never say, "Hey, it's just ten meters," because many people with more experience and better gear than you have died in less than ten meters of water. You're creating a situation in which, if everything goes right and there are no surprises, you might not die. It would be far better for you to create a situation in which several things could go wrong and you'd still survive.

I understand and sympathize with your financial constraints. But those constraints should not motivate you to attempt something that is such a dramatic departure from your training and from prudent practice. Wait until you can rent or borrow suitable gear. Wait until you can team up with experienced partners. The trash will wait for you to prepare to do this dive safely.

Best wishes,

Excellent post. Thank you, now I need not try to formulate one of my own.

I will say this much though. Eriediver, please don't go through with your plan to clean up the pier without significantly more experience or a very experienced buddy.

 

[Celt]

I have a heap of diving gear what are you training with I’ll make up a kit for you

 

[Bierstadt]

Well do I know the excitement of scuba and the draw of a worthy cause to combine them... weighed against having hardly any money to spend on doing so. That kit is just going to be a waste of money for you, I am afraid, so follow the wise advice given by pretty much everyone else here. For the dive profile you laid out, you need a proper kit. Beg, borrow, and buy used. The depth is no issue; it's the temp, the entanglement risk, and the low vis that you need to gear up to mitigate. A tiny tank you need to spend an hour pumping isn't a useful investment. Having a diving mentor is no bad idea either. Don't be discouraged. Diving is a lifelong passion if you do it properly and stick to it.

 

[EIREDIVER]

At least buy a useful pony then. A 13 cu ft pony is basically only useful as a compromise between a pony that can fit in carry on luggage while flying to remote places vs not having a pony at all.

I appreciate the advice. I have opted to spend my money on freediving equipment including quality torches, depth guage and weights etc (things i can use on actual dives). As eager as I am I would be stupid to ignore all the comments. For now I will focus on breathing techniques and familiarising myself with the environment so that when the time comes I'll be more comfortable in the environment. I can practise what I've learned so far. I like the Dunning-Kruger refrence, the more I learn the more I will realise I have to learn. Thanks.