Do I need a Phoenix Nozzle?

[james croft]

Yeah, the swim for life in choppy water is why you have to have a snorkel. It becomes very valuable. I hear a lot of folks say just swim on your back or keep your reg in your mouth, etc. I have seen the keep the reg in the mouth suck their tanks empty trying to swim in rough conditions when the tag line is missed or the boat becomes unattached from the wreck. Swimming on your back is good until you exhaust the leg muscle groups and need to switch to swimming face down. Then a snorkel is very handy. But this is a subject that is beat to death but I carry one when diving anywhere that conditions can become rough. Also carry mirror, flares and other such gear.

 

[duckbill]

...don't forget the inflatable boat.
Actually, before floatation vests they really did lug around an inner tube on a rope in some locales. Now THAT'S vintage!

 

[Doubler]

Great progress on the home front, Aftering reading DA's and Nemrods comments the lovely spouse aksed if I would let her dive with mine and if she liked it would I get her one. God I love that woman.
Nemrod, your swim to the boat could have been worse you could have had split fins, though I highly doubt it. Same sort of thing happened to us in Caymans. The wife wanted to get rid of our "OLD" (notice the pattern here) Scubapro jets and change to the more modern lighter Scubapro splits. Wind up in a strong current swimming back to the boat, she gets tired, I am towing her and my camera, going five feet forward and three feet back. Long story short, sent those brand spanking new splits to the SUDS auction and went back to our OLD jets. As I told her being modern does not make it better.

 

[Doubler]

Great progress on the home front, Aftering reading DA's and Nemrods comments the lovely spouse aksed if I would let her dive with mine and if she liked it would I get her one. God I love that woman.
Nemrod, your swim to the boat could have been worse you could have had split fins, though I highly doubt it. Same sort of thing happened to us in Caymans. The wife wanted to get rid of our "OLD" (notice the pattern here) Scubapro jets and change to the more modern lighter Scubapro splits. Wind up in a strong current swimming back to the boat, she gets tired, I am towing her and my camera, going five feet forward and three feet back. Long story short, sent those brand spanking new splits to the SUDS auction and went back to our OLD jets. As I told her being modern does not make it better.

 

[Nemrod]

Yeah, the swim for life in choppy water is why you have to have a snorkel. It becomes very valuable. I hear a lot of folks say just swim on your back or keep your reg in your mouth, etc. I have seen the keep the reg in the mouth suck their tanks empty trying to swim in rough conditions when the tag line is missed or the boat becomes unattached from the wreck. Swimming on your back is good until you exhaust the leg muscle groups and need to switch to swimming face down. Then a snorkel is very handy. But this is a subject that is beat to death but I carry one when diving anywhere that conditions can become rough. Also carry mirror, flares and other such gear.

If I had a wing, I would have been on my back, mask popped on my forehead, we did not have a BC. Yes, inner tubes were great for shore dives pre-BC.

Doubler, back on subject, you and your wife need to eBay a book like The New Science of Skin and Scuba, about a 1969 edition and read all of the stuff on double hose regs. Before venturing to a real dive I strongly suggest you get good with it in the swimming pool, no purge, there buddy, breathing "feel" changes more with position, hoses float up with the mouthpiece whereas a single hose drops, where ya gonna look for it?

N

 

[Doubler]

Nemrod,
I was at the Tacoma Dive and travel expo today and talked to Dan Barringer from Vintage Scuba Supply. He told me I was heading down the wrong road with the RAM and should just go with the Aquamaster as the Phoenix Nozzle basically upgrades it to a RAM after the conversion.
I actually learned to dive using the dual hose. My brain is a little fuzzy but it seems in order to clear we rolled over on our backs and allowed a freeflow, put the mouth piece back in and rolled over again.
I am currently "stalking" a Aquamaster on Ebay. Lost out on the RAM, went way to rich for my blood , $850, seems a little steep to me. If I had bought that bad boy, upgraded to a PRAM, the wife might have been looking to get rid of something else old. I'll keep ya posted.

Jim

 

[Doubler]

ArrrrrrrGH, Lost earlier today on the RAM, went for $850, Highest bidder on Aquamaster B U T didn't meet the reserve. I bid $250, What do you guys think is a good fair offer based on a crappy picture on E-bay?

Jim

 

[james croft]

DAMs have been steadily rising in the past few years but I have seen a drop in prices lately. I suspect that it is due to the economy and that a lot of folks are now selling and not buying. I see a few DAM going under 200 bucks fairly regularly in good condition. I bought a DA and a set of Sherwood regs and guages for 100 total not too long ago. The Royals still command a good price and Dan is right about the Phoenix. You can convert a DAM into a RAM and have the HP and LP ports to go along with it for less $ than if you bought a RAM.

 

[Nemrod]

ArrrrrrrGH, Lost earlier today on the RAM, went for $850, Highest bidder on Aquamaster B U T didn't meet the reserve. I bid $250, What do you guys think is a good fair offer based on a crappy picture on E-bay?

Jim

Dan is exactly correct, all you need is a good DA. The DA will convert to a RAM either by switching the DA nozzle for a RAM nozzle or installing a Phoenix nozzle. Yes, he is correct and he is giving you good advice. It will save you some money to start with a DA. Nothing wrong with having a RAM but given that they bid so high just try and pick up a decent, rebuildable DA.

BTW, since the invention of cage valves, as long as they are functioning, you do not need to do all of that rolling and such as that, the cage valves prevent the flooding of the intake/pressure hose. The roll is only needed if the cage valve were to fail, not likely. Good that you learned on a double hose, but, just for safety, give it and yourself a good check out and especially your wife.

Just for your info, RAMs, especially late model heavy yoke versions and Voit anything can run up to stupendous prices. The common DA is a great regulator especially to learn on and convert to a PRAM.

N

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Nemrod,
I was at the Tacoma Dive and travel expo today and talked to Dan Barringer from Vintage Scuba Supply. He told me I was heading down the wrong road with the RAM and should just go with the Aquamaster as the Phoenix Nozzle basically upgrades it to a RAM after the conversion.

That's pretty much a repeat of what's been said in this thread - its nice to know everyone is consistent.

See post #4 for the non PRAM options, but Bryan did post that he has 7 Phoenix nozzles available now with the internal parts and yokes to be available in a werk or two from Aqualung. If you are thinking PRAM in your future, it makes sense to buy the nozzle now. DA's come up on e-bay all the time, while the nozzles are available only on a sporadic basis.

I actually learned to dive using the dual hose. My brain is a little fuzzy but it seems in order to clear we rolled over on our backs and allowed a freeflow, put the mouth piece back in and rolled over again.

Nemrod is right that rolling to the left is not really needed anymore unless you have a valve failure of some sort. I have on occasion done it if the reg has been out of my mouth as that mouthpiece full of water can sometimes be a bit persistent in the exhaust hose and if a forceful exhalation does not remove all of it, a roll to the left while you exhale will.

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Lately a DA with no hoses and decent cans and label will go for about $100 and with good hoses and mouthpiece it will sell for $100-$125 more.

Hoses, mouthpiece and wagon wheels will cost you about $125 to purchase. A diaphragm and mushroom valve is another $30 and a rebuild kit is in the $25-$30 range. So $200 will fix just about any decent looking DA so the upper end of the range is about $300-$325 for a well restored DA.