DevonDiver
N/A
Lets get wet sometime soon then 
I live near Greenbelt now... so if you're ever in the area give me a shout.
I live near Greenbelt now... so if you're ever in the area give me a shout.
Getting started in vintage diving
- Thread starter Ed Palma
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OP
Ed Palma
Contributor
Definitely! I used to live in Legaspi St. up until my baby was born last month
But Andy... would you dive with me if I was using a double-hose? I promise to at least sling a 40... Ha! (But I can switch out to dubs if we go back to Subic for some wrecks)
But Andy... would you dive with me if I was using a double-hose?
I promise to at least sling a 40... Ha! (But I can switch out to dubs if we go back to Subic for some wrecks)
DaleC
Contributor
Welcome aboard Ed
elmer fudd
Contributor
There are some quirky things about DH regs. One thing that had me scratching my head for the longest time was that periodically, I would get a little water in my mouth when I breathed in using my Royal Aquamaster. I spent the longest time looking for leaks, plugging things up, submerging the reg, inhaling and trying to figure out how the water was getting in the cans. Everything seemed tight, so I couldn't figure out how it was happening.
Then one day it happened when I was diving and the answer just dawned on me. I had let it free flow for a few seconds during my surface swim. While it was free flowing, water had the chance to seep in through the open wagon wheel valve and had flowed down the hose and into the can. Later when I was angled downward and to the right that water flowed back out of the can. There was nothing wrong with the reg at all. I just didn't understand some of it's characteristics.
Other things that stand out about double hose regs are the differences in breathing effort based on your body position. Probably the hardest positions to breathe in with a double hose are horizontal either facing up or down. Facing down, it's harder to inhale. Facing up, the air is pushed into your lungs, and exhaling is work. If you're ever tired and laboring to breathe, rolling to your side, (doesn't matter which one), makes things significantly easier.
The other thing that you really need to learn with a double hose is how to clear it. Fortunately, it's very easy. Simply roll to your left side and raise the mouthpiece until it starts to free flow.
Then one day it happened when I was diving and the answer just dawned on me. I had let it free flow for a few seconds during my surface swim. While it was free flowing, water had the chance to seep in through the open wagon wheel valve and had flowed down the hose and into the can. Later when I was angled downward and to the right that water flowed back out of the can. There was nothing wrong with the reg at all. I just didn't understand some of it's characteristics.
Other things that stand out about double hose regs are the differences in breathing effort based on your body position. Probably the hardest positions to breathe in with a double hose are horizontal either facing up or down. Facing down, it's harder to inhale. Facing up, the air is pushed into your lungs, and exhaling is work. If you're ever tired and laboring to breathe, rolling to your side, (doesn't matter which one), makes things significantly easier.
The other thing that you really need to learn with a double hose is how to clear it. Fortunately, it's very easy. Simply roll to your left side and raise the mouthpiece until it starts to free flow.
oldmossback
Contributor
Elmer,
There is one other skill with the DH, I have not seen noted on this forum or anyother.....if one looses their mouthpiece-hoses for any reason and it gets away from them and rises over and behind their heads, it can be difficult to locate with both hands. This can get scary for a new diver, especially if they were between breaths.
Solution is the diver either rolls over on their side and then back so the hoses appear in front of them or if in a upright position, lean back until the diver can see the hoses and recover them......this manuver is illistrated in the USD and other older dive instruction manuels....but it requires some practice..........
I've seen video of Seal trainees looking for their hoses (using mentors) while kneeling on the training pool bottom and getting pancky........if they can get this far out of control, what would happen to a novice DH diver?
There is one other skill with the DH, I have not seen noted on this forum or anyother.....if one looses their mouthpiece-hoses for any reason and it gets away from them and rises over and behind their heads, it can be difficult to locate with both hands. This can get scary for a new diver, especially if they were between breaths.
Solution is the diver either rolls over on their side and then back so the hoses appear in front of them or if in a upright position, lean back until the diver can see the hoses and recover them......this manuver is illistrated in the USD and other older dive instruction manuels....but it requires some practice..........
I've seen video of Seal trainees looking for their hoses (using mentors) while kneeling on the training pool bottom and getting pancky........if they can get this far out of control, what would happen to a novice DH diver?
OP
Ed Palma
Contributor
Hi Guys! thanks for the welcome!
@ Elmer: I'm actually still reading your thread on your first DH dive. Very informative for an upcoming newb like me.
@ old mossback: Frey's book has a nice illustration on the recovery technique. Was going to post it, but wasn't sure about posting a photo from a published copyrighted source.
@ Elmer: I'm actually still reading your thread on your first DH dive. Very informative for an upcoming newb like me.
@ old mossback: Frey's book has a nice illustration on the recovery technique. Was going to post it, but wasn't sure about posting a photo from a published copyrighted source.
Ed
Welcome to vintage equipment diving.
If you are interested on the starter regulator from VDH or any other parts, etc., you can probably have it shipped to Australia and have your brother bring it back to you. There is at least one very active VDH member that lives in Australia and there are probably other vintage equipment divers that may be able to help you.
My recommendation for DH regulator is to stay with US Divers or the Voit equivalents (Voit are harder to find). Parts are an issue with some of the other manufacturers (some are worse than others). Any of the US Divers can be rebuilt (except for the Royal Mistral), but the best breathing regulators are the Royal Aqua Master, the Aqua Master, and the Mistral (basically in that order, IMO). The Mistral has its own charm and appeal based on its simplicity and the jet like noises that it makes (it is not a bad performer, it is just not as good).
The aqua Master is probably the most common double hose ever built. It was built for many years and sold in very large quantities.
Good luck
Welcome to vintage equipment diving.
If you are interested on the starter regulator from VDH or any other parts, etc., you can probably have it shipped to Australia and have your brother bring it back to you. There is at least one very active VDH member that lives in Australia and there are probably other vintage equipment divers that may be able to help you.
My recommendation for DH regulator is to stay with US Divers or the Voit equivalents (Voit are harder to find). Parts are an issue with some of the other manufacturers (some are worse than others). Any of the US Divers can be rebuilt (except for the Royal Mistral), but the best breathing regulators are the Royal Aqua Master, the Aqua Master, and the Mistral (basically in that order, IMO). The Mistral has its own charm and appeal based on its simplicity and the jet like noises that it makes (it is not a bad performer, it is just not as good).
The aqua Master is probably the most common double hose ever built. It was built for many years and sold in very large quantities.
Good luck
DaleC
Contributor
Ed, I wouldn't worry about posting pics from older books like that for non profit, internet discussion's sake. I do it all the time. Most of them are long out of print and only of interest to the few vintage equipment divers that are about. Just reference the book to give credit where it's due. If anything, a good pic may spur interest to actually buy the book.
Speaking of books,
Many people recommend Fred Roberts "Basic Scuba" as a good vintage primer. I've found older editions of "The New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving" to be a good source and readily available in many secondhand book stores (at least around here). Another great book for all sorts of tidbits is "Dive" by Richard and Barbara Carrier, 1955.
Speaking of books,
Many people recommend Fred Roberts "Basic Scuba" as a good vintage primer. I've found older editions of "The New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving" to be a good source and readily available in many secondhand book stores (at least around here). Another great book for all sorts of tidbits is "Dive" by Richard and Barbara Carrier, 1955.
elmer fudd
Contributor
I've got both Basic Scuba and 3 editions of The New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving, (TNSSSD), and Basic Scuba is by far the better of the two. It's also harder to find and costs several times as much. TNSSSD is really just the vintage equivalent of the PADI Open Water Manual. They were mostly softcover and there were millions of copies printed. Because of this you can get them cheap. I paid $8 shipped for what I think was a 1962 edition and $4 shipped for the 1974 and 1980 editions. Since they were so cheap I ordered the different editions to see the evolution of diving instruction.
Basic Scuba on the other hand is an awesome reference. He not only covers basic diving procedure, he gives an in depth review of most of the regulators of the day complete with diagrams and explanations of how they work. If you want to know the inner workings of a Viking, Divair or Waterlung, they're all explained in detail in Basic Scuba. He also talks about drysuits, full face masks, rebreathers and many other subjects as well. I paid $40 for a hardcover edition, (1961 if I remember right), in very good condition.
Basic Scuba on the other hand is an awesome reference. He not only covers basic diving procedure, he gives an in depth review of most of the regulators of the day complete with diagrams and explanations of how they work. If you want to know the inner workings of a Viking, Divair or Waterlung, they're all explained in detail in Basic Scuba. He also talks about drysuits, full face masks, rebreathers and many other subjects as well. I paid $40 for a hardcover edition, (1961 if I remember right), in very good condition.
halocline
Contributor
Regarding your tanks, is the extra port pre-valve (like a burst disc) or post-valve? I believe many were pre-valve, which made them unusable for a pressure gauge.
For the reg, I'd suggest looking for a DA aquamaster, and consider going for the phoenix nozzle. To me there's a big difference between the unbalanced DA nozzle and the RAM nozzle, which is what the phoenix has. I started with a DA and it dove okay, but I could never get it to completely stop creeping or get the IP recovery really consistent. The phoenix nozzle (or RAM in good shape, if you're lucky enough to find one) completely fixes those issues.
For the reg, I'd suggest looking for a DA aquamaster, and consider going for the phoenix nozzle. To me there's a big difference between the unbalanced DA nozzle and the RAM nozzle, which is what the phoenix has. I started with a DA and it dove okay, but I could never get it to completely stop creeping or get the IP recovery really consistent. The phoenix nozzle (or RAM in good shape, if you're lucky enough to find one) completely fixes those issues.
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