New Zeagle Bail-out System

[Chad Carney]

Zeagle has finally put all the pieces together to complete a new bail-out system, light enough to leave on your BC all the time, and designed for hands free operation.

It's small enough with the 6 cu ft bottle to fit between your wing and harness, like the one designed for the Ranger LTD, except the zipper mounting attachment is sewn onto the LTD.

Now that zipper mounting piece is available to fit any Zeagle BC.

Pictured below separately and mounted on the Stiletto, regulator upright or down. (It probably will fit other brands too with a little modification.) This can also allow the mounting of all the other LTD options seen here: http://www.zeagle.com/index.php?submenu=Accessories&src=gendocs&link=Accy_LTD

I don't have the pricing or part #s yet, but Zeagle should right away.

It will include:
- 6 cu ft alum. cylinder
- Razor/Envoy regulator
- Pony bottle holder
- Zipper mounting piece
- Pony gauge
- (Possibly optional) over-pressure valve

Please pardon the rough photos.

Chad
Zeagle FL Rep

 

[loosebits]

What would be the point of the OPV? Just curious.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Please pardon my ignorance, I'm a newbie, but what good would 6 cf do? From the reading I've done, you are really going to need at least 13 cf if not 19-30 cf to have a bailout bottle allow you to safely ascend with safety stop from recreational max depth.

 

[loosebits]

Persoanlly I think ponies are a waste of money but getting out of water with a possible DCS hit or without that option safety stop is better than drowning. A 6 cuft bottle is better than nothing for the diver that actually needs it (e.g. the diver that probably shouldn't be in the water in the first place).

Of course, proper gas management and buddy awareness would be a lot cheaper than a pony and if you are doing dives that for some reason absolutly require 100% redundant gas, doubles (either independent or w/ an isolator) would be preferable to a pony.

 

[Chad Carney]

Thanks for your comments guys.

An OPV is good to have on a regulator that does not get used, especially if you have a balanced second stage like our Envoy. If IP was to creep it will blow off rather than possibly compromise a LP hose.

A pony tank for emergencies is a lot like a life jacket in one way. It only works if you wear it.
A very large percentage of divers don't wear them because of the bulk. I can barely notice this bail-out system when in place.

Of course breathing rates vary, but many divers could easily ascend from recreational depths at a proper ascent rate with a 6 cu ft tank, and some could even make safety stops.

Of course other divers could choose to go with a 13 cu ft tank or larger, and they would probably prefer our pony tank bands to mount it on the tank, or sling it too their side.

For deep dives, I personally will have a rich mixed 30 cu ft deco tank mounted to my primary tank, which is probably a 100 or 120 with an H-valve. This 6 cu ft tank will be just an emergency bail-out system to assist getting me to the depth where I can use the deco gas. I breathe on the 30 at safety and deco stops all day. I hope to never have to use the bail out system, but I have a feeling I'm going to be making simulated emergency ascents real soon.

This system is obviously not for doubles tech divers that have travel and deco bottles. Many divers I dive with use a big single tank for light tech diving, because they need rapid mobility over extreme bottom time. As described above they would only be using this as an ascent gas in the unlikely event of a problem.

Chad

 

[loosebits]

Hmm, wouldn't the 2nd stage, balanced or not, free flow and relieve the pressure before any hose ruptures? Should I stick an OPV on my left post's 1st stage?

I've never heard of anyone using OPV's on anything but DS inflation bottles where no 2nd stage is present.

 

[cerich]

Hmm, wouldn't the 2nd stage, balanced or not, free flow and relieve the pressure before any hose ruptures? Should I stick an OPV on my left post's 1st stage?

I've never heard of anyone using OPV's on anything but DS inflation bottles where no 2nd stage is present.

No, not always. A balanced second stage (newer ones esp.) that are truly well balanced will sometimes hold back an IP of over 300psi which with a hose rated to 250psi (common rating) could be a problem. Not so much with a brand new hose but one a few years old can significantly lose its ability to operate over rated pressure.

Speaking of your left post if you are DIR by any chance you may find this from George Irvine interesting.

"Let's start with the backup regulator ( not the "safe second" or
"octopus", the BACKUP). The backup must be instantly accessible. We hang
it around the neck on surgical tubing or bungee which is held on by the
tie wrap that holds the mouthpiece to the regulator. It must be up close
to the neck in order to minimize the venturi effect on the reg, and to
provide a strap to hold that reg tightly in the mouth when necessary.
That reg must be a non air balanced, low performance reg."

So if you have a balanced second coming off your left post......

 

[loosebits]

I'm not DIR but I don't think DIR goes by that anymore as you see lots of DIR divers with Apeks DS4/TX40 or 50's SP MK25's/S550's on both posts.

Anyhoo, I'll take your word for it, just can't imagine a mfgr designing a reg to hold back 300 psi... seems dangerous.

 

[cerich]

I'm not DIR and I don't think DIR goes by that anymore.

Good, I hate the term DIR!

But it is applicable to what we were discussing. There have been 2 cases I know of over the last few months where tech divers had a IP issue that caused blow by at the inflator with the assent that followed due to balanced second holding back the pressure.

On an older hose that has seen better days it could just as easily been the hose that lets go.

 

[james croft]

I was eyeballing it for use as a drysuit bottle. Add an OPV and it might do fine for the kind of diving I do.