I'm wishing someone came out with a retrofit for a modern reg. I'm tired of bubbles filling my hood.
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Question for Regulators 101
- Thread starter latestartfish
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There are some of us that dive double hose 99% of the time. But as Halocline mentioned, it is a different experience.
A totally new double hose will be available soon. See this thread:
Vintage Double Hose • View topic - Strange Regulators sighted off Cozumel coast.....
Nemrod, who took the pictures:
Jim:
From left to right: me, Rob, and Couv (a relatively new DH diver)
A totally new double hose will be available soon. See this thread:
Vintage Double Hose • View topic - Strange Regulators sighted off Cozumel coast.....
Nemrod, who took the pictures:
Jim:
From left to right: me, Rob, and Couv (a relatively new DH diver)
I believe, I have read that Oceanic will be releasing a new version, at long last, of the former Omega (II). The Omega and Omega II were tiny, side exhaust side exhaust regulators with a poppet downstream servo valve. At least only one side of your face gets beat up with a side exhaust bubbles.
I suspect that if you wear a hood or beanie cap you may find the bubbles are not so annoying and frankly, you get used to it. It is only after using a regulator, like the PRAM-HPR that you notice the silence. A double hose is almost that quiet, well the two stage units are, the Mistral, a single stage, the venturi can be loud on inhalation.
I learned to dive with a double hose regulator, that is right, when I took my basic course, half the regulators provided in the course were double hose. I acquired as a gift, a used Mistral. I dove it quite a bit but like young people now, I had to have the latest and greatest and so over the years bought every new latest and greatest regulator I could afford. In fact, I still have many of them. Most of them no longer work, no longer have parts (though I often make or adapt parts and vdh has some parts --yahooooooo), but the 1954 Mistral, with new parts from vdh still is 100% operational. After realizing that my quest for the perfect regulator was like Monty Python's quest for the Jabberwocky in that there is no perfect regulator. They all have faults and quirks. And after all of these years I am back with double hose regulators.
The regulators I own and use now (not just own but USE):
Double hose-
Original USD single stage Mistral dh
USD Royal Aqua Master with HPR
Voit Navy PRAM-HPR
USD Royal Aqua Master PRAM-HPR
Single hose-
Conshelf XIV set
AMF MR12 II set
Scuba Pro 109 set
Tekna T2100 and T2100B set (side exhaust, servo valve second)
AL Titan LX set
AL legend LX set (my wife has taken it)
Double hose regulators have another advantage, while mouthpieces are not interchangeable (though there are different types) they really do not need them to be because there is no weight pulling on the mouth downward, the mouthpiece is actually buoyant. My front teeth are implants, got knocked out, long story. In any case, single hose regulators that are heavy sometimes hurt them (the bone). Thus my fascination with the tiny, light servo regulators like the Tekna T2100 (long gone) and the Oceanic Omega (gone but maybe not for good).
Yeah, bubbles are annoying, meh, you will get over it.
N
I suspect that if you wear a hood or beanie cap you may find the bubbles are not so annoying and frankly, you get used to it. It is only after using a regulator, like the PRAM-HPR that you notice the silence. A double hose is almost that quiet, well the two stage units are, the Mistral, a single stage, the venturi can be loud on inhalation.
I learned to dive with a double hose regulator, that is right, when I took my basic course, half the regulators provided in the course were double hose. I acquired as a gift, a used Mistral. I dove it quite a bit but like young people now, I had to have the latest and greatest and so over the years bought every new latest and greatest regulator I could afford. In fact, I still have many of them. Most of them no longer work, no longer have parts (though I often make or adapt parts and vdh has some parts --yahooooooo), but the 1954 Mistral, with new parts from vdh still is 100% operational. After realizing that my quest for the perfect regulator was like Monty Python's quest for the Jabberwocky in that there is no perfect regulator. They all have faults and quirks. And after all of these years I am back with double hose regulators.
The regulators I own and use now (not just own but USE):
Double hose-
Original USD single stage Mistral dh
USD Royal Aqua Master with HPR
Voit Navy PRAM-HPR
USD Royal Aqua Master PRAM-HPR
Single hose-
Conshelf XIV set
AMF MR12 II set
Scuba Pro 109 set
Tekna T2100 and T2100B set (side exhaust, servo valve second)
AL Titan LX set
AL legend LX set (my wife has taken it)
Double hose regulators have another advantage, while mouthpieces are not interchangeable (though there are different types) they really do not need them to be because there is no weight pulling on the mouth downward, the mouthpiece is actually buoyant. My front teeth are implants, got knocked out, long story. In any case, single hose regulators that are heavy sometimes hurt them (the bone). Thus my fascination with the tiny, light servo regulators like the Tekna T2100 (long gone) and the Oceanic Omega (gone but maybe not for good).
Yeah, bubbles are annoying, meh, you will get over it.
N
OP
latestartfish
Registered
Thanks for all the ideas, folks. If I go into this with more information, I'll feel I can make a better decision on the equipment I eventually buy. And Spectrum, I appreciate that my OW experience will be far different than the pool; in fact, I'm counting on it. Your note about the hood and all, I hadn't even thought about that. I appreciate all the perspective everyone offered.
I know I ask a lot of questions, having not even been certified yet, but I want to know as much as possible beforehand... Still looking at mid-Dec or early Jan to start the cert process...
LSF
---------- Post added November 28th, 2012 at 01:35 PM ----------
Nemrod,
I hadn't seen your post when I just posted, so thanks for the very DETAILED information. The more info the better, and the easier it will be to find this stuff when I'm ready to start shopping for my OWN!!
I know I ask a lot of questions, having not even been certified yet, but I want to know as much as possible beforehand... Still looking at mid-Dec or early Jan to start the cert process...
LSF
---------- Post added November 28th, 2012 at 01:35 PM ----------
Nemrod,
I hadn't seen your post when I just posted, so thanks for the very DETAILED information. The more info the better, and the easier it will be to find this stuff when I'm ready to start shopping for my OWN!!
Thanks for all the ideas, folks. If I go into this with more information, I'll feel I can make a better decision on the equipment I eventually buy. And Spectrum, I appreciate that my OW experience will be far different than the pool; in fact, I'm counting on it. Your note about the hood and all, I hadn't even thought about that. I appreciate all the perspective everyone offered.
I know I ask a lot of questions, having not even been certified yet, but I want to know as much as possible beforehand... Still looking at mid-Dec or early Jan to start the cert process...
LSF
---------- Post added November 28th, 2012 at 01:35 PM ----------
Nemrod,
I hadn't seen your post when I just posted, so thanks for the very DETAILED information. The more info the better, and the easier it will be to find this stuff when I'm ready to start shopping for my OWN!!
Seriously, just get yourself something like an Aqua Lung Titan XL with the environmental kit or something similar from Scubapro or virtually any well known company. The bubbles will in the end prove to be a non issue.
N
ams511
Contributor
Dive Rite is discontinuing the Jet Stream so there are deals out there.
With the possible exception of spearfishing or u/w photography, both of which require the diver to get as close as possible to the intended marine life subject/target, bubbles will be a non issue. Like Nem, I use my dh regulators as much if not more than my sh regulators, there are some minor differences in diving style if you decide to go the dh route you can't go wrong with a Phoenix and HPR equipped Royal AquaMaster (RAM) or similarly equipped DA AquaMaster (DAAM). Then once the dh virus has gotten under your skin, well that's a topic for another conversation.....
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