Who's going to the SubGravity/Hammerhead Demo day at Blue Grotto?

[Lauren Kieren]

OK, I'm back in the SB office after having some time to decompress. A few thoughts...

First this was one of the best run demo days and it was full to the brim of stuff to do. Between, Harry Avril, Lauren & Jon Kieran, the Thorntons and the rest of the crew who trained us and watched over us, there was nothing for us to worry about except having fun. Instruction was to the point but comprehensive. Overviews of the equipment was respectful, to the point and actually well thought out. Lunch was great and it was fun watching the rototillers that were posing as open water students in the basin. Kudos to all involved in an excellent, informative and incredibly fun day.

Second: The Hammerhead CCR. Wow. I could stop there and that would describe it fairly perfectly. This is by far the easiest breathing CCR I have tested and I've been on a number. The electronics were pretty standard and very easy to comprehend. The unit fit well, albeit it was a tad heavy: about the weight of a single steel 130, I would guess. It and I were perfectly weighted for that spring. I would probably have to add four pounds for salt water. This was the second time I dove a CCR without an ADV. That's the valve that adds diluent as you descend or the loop gets too low for whatever reason. All of the Hammerheads were manual add and actually that put me in control... at least after I figured out if I was fondling my BC inflator or the Dil add. Rob (?), my handler, repositioned them between dives and that made all the difference. It was quite easy to manage being neutral, but it doesn't come with the auto purge, so you have to remember to dump from your nose as you ascend. It was easy to ascend, descend and level off. But the breathing was the best part. I don't know if it was the back mounted counter lungs, the radial scrubber or a combination of the two, but this was an easy and pleasant breathe. No chipmunk cheeks, no hard pull (unless you didn't add dil on descent) just a normal breath. Another huge, huge plus was the bayonet fittings throughout. It appeared to need only an eighth of a turn, after you depressed the detente, and they were off. The O₂ Sensor carrier was brilliance. Finished with the machine for the night and letting it air out? Simply pop out the carrier and take the O₂ sensors with you to dry out in the AC. The entire unit was well thought out. BTW, did I mention how easy it was to breathe???

Third: The Cave was also cool. Ridiculously silty which was it's own charm. I'll be writing a section in my Cave Diving Blog tomorrow, so look for that if you want to know more.

Fourth: The DPVs were a failure. Not because they failed, but I was having so much fun playing in the cave and with the rebreather that I failed to get to try them. No fear, Randy has promised to have some strategically placed loaners throughout the state. I'll post about them when I finally get to try them out.

Finally, while I was impressed with all the staff assisting us during the day, Lauren & Jon Kieren really impressed me. They were energetic, proactive and really thourough in their briefings without boring the socks off of us. I listened to both prepping divers on the Hammerhead and felt proud to be an SDI/TDI instructor again. They are a real bright spot in our industry and really shine in their respective roles at SDI/TDI. I've invited both to join us here on SB and hopefully we will be blessed with their energy, insight and wisdom on a regular basis. Smart move for SubGravity to include them in this demo day.

Pete, thank you for spending the day with us and for taking the time to write such a kind post sharing your experience with others. Also, I appreciate you taking the time to get me back on Scubaboard... :cool2:

---------- Post added November 16th, 2015 at 07:31 PM ----------

Jon is already here. They are both great people. I've had the pleasure of working with both of them on training material development.

James, you are a rock star to work with on training materials!

 

[The Chairman]

Oh please post more pics! They are great!

Here's my Cave Diving Blog entry: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ca...-abe-davis-award-post7550956.html#post7550956

 

[Richard FDC]

The SubGravity Hammerhead demo day was a blast! These guys are a class act and the equipment is superb. Blue Grotto is an awesome dive site and I had a lot of fun hanging out with old and new friends. I tried out a rebreather and then NetDoc and I got the tour of the cave from Harry Averill. Good times! Here are a few pics!

 

[THRASH]

Sorry for the late response/post. I have been meaning to post about this awesome demo for a week now. Got caught up with work and life. The wife and I attended this demo having never used a rebreather or DPV before. When we arrived we were greeted by the SubGravity staff and shown the registration table. We met Cindy and filled out our forms. She was very friendly. We also enjoyed meeting some other attendees. Got a chance to meet "NetDoc" Pete, Carlos, Nick (from LeisurePro), saw guyharrisonphoto and his wife but unfortunately didn't get the opportunity to introduce ourselves....hopefully next time, Doug, and quite a few others. Met the SubGravity staff Randy, Michael, and their staff instructors The Kieren's Jon and Lauren, and Rob. Wayne from Amigos Dive Shop was hanging around the water. He helped hand equipment back and forth to us and was very accommodating. Very explanatory and knowledgable group with top of the line products. They went over the equipment, its features and construction, and then we signed up for our excursions. My wife and I chose the rebreathers and DPV's and of course I elected to wear one of their H3 computers. The DPV's were awesome. It was funny because we got the briefing and then Randy handed my wife a DPV and said "see you in a bit, go have fun." My wife said "what, you're giving me this thing and not coming along to watch over me?" She couldn't believe that she was getting to use such a nice expensive piece of equipment at her disposal. It was hard getting her to let me have a turn.


Rebreather training was thought out very well. We had one on one instruction. Jon taught my wife and Rob taught me. NetDoc even stood in and added some knowledge. I actually think he was just jealous that it wasn't his turn to try the Hammerhead CCR! The experience was very unique and something I would like to look farther into in the future.


Lunch time...grilled burgers and brats as well as veggies, chips, and sodas. We ate with no shame after getting fatigued playing with all the cool toys.


Overall we had a blast and look forward to attending more demo's in the future.




NetDoc you posted this earlier in this thread: "I can't wait until the wireless pressure transmitter comes out, which Randy will neither confirm or deny even exists. I'm not going to tell him how I found out about it, but it will be an awesome addition to an already awesome unit."


........Very interesting and I will just eagerly wait and anticipate, but feel slightly comforted in reading your statement. Hope the wait won't be too long.




Well...I have to go now. Need to read the manual for my new H3 that just arrived this week.