Valves are the often forgotten piece equipment that we rely heavily on in technical diving. We use them primarily to turn cylinders on and off, as well as isolating gas on stages and manifold configurations. The problem is that valves are 
often neglected when clean and service our equipment, and then sit in the garage for periods on end without being turned. Another expensive point is all the precise helium that is lost when a valve seat does seal properly!
Having tank and isolation manifold valves that can easily be turned on and off makes a big difference. Manifold shutdown drills and events, dealing with stages and even tank filling all become much easier with a freshly serviced valve. Also be sure to pay some attention to your valves when you wash your gear; turning them back and forth in fresh water is all they need.
When was the last time you serviced yours?
Whilst we’re on the topic of valves, it’s also interesting to see that manufacturers such as Dive Rite now put strong cases forward for the use of only 200 Bar DIN valves, even for 300 Bar tanks. The extra threads in the 300 bar valves don’t actually do anything for strength and are just there to prevent 200 Bar equipment going into 300 Bar tanks. It’s also interesting to hear that Dive Rite have seen more issues with the 300 Bar valves as they’re more susceptible to being dented. See Dive Rite’s information sheet for more details.
Posted in: Equipment, Tec Tips.
Tagged: din · maintenance · valve
It’s amazing what can be seen just outside Sydney harbour. A video taken by local photographers Damien Sivierio and Aengus Moran showcases the spectacular marine life that can be found on the wreck of the SS Annie Miller in 45m of water.
Posted in: Rebreathers, Technical Diving, Video, Wreck Diving.
Tagged: SS Annie Miller
We were reminded last week that lift bags are not quite the same as submersible marker buoys (SMB). Although they’re similar and share many of the same traits, they don’t quite have the visibility on the surface to be used as market buoys for drifting divers.
We had two pairs of divers doing a 90m dive with a 30min gap between each pair. Both teams deployed bags on ascent at the 50m mark – however one team used a bright orange SMB and the other a standard white lift bag. Our support team commented that the SMB was extremely visible and caught their attention immediately, however it was only dumb luck that they discovered the second team on a lift bag whilst they were returning to retrieve the anchor. We ultimately drifting 8 miles underwater (with 2 mile gap between groups) during that dive, so you can imagine the pickle you’d be in if you weren’t sighted by the boat!
Yes, lift bags can be deployed at depth just like a SMB – but once there they only barely breach the surface and can be very difficult to spot. A good SMB in contrast (when inflated sufficiently) will extend a good metre above the surface. The self sealing types also ensure that the bag won’t hit the surface, tip over and deflate, which is always a risk with an open ended lift bag.
If you’re using a lift bag – do yourself a favour and invest in a quality SMB.
Posted in: Tec Tips, Technical Diving.
Tagged: deco · lift bag · SMB
On a recent wreck trip Damien Siviero decided to show us up and pulled out an underwater housing for his iPhone. At first I thought “that’s a joke”, but my view quickly changed during hour 4 hour of decompression we did. Rated to 90m,
the housing is a seriously capable piece of kit and performed brilliantly.
Unlike other units which have a shallower depth rating, the iDive300 can be taken to depth (some have reported 120m+ dives), which means you can take it with you and use it even if you’re blowing a bag and drifting on deco (as we often do). It was an odd experience to be listening to ACDC at the 21m stop, and then watching a Family Guy movie for the dreaded 6m hang.
The high quality acrylic housing is made by H2OAudio and supports most iPods models; not just the iPhone versions. Powered by 3 AA batteries, the unit has external speakers that are extremely loud when turned up to full. We simply slotted them under our hood for hours of listen pleasure. One unit can even be shared between two divers with when each uses a single headphone!
WARNING: Although these units are great for long hangs, they seriously narrow your perception to the point where it is easy to forget your surroundings. Only use with caution!
Posted in: Equipment, Technical Diving.
Tagged: deco · ipod
On a recent tec trip to SW Rocks we encountered some serious current so gave the wreck diving a miss. Damien Siviero has provided proof of this with short video of our dive. Close CCRs with sharks is certainly better than the old days of open circuit.
Posted in: Rebreathers, Video.
Tagged: Fishrock · sharks
I’ve spoken with a fair few Inspo/Evo divers recently who said they hadn’t seen the videos that were put out by AP Diving a while back. Each of the four videos (embeded above) cover a different area of AP equipment including CO2 scrubber, mouthpiece, O2 sensors and batteries. Click Next on the player if you want to skip to the next video.
Posted in: Equipment, Rebreathers, Video.
Tagged: AP Diving · evolution · inspiration
often neglected when clean and service our equipment, and then sit in the garage for periods on end without being turned. Another expensive point is all the precise helium that is lost when a valve seat does seal properly! 