Hookah vs Scuba dive kit.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

If you don't let it get foul, it is easier to keep clean than it is to have to deal with it after you let it get foul. I'm sure fstbttms would agree.

I agree 100%. In addition, relatively frequent, gentle cleanings (as opposed to less frequent and therefore more abrasive cleanings) will dramatically extend the useful lifespan of your anti fouling paint.

[Cliffhanger]

I have another question related to this topic. Probably a stupid question as I know nothing about diving.

But for prop cleaning, why not just use a snorkel with a hose extension attached well above waterline? Does the water pressure make it impossible to breath? Will nitrogen build up and make my lungs explode? This is probably covered in scuba 101, but it is something I have wondered about. My boat draws around 3 ft so it is hardly deep diving.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by FabioC

If you go the tank way, I'd consider just a pony tank for the job. I got a pony tank as part of my scuba gear (I rent the scuba tanks, but I have my own pony which I sometimes bring for added safety). It is small and thus much, much easier to carry than a full tank, but at a very shallow depth as for cleaning the hull or changing the zincs, it would last enough time for the job.

The questions then are how you are going to attach it to your body and what if anything you will do about a BC. I have experimented using tank backpacks for diving and have done some pony-only dives and have come back to using a standard BC and tank.

But my rig is compact. Ordinarily I dive a stainless steel backplate and wing and a 72 cf steel tank. The backplate and wing pack down much smaller than a jacket-style BC, and the 72cf steel is somewhat smaller than an aluminum tank.

Originally Posted by Davy J

The only negative with using you own tanks is that they will need, eventually, to get hydro-tested.......... Not something that most SCUBA shops do on site.

In the USA hydro test is every five years, make sure the tanks are recently hydroed when you leave. If you are away for five years you can either try to find a USDOT-approved hydro tester where you are (there are a number outside the USA to serve places that repack lifeboats and that ship gases to North America), or replace the tanks locally.

If you're getting fills ashore you may have trouble getting USA tanks filled in some places anyway. There is a transition underway in the packaged gas industry to a UN cylinder standard that is international in scope but I haven't seen any UN-compliant scuba cylinders yet.

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I'd look really closely at one of those nice little Italian dive compressors. If you have the compressor aboard and maintain it, it will open up hundreds of possible diving situations where you will be able to have buddies from among the cruisers, because so many only carry emergency tanks. Furthermore, if you have people who may visit you, you could do lots of diving together, if you can fill your own tanks.

A few years ago I purchased a very compact USAF surplus compressor from another diver, hoping to become familiar with it so as to be prepared to bring it aboard on a future journey. It was never reliable and after spending probably $2000 on parts and repairs I sold everything for about half of what I had in it. 50 hours use. Some old compressors are money pits to keep running safely and reliably.

If I do it again I will by a new Bauer Junior or Oceanus and be done with it. I did some checking and I believe it is possible to get a 2HP 24 VDC motor that is a drop in replacement for the stock 120v one so that it is not necessary to size an inverter or generator to run the electric motor and so there is no dependence on the voltage or frequency of shore power (as long as there is a charger to make it into DC). Could mount one of these compressors below decks somewhere and never have to move it. The manufacturer says you can run them on a heel up to 30 degrees. 1 kwh of electricity (about 40 amp hours at 24 volts) makes about 100 cf of air.

The filters on these are rated for 3200 cf, about 50 fills, you would want to bring a bunch, but they are small and light.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

I agree 100%. In addition, relatively frequent, gentle cleanings (as opposed to less frequent and therefore more abrasive cleanings) will dramatically extend the useful lifespan of your anti fouling paint.

Yes, this is certainly my plan. Though, not sure how the cold waters of Tasmania will challenge my commitment.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Cliffhanger

I have another question related to this topic. Probably a stupid question as I know nothing about diving.



But for prop cleaning, why not just use a snorkel with a hose extension attached well above waterline? Does the water pressure make it impossible to breath? Will nitrogen build up and make my lungs explode? This is probably covered in scuba 101, but it is something I have wondered about. My boat draws around 3 ft so it is hardly deep diving.

Two problems:

The first, and most serious, is that it is next to impossible to flush the breather hose of “used” air, so you slowly increase CO2 concentration.

The second is that is is surprisingly difficult to suck air “down” to any depth. I’m not sure the numbers, but I would think more than a foot or two would be very hard.

Edit: the nitrogen build up is a separate issue to lungs “exploding”. Nitrogen build up is what leads to “the bends”. Simplistically, over time, at depth, the concentration of nitrogen in your blood builds up. Then when you return to the surface the nitrogen in your blood comes out of solution and forms small bubbles inside your veins/arteries. Nasty stuff.

The exploding lungs phenomenon is a result of taking a breath of air at some depth then returning to the surface (or a shallower depth) without allowing air out of your lungs as you go. The air expands as the water pressure drops and then you have , as you put it so well, exploding lungs.

Diving is a great technical sport, and the science in the recreational license is very accessible. I agree with those that think it is wise to have at least some good theory background before messing around with hookahs. Although they are pretty safe, I do think you could do yourself some damage if you didn’t have some basic theory behind you.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by GILow

Yes, this is certainly my plan. Though, not sure how the cold waters of Tasmania will challenge my commitment.

OMMMM, I see a new wetsuit in your future, OMMMM.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Cliffhanger

I have another question related to this topic. Probably a stupid question as I know nothing about diving.

But for prop cleaning, why not just use a snorkel with a hose extension attached well above waterline? Does the water pressure make it impossible to breath? Will nitrogen build up and make my lungs explode? This is probably covered in scuba 101, but it is something I have wondered about. My boat draws around 3 ft so it is hardly deep diving.

It is physically impossible to breath through a snorkel at a depth of one meter.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

OMMMM, I see a new wetsuit in your future, OMMMM.

Yeah, my faithful old Neil Pride might not cut the mustard down there.

[Franziska]

And, you may end up killing yourself doing that.
The air inside the extended snorkel does not get exchanged enough. So you rebreathe used air until you get unconscious due to lack of oxygen....
Many fatal accidents by extended snorkel.

Do not do it & stay safe.

Originally Posted by fstbttms

It is physically impossible to breath through a snorkel at a depth of one meter.

[ChrisJHC]

Originally Posted by Jammer

The questions then are how you are going to attach it to your body and what if anything you will do about a BC. I have experimented using tank backpacks for diving and have done some pony-only dives and have come back to using a standard BC and tank.

It’s interesting how BCs are now regarded as mandatory. One of the pioneers of diving in Australia- Valerie Taylor - was prevented from diving by a commercial operator because she didn’t want to wear a BC.
If you’re only diving to 1 or 2 metres a BC isn’t necessary but would make the job easier.
Note - I definitely use a BC!

Also, if you’re going to be diving in Tas - even for short periods and shallow depth - a dry suit is recommended. Of course, the $$ and complexity also go up.

[DeBe]

Hooka petrol driven is the way to go. Carried one on the Cray fishing boat that i worked on 200Ft of hose & would dive down to 80Ft on the Clan ranald wreck no problems. Used it for work on moorings & on the hull. Also dived at Wedge Is & Nth Neptunes. The compressor was a Clisby 4 Cub ft single cylinder run at 100Psi. Self taught to dive back in the late 60s.

[33trippindaisy]

Hmmm, well how about those like me.......I have had a stent placed in my heart, and luckily my heart surgeon was a scuba guy. As we talked over the next few months we both found out we were boaters, and I wanted to learn to dive. Nix that he said, get a Hookah. Folks say once you have a stent in your heart you should never tank dive deeper than the first atmosphere, and so since 2006 I have a had an electric Hookah, with 75 feet of hose. I have used it hundreds of times it seems, maybe a few less. I clean my own boat (33 ft) and whether at the dock or hangin' out off the Islands around NC I always get the same request......can you hit my prop and check my zincs! Finally I said no but you can, jump in and give it a try! Turns out everyone enjoys doing the Hookah! Except in February in 47 degree water, wearing a drysuit, doing a 65 foot boat with my buddy who was on his own set up. We were under there just shy of three hours. That was a record for me, some of you commercial guys might laugh but it WAS an experience for me! Be safe.

[sailorboy1]

Well I have a stent and didn't know that

I have a hookah setup. The compressor, regulator with hose, and some misc fittings cost me around $200. I can not see scuba equipment getting close to that.

[Captain Bill]

I have a Airline gas(petrol) powered hookah that is a float style. My wife and I have had it for about 8 years. I also carry four scuba tanks. I have a four hose setup with 40ft extensions so I can use two extensions if only having two divers for a total hose length of 140ft. We have used it to a depth of 50ft with 2 divers and in the clear water of the Bahamas even using only one extension you really never get out of sight of each other. I do use a buffer tube that serves two functions. The first of which is that it stops the pulsing sensation caused by the strokes of the compressor. Without it you get a pressure pulse on every stroke of the compressor. This may or may not bother you but I find it uncomfortable. The second is that it gives you a couple of minutes of air if the motor quits. Note the only reason the motor has ever quit on my machine was that it ran out of gas. I use the unit in several modes. If cleaning the bottom I just set it on the deck. I have an 8ft piece of PVC that I use as an extension to get the air intake well above the cabin so it can't suck up any exhaust from the engine. I also use it for drift diving by putting it on the floor of the dinghy. Since you are tethered to the dinghy there is no chance of getting separated from the boat. I also use it with the provided float.



A tank of fuel lasts about three hours, but most of my diving these days is less than 25 feet so I don't have to worry too often about decompression. I always wear a dive computer just to make sure that I stay out of decompression trouble, but mostly to keep track of the dive time so I know when I'm getting low on fuel. After nearly three hours underwater I'm usually ready to be done anyway. We use scuba for the first few years of cruising but found that air was pretty hard to get in remote areas. many dive shops would only sell us air if we went on one of their dive boats. I find that I really hate going out with shops, especially if the dive master is diving. My experience is that they want you to swim fast and dive deep to burn your air as fast as possible. The poor dive master has probably been on the same dive a thousand times and just wants to get it over with. I much prefer diving from my own boat at my own pace. Just a guess but I have probably only used the tanks about 5 times since getting the hookah. Mostly in places with a lot of caves as you can't do a swim through on the hookah.



We seriously considered a small compressor instead of a hookah, but decided that with the type of diving we now do, the hookah made more sense. The price was about the same but the maintenance was a lot lower. If you are only going to use it to clean the bottom then a long hose scuba tank on the deck or a small electric hookah will do. If you want to do more than that you should probably consider stepping up to a gas hookah on a float.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by GILow

Hmmm... a bit inconclusive.... but hey, that’s probably the reality of the question I guess.

There haven’t been any serious objections to cleaning the boat using the scuba kit that I can see, aside from the refill issue, so maybe I’ll go with the added flexibility of the scuba outfit.

I am lucky in that the original owner of this boat was a dive nut so fitted a small crane arm for retrieving tanks and gear from the water. That will help.

Thanks for the thoughts on this one.

Matt

I'll begin by saying I've only scuba dived once and like you, I'm much more partial to the simplicity of a basic snorkel and fins set up. The scuba gear is just a lot of stuff to haul around and most of what I like to explore can be seen from the surface anyway. I have done some bottom cleaning with a snorkel and it is a pain in the butt. I think when the time comes, I'll opt for something like this https://www.mantusmarine.com/mantus-...YaAkX1EALw_wcB. Enough capacity to dive on the anchor without all the hassle. If you really love scuba diving (some people can't seem to live without it) you should resign yourself to getting the on board compressor at least for remote areas with no dive shops.