What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

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Jacko
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by Jacko »

Steve & Merv,
I think you are both right right
From my understanding the commercial operators in Victoria wont take you on their boat unless you are certified or doing a course with them.
The dive shops wont fill your tank or rent you one unless you show them your certification card.
I keep my old certification card from 30 years ago in my wallet for that purpose.
Since the certification has photo ID most dive shops also ask me for my licence since my 1980s photo looks a bit different to the current me.
If you have your own gear and your own compressor the sport is "self regulated" ie DIY, however most shops will only sell you the gear after you have done a course.
Although the sport is self regulated I have never met anyone who has the gear but is not certified.
In Qld & at resorts and at some Dive shops if you are not certified they do "try dive" and usually walk you through the equipment & safety in a pool then take you out to the open water under supervision of a qualified divemaster.
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by Jacko »

Digger wrote:When I started diving there were no wetsuits available and I had to mail order one from England. There was no lining, no zips, and you sprinkled unscented talcum powder on the inside so it would slip on.

As far as SCUBA gear was concerned there were only 2 or 3 brands available, one of which might only have been available to the police and navy...too far back to remember.

We didn't need a certification to use the gear though I did a course and qualified with a dive at Mt Martha on my 14th birthday.

Coming from such free and unregulated times the current requirements see restrictive to me, though probably not to those of you that are used to things the way they are.
Back in Diggers days they probably didn't have Bouyancy Compensators either.
In the early 80s I used what we called the "Dunny seat" or "horse collar" that used to slip over your head and wrap around your waist and under your crutch like an airline life vest.
They were made in France by a company called Fenzy.
They had their own cylinder (bottle) to fill the BC which was filled (decanted) from your main cylinder before the dive.
fenzy1 is probably the most famous horsecollar BC and the most sought after by collectors. The Fenzy featured a built-in air bottle that inflated the vest by simply turning on the valve. This late model unit is probably from the 1980.jpg
fenzy1 is probably the most famous horsecollar BC and the most sought after by collectors. The Fenzy featured a built-in air bottle that inflated the vest by simply turning on the valve. This late model unit is probably from the 1980.jpg (18.72 KiB) Viewed 2765 times
I still have my old Fenzy & Fenzy bottle but I stopped using it as soon as I could afford a vest.
By the mid 80s the more comfortable vest type jackets which included the tank harness became the norm.
Last edited by Jacko on 29 Jun 2014, 18:50, edited 1 time in total.
Jacko
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by Jacko »

by maverick » 26 Jun 2014, 11:12

I looked at one of these a few weeks ago, but the costs was about $2k - perfect for a yak but max depth is only 12metres.
http://www.powerdive.com/power-dive-units

Hey Mav,
The powerdive looks like an interesting piece of kit.
What model is $2K and what do you get for $2K does it include the hoses & regs & all accessories ?
Maybe some keen Vyaker divers could chip in and buy one. ?
But if we were to dive using one of those all the crays would be just out of reach at 13m.
Or if buddy diving and limited to 6m for a scallop dive, the scallops would all be sitting in 7m.
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by two bob »

As a qualified instructor/cave diver I can assure all of you that certification is not so that operators can get money from you ITS TO STOP YOU FROM COMMITTING SUICIDE!
Any one can jump in the water and dive under the surface but what about decompression illness, decompression times, lung injuries and many many more severe and life threatening conditions. I spent nearly 20 years teaching and even the best qualified and most experienced divers have seen or had some life threatening situation.
If you are not qualified do a course & before you do you MUST have a signed medical certificate of fitness to dive, otherwise NO dive course. Its that simple.
Sorry but I have had close friends qualified to dive who have died or have life long neurological conditions, I don't want any one who doesn't know the risks, or isn't qualified to make a HUGE mistake.

As aside note, I use a Dive Rite BCD, twin 55cuFt tanks with manifold, dry suit, and prefer a weight belt rather than intergrated weights. Used to have a single 85cuFt tank but I love the twins and it gives me more time and air for the same/similar weight as the single.
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by yakhangger »

two bob wrote:As a qualified instructor/cave diver I can assure all of you that certification is not so that operators can get money from you ITS TO STOP YOU FROM COMMITTING SUICIDE!
Any one can jump in the water and dive under the surface but what about decompression illness, decompression times, lung injuries and many many more severe and life threatening conditions. I spent nearly 20 years teaching and even the best qualified and most experienced divers have seen or had some life threatening situation.
If you are not qualified do a course & before you do you MUST have a signed medical certificate of fitness to dive, otherwise NO dive course. Its that simple.
Sorry but I have had close friends qualified to dive who have died or have life long neurological conditions, I don't want any one who doesn't know the risks, or isn't qualified to make a HUGE mistake.

As aside note, I use a Dive Rite BCD, twin 55cuFt tanks with manifold, dry suit, and prefer a weight belt rather than intergrated weights. Used to have a single 85cuFt tank but I love the twins and it gives me more time and air for the same/similar weight as the single.
Well said Rob, as you said it can happen to even the most experienced divers. I have just finished reading a book called " Raising The Dead" one I'm sure you have read, all about one of the best cave divers in the world, an aussie, and how things went wrong in a cave in South Africa. I don't think when entering another world be it diving or say flying a hang glider, as I used to do, that you can do it safely and for long before something will go wrong and due to lack of training and knowing what to do you will die !! or someone else will have to risk their lives to try and save yours. Yes people have done it and I'm sure still do it today but it is only a matter of time. Besides doing a course you get to meet like minded people and can make life long friends, and can go and enjoy what you do with the confidence of coming home to family and telling them about what is under the sea's.
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Jacko
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by Jacko »

two bob wrote:As a qualified instructor/cave diver I can assure all of you that certification is not so that operators can get money from you ITS TO STOP YOU FROM COMMITTING SUICIDE!
Any one can jump in the water and dive under the surface but what about decompression illness, decompression times, lung injuries and many many more severe and life threatening conditions. I spent nearly 20 years teaching and even the best qualified and most experienced divers have seen or had some life threatening situation.
If you are not qualified do a course & before you do you MUST have a signed medical certificate of fitness to dive, otherwise NO dive course. Its that simple.
Sorry but I have had close friends qualified to dive who have died or have life long neurological conditions, I don't want any one who doesn't know the risks, or isn't qualified to make a HUGE mistake.

As aside note, I use a Dive Rite BCD, twin 55cuFt tanks with manifold, dry suit, and prefer a weight belt rather than intergrated weights. Used to have a single 85cuFt tank but I love the twins and it gives me more time and air for the same/similar weight as the single.
Totally agree Two Bob,
Although the sport is self regulated I have never met anyone who has the gear but is not certified.
If I did I would tell them to go and do a course.
Like you I don't want any one who isn't qualified to put themselves or others at risk.
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by Digger »

I wasn't referring to having to prove you are qualified to get fills, that's a no brainer, but more to all the crap you have to carry nowadays. No buoyancy vests, no extra demand valves, no gauges. The gear I had used a sliding rod that you feel with your fingers to indicate remaining air. That worked well and didn't cost much to manufacture.

I didn't ever dive longer than a 72 cub ft tank would last (one dive per 24 hours) and therefore didn't need decompression calculations, though at the time I probably could have calculated it in my head.

The buddy system would not have worked for me either as I mostly dived on my own.

This might sound like heresy to some of you but I find far too many restrictions and requirements placed on people these days.
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by maverick »

Jacko wrote:by maverick » 26 Jun 2014, 11:12

I looked at one of these a few weeks ago, but the costs was about $2k - perfect for a yak but max depth is only 12metres.
http://www.powerdive.com/power-dive-units

Hey Mav,
The powerdive looks like an interesting piece of kit.
What model is $2K and what do you get for $2K does it include the hoses & regs & all accessories ?
Maybe some keen Vyaker divers could chip in and buy one. ?
But if we were to dive using one of those all the crays would be just out of reach at 13m.
Or if buddy diving and limited to 6m for a scallop dive, the scallops would all be sitting in 7m.
Includes everything. 1 diver 12 m - 2 divers 6m. The self contained unit is a little big to sit on the back of yak. The owner of the company was telling me about how the compression unit can be installed upside down under a hatch - very neat. I would like to mount one in a small box on the back of the Outback. They use the same size battery that I have for my electric motor. :thumbsup:
Well past the edge, almost at the point of no return.
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yakhangger
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by yakhangger »

Digger wrote:I wasn't referring to having to prove you are qualified to get fills, that's a no brainer, but more to all the crap you have to carry nowadays. No buoyancy vests, no extra demand valves, no gauges. The gear I had used a sliding rod that you feel with your fingers to indicate remaining air. That worked well and didn't cost much to manufacture.

I didn't ever dive longer than a 72 cub ft tank would last (one dive per 24 hours) and therefore didn't need decompression calculations, though at the time I probably could have calculated it in my head.

The buddy system would not have worked for me either as I mostly dived on my own.

This might sound like heresy to some of you but I find far too many restrictions and requirements placed on people these days.
Dig I watched a movie the other day called "The Deep" with a well known scene with a young Jacqualine Bissett diving with only a white T shirt on :oops: ;) ;) I was amazed at the LACK of gear they had on, just a weight belt and what looked like webbing to hold the tank on and one reg. I remembered seeing divers, when I was a kid, throwing their tanks on there back by having it in front of them then throwing it over their heads, they also did this in the movie. Things were a lot simpler back then that's for sure, was it safer, I don't really know, but I do know it would have been a hell of a lot easier to walk down the pier without all the gear we use today, but having been taught to use it I would feel naked without it, and me, naked on the pier, is something you DON"T want to see :lol: :lol: :lol: Jacqualine on the other hand.....
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Re: What SCUBA gear do yak divers have/use

Post by SurfanFish »

Sorry to dig up an old thread but seems better than starting a new one.

People talk about what gear (tanks in particular) they have. I'm in the market for a tank and interested in what they would buy next time. My old tank is of the vintage of 6351 alloy so is going to a new home for a different and safe use. Looking at 12.2L or 10.5L steel. No real thoughts on stubby or normal. It will be mostly used for 20m local diving. For deep or travel diving, I'll just hire from the operator I dive with.

Most people advise 12.2 but I'm interested in bottom times people are getting from their 10.5's as this may be all I need.

thanks.
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