wrong forum? If so im sorry

[emtguy]

im diving in 20ft max water in a fresh water river and im thinking about getting a hookah or power snorkle, the prob. is that i cant justify the money for the little diving i do.

i have 2 questions, can anyone tell me how to make a surface supplied air system and if so what do kinda parts do i need and my other question is can any one expereinced with a ssca tell me the pros and cons of them and are they dangerous...

thanks guys. (mods if u need to move this post do it. )

 

[immerlustig]

pardon my ignorance, but what's the point in a surface supplied air system if you intend to dive aound 6m deep?

why not try freediving? you can dive deeper then also

cheers,

roland

 

[emtguy]

im diving in a river looking for indian artifacts such as arrowheads. I need to stay down a while and crawl along the bottom slowly. the water isnt crystal clear so the going is very slow....u cant just see something and swim down and get it and come back up.Also in the current of this river a diver has to wear a minimum of 40 lbs of weight so the current doesnt carry you downstream. Im just trying to find a way to get rid of the bottles and gear, its a 1hr drive to the river and the nearest bottle fill station is 40 minutes away etc....

 

[Kars]

In 20ft it's impossible to breath in trough any snorkel system, the water pressure exeeds many times the liftcapacity of the chest and diafragm.

Through training you can quickly become accustomed to the eviroment and make longer dives, with 1 minute bottomtime. But since you planning on carrying 40 Lb of weight to stay in place I would say in these murcy waters that compressed air is the cheapest and best option for that particular task.

In my view it would be even saver to have divebuddy with you for your safety and for fun offcause. Freedivers also dive with buddies. Buddies have saved many divers.

On the internet or at local club it's pretty likely that you can buy a cheap scuba set. Have a small 10L airtank, it's big enough to dive for an hour on 20ft. Oh and remember freediving after scuba diving is NOT healthy, because of the decompression illness.

Have fun, dive safe,

Love, peace and water,

Kars.

 

[Erik]

In 20ft it's impossible to breath in trough any snorkel system, the water pressure exeeds many times the liftcapacity of the chest and diafragm.
.

He's talking about a powered system, with gas pumped down to the diver. They're popular with boat cleaners in marinas and a few resorts offer them for fun. SNUBA is what I believe they're called from one source.
EMT guy, there is nothing wrong with these things if the gas is filtered properly. If not, you end up with CO and other stuff pumped down to you, and under pressure, that's a death sentence. I wouldn't recommend buliding one.
The other thing is that since you will be breathing compressed gas, you need the proper training to breath compressed gas. This is not like freediving and you can really get hurt or die if you're not taught the proper procedures.
At the depths you're diving in, an 80' scuba tank on your back would last hours and would be a lot less logistics to operate. Or, you could float the tank at the surface and run a long hose down to the regulator in your mouth. For all these options, you need the basic Open Water certification.
Have fun!
Peace,
Erik Y.

 

[Ricochet]

I think with "power snorkel" emptguy means one of these 'portable' compressors that are integrated into a float. You can take them with you into the water. They float on the surface and supply you with air through a hose and an scuba regulator. (I saw it on TV)

 

[Ricochet]

Damn you Erik, you were faster

 

[emtguy]

ricochet is right, im talking about a hookah( air-line, seabrethe) its a surface suplied air source. The compressor floats above you and feeds the air thru the lines. Lobster hunters use these set-ups alot. I wont be doing ANY diving without a partner either guys, thanks for the concern. I basically just am to cheap to spend the 3k these things cost, i have seen on other sites where guys were talking about making their own and was wondering if this is cheaper. The only thing is the compressor has to be oil-free so no contaminents will get thru the air hose...im trying to stay away from the bottles because the nearest refill station is 40 minutes from the spot im diving. i have a fill station at my fire dept and plenty of the bottles we use in house fires to supply our BA's but its 1hr from where im diving. I dont know what im gone do yet but il let yall know and thanks for the help and suggestions and if you have anymre theyre appreciated also

 

[Erik]

The main concern in my mind is not really the buddy, it's the 'don't hold your breath' rule.
So, if you do get something happening, at least follow that rule
Peace,
Erik Y.
ps (with Southern drawl), Ricochet ya gotta be quick on the draw round these parts

 

[FreeFloat]

EMTguy........

SCBA bottles are NOT SCUBA bottles, and should never be used as such. The compressor might appear fine for filling bottles (and indeed many firehouse compressors are), but the air testing standards for each application actually differ. Air used for diving must be tested for divnig, not just to SCBA standards.

I may be misreading you here, but are you even certified as a scuba diver? Or is this river artifact-diving just some spare-time thing that you have been or want to be doing for fun, on your own?

 

[emtguy]

no freefloat, im not certified yet, i will be before i do anything other than snorkle. im just askin questions trying to learn alittle about this and checking the pros and cons out before i spend alot of cash on scuba cert. and gear.....im just researching and asking questions that im curious about, thats all....thanks