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Post by SeaRat on Aug 23, 2014 21:19:40 GMT -8
Nautilus Dive at High Rocks 8-23-2014 Pre-dive I spent a lot of time last evening and this morning preparing to document this dive with the Nautilus, which I haven’t dived for several years now. I got my camera out to see whether I could make multiple timed photos, and found that I could not. I got my Nikonos underwater camera out (actually both of them), and thought about the horrible “selfie” I could take with it, and decided not to risk another flood of that poor, old camera. So I headed out this morning without any camera to document my dive; I simply wanted to dive and perhaps describe the experience afterward. High Rocks on the Clackamas River is about a half hour drive from my home, and I headed out just as Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers were coming onto the radio with “Car Talk.” I half listened to them, and half planned my dive. I would wear a full wet suit today, as I know that the nights are getting cooler and the river is probably not warm. Arriving by the dive site, I parked in my normal spot above the park and High Rocks area. There is a short access road, and as I locked the car I noted that the lifeguards for High Rocks were assembling their gear near their ambulance, parked in the access road parking spot. I walked over, told them of my planned dive, and the lifeguard I talked to asked that I report back to them that I was safely out of the water. I asked him about the water temperature, and the lifeguard told me it was warn—68 degrees. I told him that I would be under a dive flag and float, and that I always reported back too. The float is yellow, about the size of a car inner tube, but states in black letters, “Diver Down” and has a diver’s flag over it on a “D” assembly that assures it is always extended. Then I went to the outdoor restroom (a necessary activity before my dives—I used to have to go to McDonald’s for a bathroom, but then the City of Gladstone built a new restroom for the area. Back at the car, I assembled my gear, which included the Dacor Nautilus Constant Volume System, complete with regulator, Cobra pressure gauge/computer, my fins, mask, snorkel (a new one I had found—Aqualung’s “dry” snorkel), 9 pounds of weights inside the Nautilus weight chute, and my float. I had to figure out what to do about the car key, as usually I had it on a strap on my Para-Sea BC, but today I wasn’t diving it. So I put the key onto the line for my float, figuring I would not lose the float, and so would not lose the key. (Important stuff, you know.) I got into my gear, having decided from the lifeguard’s description of the water as “warm,” to forego the full wet suit, dressed in the shorty wet suit and hood, and commenced the hike down to my entry point into the Clackamas River. I figure this is part of my workout that keeps me healthy, just as climbing out does with all the dive gear. I hiked down that short access road, then took a right turn and walked down the steep, paved trail toward High Rocks. The distance is short, but because it is steep it take a few minutes with over 60 pounds of gear. At the bottom of the trail, there is a rectangular structure that is made up of rocks and concrete, which extends out about 150 feet, is elevated four feet above the rocks, and is about three feet wide. But I only go out on it a short distance before climbing down on the rocks to take a trail to the rived off to my left. There is a hole above high rocks where the river flows around an island, then into a pool before rejoining itself in a rapid to my right. My entry point goes steeply down a dirt and rock incline to the river. I wade out into the water until about waist deep, put on my fins, mask and snorkel, then put my main regulator mouthpiece into my mouth.
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Post by SeaRat on Aug 23, 2014 21:22:09 GMT -8
Nautilus Dive at High Rocks The Dive 8-23-2014 The Dacor Nautilus CVS is more like a submarine than a regular buoyancy compensator. I open the main water intake valve at the bottom of the unit, put my face in the water as I blow bubbles through my regulator, and push up on the “T” handle to open the upper air outlet valve. This allows air to flood the unit, but it takes ten to twenty seconds for the water to enter enough to allow me to dip completely underwater. I tip the unit to my left to make the air outlet valve the highest point, and completely flood the unit, the push off into the current, which is coming from my left. I want to move perpendicular to the current, and so aim myself at a 45 degree angle to the current to go straight across the river. My float’s line tangles briefly in the “T” handle of the Nautilus, so I reach around with my right hand and untangle it, then let the float be taken by the current across the river. A submerged oak tree is at the far edge of the river horizontal and on the bottom, left from one of the winter floods, and I stop to look around. There is a school of small shad in the water, and they are watching me—not alarmed at all either. Swimming beyond the branch of the tree, I continue downstream. As I swim, I note that the Nautilus’s shoulder straps are a bit lose, so as I angle under the rapids, and pull hard against the float (which is trying to drag me downstream), I find the rocks which mark the far shore, swim to the shallows and decide to surface. On the surface, I first open the water inlet valve, then add air to float the Nautilus—it is vertical, but I cannot get to the shoulder adjustment so I fully inflate the unit, and it is then floating horizontal on the surface. I take in about four inches of shoulder strap on the right side at the waist adjustment, then let out about an inch (it looks too tight). I then take out a similar amount on the left shoulder strap from the quick release buckle. Putting on the unit, I empty it of air; it feels very secure and the Nautilus follows each movement I make without it’s hesitation from inertia (with the water inside it, and the scuba tank, there is some mass on my back). I swim deeper into the hole beneath High Rocks, and look around. A dead salmon is wedged between two rocks and the sandy bottom. There is the school of shad in mid-water, and the usual rock sculpins on the bottom. I am at the deepest part of the dive, in 22 to 24 feet of water. I have the Nautilus’s water inlet valve open, as I do not have a regulator on the unit to add air. I had added some air at about 15 feet, and so descending could put increased pressure on the rigid walls of the unit if this valve was closed (my unit is incomplete, and in need of this regulator). Now, at the deepest part of the dive, I close the water inlet valve, effectively sealing the water inside the unit. I explore toward the High Rocks, where kids jump from twenty or so feet into the river during the heat of the day, and find a necklace with what appear to be green stones that had been torn from a girl’s neck when she wore it on a high jump. I am carrying the necklace in my left hand, and the float’s line In my right hand. After a few more minutes, and noting that I’m getting cold, I head for the surface slowly. At between fifteen and ten feet, I hear a burping sound from the Nautilus as it allows air to escape the overpressure relief valve. This allows the Nautilus to remain at a constant volume, and not explode as it experiences decreasing pressure outside. At this point, on the surface again, I do an experiment with the snorkel. This snorkel has overlying angled blades in the top to deflect any water entering into the snorkel out small, horizontal slits in the top of the tube. But I note that It does markedly increase the resistance to breathing of the snorkel. I spit it out, and replace it with my regulator. This is a unique Dacor regulator, the Quantuum, I believe, which is actually an updated design of the original U.S. Divers Company Calypso regulator. It has an exhaust in the main diaphragm of the second stage, so the pressure differential is almost negligible between the exhaust and the center of the diaphragm. This design makes it a very easy breathing regulator. I surface dive toward the bottom, opening the water intake valve as I descend (which is kinda a pain to have to do). Once on the bottom, I add air to the unit until I’m again weightless, then close that valve again. Now I can pretty much forget about it, as I won’t go deeper on this dive. To test the Nautilus’s hydrodynamics, I turn into the current and swim hard, effectively swimming against the current without a problem. As happened in the past, I again demonstrate that the hard shell doesn’t “catch” the water, but allows effective swimming against the current. At this point, I’m getting chilled. The water is not 68 degrees, but I guess at 62-64 (my Cobra decompression meter later stated “64” degrees), which makes quite a difference in an extended dive. I surface again, open the water inlet valve, and blow my Nautilus dry. Arching my back, I “climb” on top of the unit’s now 50 pounds of buoyancy and swim on my back almost out of the water across the river. Then I flip over again, hit the air outlet valve, and dump out all the air. I find myself on the bottom in about fifteen feet of water, and in an area I the river I rarely access because it is difficult to swim over using conventional gear. Now I again swim across the river, headed upstream but at a 45 degree angles to make a trip at 90 degrees to the river’s current and cross to my exit point. In the shallows, I conduct another snorkel experiment—I take off that top “water free” section of the snorkel and use it without the obstruction. It breaths much better, and is shorter for less CO2 buildup. But it also floods easier, and I flood it once. I find, however, that it still clears nicely using either the blast or displacement methods of snorkel clearing. So guess what? This snorkel will be used without that attachment from now on. Attachments:
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Post by SeaRat on Aug 23, 2014 21:24:40 GMT -8
Nautilus Dive at High Rocks The Exit 8-23-2014 At the exit, I face a different problem—getting out of the river. Usually, I would take my fins off and put them on an equipment strap on my Para-Sea BC. But without the equipment strap, I must pull the fins off while in the water, throw them to the bank, and try to exit on the slippery rocks. But now a second problem “surfaces,” as with the straps tightened down, I have limited mobility of my arms overhead. I put my mouthpiece back into my mouth, and breath from my octopus regulator. Throwing my fins ashore is not now possible. So I flick them into shallow areas on the rocks. The unit is full of water, and therefore I cannot exit until I empty the water. I am fin-less, and in about seven feet of water, so I use hand motions to get to the rock, and to the surface. With the water inlet valve open, I hit the button to add low pressure air to the unit, and hold it down until I hear bubbles coming from the water inlet valve. The water is out, and I can get out. But I cannot! With the slippery rocks, the unit’s weight (it is somewhat off my back), and the lack at this place of footholds, I cannot gain purchase to stand up. After several attempts, I turn over on my back, spit out my regulator, ground the Nautilus, and get out of it. Beside the unit now, I find footholds, and can move my arms over my head to get handholds. So I climb out of the water, and recover my fins. I rest (this is a pretty good exertion for a 68+ year-old). Then I go about pulling the Nautilus out of the water, and up to a rock I can rest it on almost vertically, and climb back into the unit. The exit hike is up a steep, rocky area to a main paved walking trail. It takes me a good five minutes to go up to the path, carrying my float with my fins attached to my waist strap. As I reach the path, there is an older gentleman waiting for me and he asks, “Is that a rebreather?” I tell him it is not, and explain the Nautilus Constant Volume System to him. He says he has never seen anything like it, and I reply that he won’t either, as it hasn’t been manufactured since the 1970s and there are only a few still around. But it is a pretty good system. We talk some more, then I break it off, saying I need to get to the car. He responds that I’m carrying a lot of weight, and I say that’s not the real reason—I need to stop by and get some paint to paint my fence. So I head back to my car, climbing up some more to get to the road above the river.
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Post by SeaRat on Aug 23, 2014 21:26:36 GMT -8
Special Problems and Solutions, Nautilus CVS Dive 8-23-2104 Now, looking back on this dive, I decided that I tightened the shoulder strap too much, which caused me real problems on my exit. I also should have gone with my original thought and wore my full wet suit instead of the shorty, as I could have extended the dive another ten or fifteen minutes. It was a good dive, and I learned a lot. My Dacor regulator performed very well, but the hose is a bit short for use on the Dacor CVS. The Dacor CVS deserves more use, and I’ll be putting it back into the water again soon. First dives after a long spell not diving the Dacor CVS can bring out problems, but by analyzing them the next dive will be much better.
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Post by diverdon on Aug 25, 2014 10:37:16 GMT -8
Hey John, Thanks for revisiting the Dacor CVS. I saw the CVS for the first time years ago and it looked so unusual that I've kinda kept my eye out for one. I now have one coming and I believe its complete with the regulator and hose. It doesn't appear to come with the owners manual but I found a scanned copy so after playing with it some I hope to dive it this fall Now its time to get one of my Dacors tuned up like Jaybird said. I think I have a couple Olympics tucked away in the basement. Does anyone have a lead on NOS kits for these? Thanks again, Don
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Post by scubadiverbob on Aug 25, 2014 18:31:34 GMT -8
Don,
Trident has some Dacor parts (reproduction). You might have to buy them through a dive store. What little Dacor stuff I had left, Terry, duckbill, got ... and it wasn't much. I might have a LP seat in my tool box (somewhere; I don't know how I ever find anything in it).
Lot's of stuff on ebait (check out one-more-chance-scuba); but, I'd try and get what you want soon. With high usage parts being available through Trident, prices seem to be increasing. There still isn't to many new plastic regulators that can perform, and work under adverse conditions, like a Dacor Pacer 900 XLE with a sealed, oil filled, first stage. For ice diving, that's the regulator to have, for sure!
Robert
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Post by diverdon on Aug 25, 2014 18:39:47 GMT -8
Hey Bob,
Thanks for the suggestion/lead. I know someone who used to own a dive shop and can order through Trident. I won't be using the Nautilus ice diving, but I would like to try it on some shores dives. Soon too, as I'd hate to shelve this one til spring.
Don
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Post by scubadiverbob on Aug 25, 2014 18:50:26 GMT -8
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Post by scubadiverbob on Aug 25, 2014 18:52:14 GMT -8
I gotta go, my son want's the computer to "play games" on .... I'm getting the boot (LOL's).
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Post by diverdon on Aug 26, 2014 17:53:18 GMT -8
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Post by SeaRat on Aug 26, 2014 22:23:13 GMT -8
Looks like yours is in better condition than both of mine. And that is correct, the LP hose to the Nautilus regulator is unique, and it is great that you have that part too. Now, you've got to get it into the water. Until you get some weights, several weight belt 3 pounders will fit in the weight chute. Don't use it with a 72 or 80 with a tank boot, or the weight chute won't work. I do have a manual, and it does take a bit of time to understand the mechanics. This can be done in sheltered open water, or in a pool. One thing, remember to empty the unit of water before trying to exit--it can be quite heavy with the water inside.
John
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Post by diverdon on Aug 27, 2014 4:42:27 GMT -8
Hey John, Thanks for the tips. I do recall reading your posts that describe the ditchable weights and how the boot would interfere in an emergency situation. I will look through my weight stack to see if I have enough weights to load up the channel. If I don't, do you want to do a little bartering? Also, the length of the hose that was on the regulator that came with it is 40" long. Is that similar in length to yours John? When I looked at the connector on the regulator I noticed that it was different, but familiar. So I looked in my odds and ends pile of hoses and actually found several that fit the Nautilus Odd that I had these from previous purchases but never owned a CVS. I ended up trading two of them with Luis and Karl for some Dacor and Conshelf parts. I still have one extra connector that fits the inflator/regulator if anyone here needs a part. Its on a (short) 28" hose but you could add it to a longer hose if need be. As for trying it out, I hope they let me in the pool at the university with this thing Having a great day. I hope you all do too!!! Don
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Post by SeaRat on Aug 27, 2014 8:29:27 GMT -8
Don,
Yes, the longer hose is nice, but not required. My dive on August 23rd was with a regular-length hose. There are some restrictions on movement, but not as much as I had thought.
Concerning the University Pool, if they let scuba in, they should let your Nautilus in.
John
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Post by surflung on Aug 27, 2014 11:31:32 GMT -8
- Diverdon, I hope you're bringing your Nautilus to Fortune Pond Sept 26-27th. I'd sure like to see it.
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Post by diverdon on Aug 27, 2014 11:50:31 GMT -8
I'll be glad to pack it up and bring it along. But I'm not sure I'll have time to test it beforehand. Have you used one of these before? I doubt I even have weights that'll fit in the channel.
Don
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