First Ocean Dive

[time2dive]

Today was my first ocean dive, at least with my older regulators. I finished overhauling one of my DA Aquamasters and one of my Mistrals over the weekend, so I decided to try them out. I went as a tag along on our charter boat so I might have some help if I needed it. It was different. the first half of my dive was with my Aquamaster, no BCD or guages, just a backpack, a steel 72 with a "J" valve. The backpack does not allow me to have the regulator as low as I would like to try, however it was comfortable. Slight head up attitude breaths the best, head down while kicking to the bottom was a bad idea, hard to breath and working, I was a little out of breath when I reached the bottom. Note to self. a hose clamp that appears to be tight in the shop may not be so tight underwater. My inhalation hose was a little loose causing a slight freeflow. I surfaced, switched to the Mistral and went back down. I was a little surprised, it appeared that the Mistral breathed a little better. The dive was over when I could feel the hoses collapse a little on the inhale, pulled the J valve rod, easy breathing returned and I surfaced.
Mike Nelson and company must have had large mouths and strong jaws, my mouth was tired using the vintage mouthpieces. My Healthways came with a spare Hope-Paige mouthpiece that takes a "normal" scuba mouthpiece, I will try that on my Aquamaster or Mistral next time.

My second dive was with my normal setup. The big surprise was how annoying the bubbles were, I have been diving for 35 plus years and today was the first time I realized that the bubbles were annoying.

Diving with my double hoses is not something that I will do all of the time, however I will uses them on a regular basis.

[nemrod]

Sounds like a great time. I think you were probably biting down on that mouthpiece. just let it hang loosely. The tendency for the mouthpiece to fall out of your mouth is generally less than with a single hose so you don't have to grip it as hard. The more you dive double hose the easier it gets. Yes, the bubbles are annoying, the DA and RAM are quiter also.
James

[SeaRat]

time2dive,

The problem you are having with the mouthpiece could be from a slight mis-allignment of the mouthpiece to your mouth. There are two ways to allign the mouthpiece so that it will be right and easy to keep in your mouth.

One mouthpiece orientation method is to put the regulator, face down (nameplate down) on a flat surface. If the mouthpiece is adjusted correctly, it should point directly back toward the regulator. If it doesn't, then loosen the clamps and re-orient it so that it points directly back at the regulator.

The other way to orient the mouthpiece is to hold the regulator vertical, and hold the mouthpiece 4-6 inches above the regulator (where your head would be). The mouthpiece should be horizontal at that point, and you should be able to balance it with one finger under the center of the mouthpiece. If you cannot, then re-orient it until you get that balance.

If it is correctly balanced, there is almost no effort to holding the mouthpiece. When I was instructing years ago, I had a student ask to borrow one of my double hose regs. He later told me it was the only regulator he could handle because of tooth problems. After learning of that, I completely disassembled that hose/mouthpiece assembly and disinfected it

The Hope-Page mouthpiece system is easy to adjust, as all you need to do is to unscrew slightly the aluminum rings, re-orient the mouthpiece and screw them in again. Don't screw them in real tight though, as you must remember that this is a metal (Al) to plastic connection, and they are easy to get stuck.

If the Mistral breathed better than the DA Aquamaster, there are two considerations. The Mistral is a wonderful regulator at lower tank pressures (below 1000 psig). But so too is the DA Aquamaster, and the Aquamaster should out-perform the Mistral at higher tank pressures. You can re-set the interstage pressure by using a 500 psi source (tank pressure), and adjusting the interstage pressure by turning the inner adjusting screw in until it just leaks, then turning it back out (counterclockwise) until the leaking stops (about 1/4 turn). You will need a 1/4 inch (as I recall) Allen wrench to complete this adjustment. That will turn a DA Aquamaster into a really fine breathing machine.

John

[Deleted]

time2dive

On your decent, if you will roll to one side.....I normally roll to my left,.........the regulator and your lungs will be on the same level and breathing will be much easier.........

See my email regarding difference between double and single hose usage..............I dove across a strong current to reach my group in Cozumel and had to roll to one side at around 20 or 30 feet due to the sensation of not getting enough air before continuing to 60 feet.

mossback............

[time2dive]

I tried increasing the IP until it free flowed part, it got up to 160 and still did not free flow so I readjusted it back to 145. I figure the Mistral was breathing better because of the lower tank pressure.

Tim