Batteries are always an issue with equipment. We have recommended using only 3.6 volt lithium batteries with the O2ptima, but the Hammerheads will operate off a high quality 1.5v alkaline battery as well. As an alternative divers have asked about rechargeable batteries. I have been testing these for months and they do the job. From the charger they start at 4.0v and I can teach a class of 500 minutes of bottom time before they read 3.6v. I charge them up after that. Bench testing under load they went 10.5 hours before they couldn’t fire the solenoid. This should be worse case scenario since I pulled the sensors and it fired continuously. Divers have reported longer run times under regular diving conditions but why try to see how long they will last? It’s not worth the worry since they recharge in 30 to 50 minutes. I strongly recommend them as an alternative to non rechargeable lithium or alkaline batteries.

For more info, see Battery Junction

Lamar

It seems that handling bailout bottles and gear for rebreathers is going thru constant innovations. We have used Nomad Butt Plates and Tech Butt Plates for easy attachment and to place the bottles on the side for less drag. By sidemounting the bailout bottles it creates other issues like where to put reels and other equipment usually stored on the waist D-rings. While teaching O2ptima rebreather students I have seen some ingenious ways to add clip stations to the foot. We have taken one of the better ways and had it produced for the O2ptima. The new rails mount to the foot using the predrilled mounting holes on each side. These rails have a dividing bar in the middle so reels and cylinders won’t slide the length of the rail or allow the diver to clip one piece of gear thru the other. I find these to be the best solution yet.

Lamar

Dive Rite O2ptima Rebreather Side Rails

Now that we have been delivering TransPacs with new,, narrow sideplates let me share some advantages. The original wide plate was a rigid platform for earlier weight pocket designs but as  the weight systems evolved I knew it was time to change the plate design.  After the new weight systems were out I could change the plate size to make it more tech friendly. It’s thicker and serrated so it stays in place without the aid of an additional belt slide. Yet, more important to me is that is takes up no more room than a normal slide so I can use it for a D-ring without taking up additional space on my waist belt that interferes with accessories. It also lets me move weight pockets around on my wife’s rig since she doesn’t have the real estate on the waist that I have, another plus for women.  You can also put a rigid D-ring on it if desired.

Lamar

The EXP Fins are here after months of testing and slow production to ensure they are what they should be. The fins are retro – the original monprene blend that Apollo used. Monprene is the best choice for a high performance blade and exactly what we want in a tech fin. Our blades offer the best blend of power to work ratio.

I have tested a pair for the past three months and knew the formula was right because I found a set of original Apollo fins upstairs to dive against in testing (sorry Dan, I trashed your original Apollo fins while testing). I could swim in high flow for 3 hours nonstop without any calf cramps.

Two weeks ago, I was teaching a cave course the day our full production models arrived so I put both students and the assisting instructor in the blades to test rather than the rubber fins they were wearing. All three guys refused to give them back and bought them on the spot. Their comment was it was the best fin to actually swim with.  A little something most divers don’t think about: in cave diving we swim for miles, nonstop. We aren’t floating and we use a wide variety of kicks. It’s the best environment to test fin performance. If you have doubts come swim with me.

Lamar

ES410 Fin

I have been asked for a Nomad with less lift for diving lightweight tanks, such as aluminum 80s. We built a prototype and took it to several demo days, but what most folks seem to want is options. They want to dive aluminum 80s when they travel, especially warm-water destinations, but have the ability to dive heavier steels for longer dives and/or cold-water.

So instead of moving forward with a smaller rig, we added more gusset control to the Nomad EXP and Nomad XT models. Now a diver can pull the wing in tight for a small profile with smaller tanks. It can then be released for heavier tanks or if you need more lift for staging. In technical diving, its always better to have a little something in reserve.

Our new video “Sidemount: Customizing the Nomad’s Lift” shows you gusset control at 35lbs, 50lbs and 60lbs.

Lamar
Customizing the Nomad’s Lift

I defined technical diving back in 1991 as “having to manage multiple regulators (gas supplies) while diving.” I told Dr. Hamilton and Mike Menduno this at the first AquaCorp Tech conference in New Orleans just days before DEMA. They were asking the attendees their definition of technical diving. To-date the managing of gas supply underwater is still the most common issue.

I bring this up because today the definition of a technical diver seems to be “someone who doesn’t settle with an equipment solution out of the box.” Everything should be adjusted to fit a diver’s stature for ease of access and comfort. That’s why there are so many hose lengths for divers now. A standard hose length won’t work for every body. We just shortened the traditional 27” BC inflator hose to 22” because it works better on most BCs and so far everyone seems to prefer it (we still have the 27” in case you want it).

Our new Tech SPGs are naked so the tech diver can pick the right hose length for his body stature and application (see the TIPS section for recommended starting lengths). The old standard is 32” for single tanks, yet tech divers want a shorter hose on their doubles and certainly their sidemount bottles. The most popular doubles gauge hose lengths are 24” and 26” depending on your height and I bet some women would like 22” (let us know). I personally prefer the 26” because when I am diving with dry gloves I like to clip it up on a chest D-ring so I can easily look at my gas supply and not have to unclip it from the belt in cold water.

Lamar

After watching divers play with sidemount bungees I starting looking at a solution for what I felt to be of concern. Many divers simply place the bungee over the tank and reg and then deal with the bottles slipping out since they haven’t taken the time to run the bungee under the reg and around the tank neck. It’s understandable since it is difficult to route the bungee and I’ve watched seasoned professionals take several minutes just to hook up one tank.

I also see divers with the choker system bungee not using a safety. The safety is important if you happen to carry the bottles attached to you when entering or exiting the water. Instead of hooking your bottle into the bungee, you clip into a metal D-ring to avoid stressing and potentially breaking the bungee. Bungees aren’t intended to be load-bearing on land.

Another issue is slack in the bungee when changing tank size. Divers who wear the bottles up close and tight need a different bungees for varying tank sizes. This is a hassle.

My solution to all this was to find a way that divers could more easily adjust the sizing of the bungee, while including a safety and making sure the bungee is easy to don. The Nomad Sidemount Ring Bungee keeps the bottle under the arm where the bottles need to rest for sidemount. By using Quick Links, sizing can be adjusted for varying bottles or for divers of different sizes (just add or remove a Quick Link…there is one on either end of the bungee). For the safety, I had an additional Quick Link, but our National Field Manager, Pete Nawrocky, who mainly dives in cold water screamed “gloves!”  So I added a 2-inch stainless ring instead. This proved to be the best set up because the ring is easy to put your thumb in and stretch the bungee when connecting bottles. Since the ring sits under your arm we can use lighter bungee to make it easier to stretch. The 2-inch ring is attached to the snap via a Quick Link so you have a hard connection safety as well.

This new sidemount bungee system was unveiled at the Beneath the Sea Scuba Show in New Jersey and was well received. Our team has been diving with prototypes for a couple of months and even our minimalist junkies like them.

Lamar

Dive Rite Nomad Ring Bungees

I am constantly watching how divers stow gear when diving. Sidemount has presented its own issues for equipment storage with everything on the side from cylinders to reels.

Sidemount buttplate rails offer lots of real estate to attach cylinders and reels, yet the shared connection adds its own problems. The reels will sometimes fall between the body and the cylinder making it uncomfortable or difficult to remove a reel. The best thing to do is attach the reels to a more centered D-ring mounted on the crotch strap on top of the butt plate. Many divers use the scooter tow D-ring for this, but a better way is to mount two Offset D-Rings stacked on the 2” crotch strap so the attachment points do not interfere with cylinders or DPV tow. Easy access without interfering with other gear.

Lamar

The Venture Wing has morphed into the Voyager Wing. Dive Rite has had doughnut wings in the product line since 1996 with the first Travel Wing that was a single bladder construction. As we reshaped the Travel Wing the original lived on as the Venture Wing, but since it had a large footprint, we decided to reshape it to fit into the EXP line and call it the Voyager.

As a 40 pound lift wing it is a Travel EXP on steroids with the same lookm yet an extra 13 pounds to make it work with heavy steel single cylinders. I need an original Travel Wing to show the staff, so I will gladly upgrade the first person to come out the closet and contact the office with one of the original Travel Wing/TransPac systems from 1996 to a new TransPac and wing of choice.

Lamar

The Nomad EXP is the benchmark for sidemount systems. Everything you read about a sidemount system is a comparison to the Nomad EXP. Its single piece construction and 60 pounds of lift make it the choice of cave divers for high volume steel cylinders and stage bottles. Since it is one piece divers can take it from box to water with just a few adjustments.

The Nomad XT is the sidemount expedition rig for guys like me who want to make sure they can adapt to anything regardless of where they travel.  Since the SuperFabric wing, butt plate and harness are separate you can customize it anyway you want and even cannibalize it if needed and swap out parts.

Soon we’ll have a Nomad sidemount system with less lift for aluminum tanks. Ideal for warm water divers or those who travel. Stay tuned.

Lamar