June 2000 How to baffle US dive masters

How to baffle US dive masters - Mares HUB Snake charmer has all the answers -Suunto Cobra Good bet at the budget end - SEAC-sub Sorius reg Can Hawaii turn boltbag into sex-god? - Beaver Hawaii suit Precision light goes down as well as a U-boat - Hartenberger Maxi Compact No spitting - Miller mask

John Bantin has been a full-time professional diving writer and underwater photographer since 1990. He makes around 300 dives each year testing diving equipment.

How to baffle US dive masters
One of the greatest problems faced by underwater photographers is finding a diver to photograph who looks neat under water. Usually people resemble Christmas trees on the day after Twelfth Night, with a tangle of hoses and everything dangling.
Mares has come to the rescue with a very neat outfit called HUB. It is an integrated BC and regulator which does away with most of the external plumbing and the traditional corrugated hose.
What does HUB stand for? Hidden Untidy Bits? Hoseless Underwater Backpack? No, Human Underwater Breathing system. It probably sounds better in Italian.
The uniquely designed first stage is attached to the tank in the usual way after the BC has been cam-banded on. However, instead of a plethora of hoses to stow, the high-pressure air is fed directly into a manifold inside the back of the BC. This feeds to the Orbiter second stage of the regulator, which is found stowed in the forward right-hand zipped pocket.
An emergency octopus rig is stowed likewise behind it and is indicated by a yellow toggle and quick-release, velcro-covered flap. The pocket at the other side contains a simple emergency oral-inflation tube for the BC.
The regulator first stage has two other ports, one high-pressure and one low-pressure for a drysuit inflation hose. I was surprised that it did not come with a high-pressure hose and gauge. I had to fit a (Cressi-sub) console that I had to hand, which rather spoiled the hoseless effect.
Presumably it would be best to use the HUB with a radio-linked air-integrated computer such as the Aladin Air X, thus avoiding the free-running hose problem. Mares has yet to produce such an item.
I was also surprised to see that the blanking plugs had apparently been tightened using a spanner. The HUB had come to me directly from the equipment reviewer of a rival magazine. Perhaps he didn't know how to use a hexagonal wrench!
When it is time to use the regulator, you pull it up from the pocket. I found that it really needed an elbow piece at the second stage to prevent it being pulled from my mouth unnaturally. I'm sure that we will see this obvious improvement when Mk 2 models hit the shops.
I also found that if you drop the second stage from your mouth, for instance as you climb the steps of a boat, it tends to dangle dangerously around your feet. I would fit a neck lanyard to my own so that it stayed safe.
The Orbiter regulator gave a high-performance delivery of air when needed, yet a gentle breathe otherwise.
So, with no normal direct-feed hose, how do you fill the BC? A control below the lower left pocket allows you to do this quickly. Very cleverly, another button on the same control also operates two dump valves, powered by pneumatics, at the upper shoulder and lower back.
I was rather alarmed by the speed with which this set-up would deflate a fully inflated BC at the surface, but found that under water the amount of control was delightful. The position of the two valves meant that it always seemed to work, regardless of my attitude, except when I lay on my back.
There are two additional manually operated dumps, so there is no danger of a mechanical malfunction sending you hurtling towards the surface.
The BC itself is one of the first applications of the new dragonfly design. This works like a wing for the initial part of the inflation, when under water, but when you fill it completely, sections at the front inflate to give you a good upright stance at the surface. It has an adjustable cummerbund and shoulder straps with the usual pinch-clip fastenings.
Overall, it seems to be made to the usual high Mares standards - apart, that is, from the integrated fold-away carrying handle which I felt might snap off once it had been cooked a little and become brittle in tropical sunshine.
However, I liked the way I could turn up at the boat with everything already configured. I liked the way it confused those US-style dive masters who wanted to set up my gear for me. I liked the way it gave me control of my buoyancy and I liked the way I could dunk the whole lot in its net bag into a tank of fresh water after a dive.
I did not like the way the HUB refused to clip into a conventional bottle rack due to the forward balance of its pocket contents. That was without integrated weights, too.
So who would buy HUB? Anyone who is used to doing single-tank leisure dives and wants to avoid having a frequently disorganised tangle of hoses. It will not suit those who find it necessary to improve on any manufacturer's original design.
Of course, you still need a mask, fins, a suit and weights but it does give you a BC and regulator with octopus all in one.
The Mares HUB costs as much as a top-flight BC and regulator with octopus - £850.

Blandford Sub-Aqua 01923 801572

PLUS	MINUS
+ A neat solution to untidy diving + Convenient to rig	- Difficult task to reconfigure to your personal taste - Relatively expensive

Snake charmer has all the answers
It is said it was a serpent that persuaded Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Well, the Suunto Cobra is a computer that will tell divers everything they need to know - and it's very sexy, too!
If you thought the Vyper air/nitrox/gauge computer had everything you needed, the Cobra also offers gas-supply integration and is enclosed in a startlingly attractive ergonomic case.
Rather than let it drive the user into a fury of frustration with wet-finger contacts, like the Vyper it comes alive by means of positive-action buttons.
The Cobra uses a nitrogen decompression algorithm, the reduced gradient bubble model that puts the ideas of Bruce Wienke together with the traditional concept of Haldane. Oxygen absorption is taken care of by combining this with the work of Dr Bill Hamilton. It is the latest thinking on gas management in human physiology.
Once you have chosen whether you want it to be an air computer, a nitrox computer or a straight electronic depth and time gauge (for trimix), you can't switch between modes during a series of dives - you're stuck with it for 24 hours.
However, if you want to use it in nitrox mode, you can always choose 21 per cent oxygen if you want to dive with air. Nitrox-qualified divers should always leave it in nitrox mode.
It can be set for up to 50 per cent O2, but because it is breathing-gas-integrated, the manufacturer recommends that it is used with no richer a mix than 40 per cent.
This is enough for most people, as the maximum operating depth for that mix is only 25m. After two hours between dives, it defaults to 21 per cent O2.
The Cobra has the same nitrogen-absorption status graphic and ascent-rate indicator as the Vyper. In fact it differs only in that it displays cylinder pressure and calculates remaining air-time on the basis of the use so far during the dive and current depth.
The Cobra also has the same backlight as the Vyper. The main differences otherwise are concerned with the natty console in which it is installed and the protective shield behind which its display and buttons are placed. The shield made surface clarity difficult because of water droplets on its underside, but the display was great when submerged.
The main problem with having this important instrument at the end of a hose is that you have to grope for it each time you want to look at it, which is surprisingly often.
I just wish the hose had been a little longer for a more comfortable view. When a computer is mounted on your wrist, you seem to be able to glance at it with the minimum of effort and therefore never notice quite how often that is.
Naturally the Cobra has all the alarms, bells and whistles of its cheaper stablemate. It is every bit as sleek as the snake from which it takes its name. Suunto has come a long way since its clockwork-looking first attempt at a computer.
The Suunto Cobra costs £445.

Suunto Diving 01420 587272

PLUS	MINUS
+ More features than just about any other single-mix computer + Attractive design + No wet-finger contacts	- Need to grope for it on end of short hose

GOOD BET AT THE BUDGET END
The Italian Seac-sub Sorius regulator is enthusiastically promoted by its new importer, but is it the best thing since sliced bread?
It has a small balanced diaphragm-type first stage with four medium-pressure and one high-pressure port. It certainly looks well-finished and the plastic second stage, with its integrated exhaust tee, is small and neat and sat comfortably in my mouth for long periods. However, when I used it for twin-set dives to 50m it sounded a little asthmatic at depth compared to a top-of-the-range £300 Euro regulator I was using alongside it .
Although it was not wet when I tried it, even upside-down, I also sensed a fine mist of water in my inhalations. So am I writing it off? Not in the least, because the Seac-sub Sorius sells for only £179.
This puts it in perspective, because the Sorius certainly did not let me down, providing sufficient air as deep as any air-breathing diver should want to go. Considering the demands put on it as I chased around down there with two enormous aluminium cylinders on my back, it proved extremely viable.
If price matters, this could be a good choice. The Seac-sub Sorius costs £179.

Alpha Distribution 01226 341133

PLUS	MINUS
+ Very economical purchase	- No established pedigree

Can Hawaii turn boltbag into sex-god?
Alas, it's a sign of declining years for us men when attractive young women take it upon themselves to tell us we look good. What they really mean is: "You look good for our age", or, more likely: "You are a sad old git and have no chance!"
When I look in the bathroom mirror, I see a body which, curiously, has started to look like a bag full of bolts. One cosmetic approach to this problem is to give it an appropriate coating of neoprene. Then it can take on the appearance of steel and whipcord, rather than a loosely associated collection of hernias, haemorrhoids and hair that is mysteriously transplanting itself from the top of my head to less convenient and attractive locations about my person.
The Beaver Hawaii suit is ideal for this transformation. Its 3.5mm material does enough to do the job and the suit is a snug enough fit to make it warmer, even when diving, than I had originally suspected. A zip at the back gives great opportunities for asking for help in the right quarters, and there are seals at wrists and ankles.
These are minimal compared to those found on a proper semi-dry suit, but just enough to make you break out in a sweat and adopt a mysterious foreign vocabulary while trying to pull them over your feet and hands.
That said, once donned you feel like a super-hero look-alike. The Hawaii is ideal for strutting around warmwater dive sites!
The Beaver Hawaii comes in a huge range of colourways and 13 off-the-peg men's and 9 ladies' sizes, and there is a made-to-measure service which I heartily recommend. It costs from £115 to £134.

Beaver Sports (Yorks) 01484 512354

PLUS	MINUS
+ Looks good + Keeps you warmer than you would think	- A struggle to get into a well-fitting suit

Precision light goes down as well as a U-boat
U-boats could set out to sea for months and never have to bob about on the surface waiting for the AA man. Let's face it, the Germans have got engineering sorted.
A visit to the diving section of the Düsseldorf Boat Show reveals a vast choice of underwater lights and camera housings, all beautifully engineered, but few of them retailing outside their home country. However, thanks to Big Helmut and his vision of one Europe, achieved without call for more U-boats, we who live in the more impoverished regions can now simply shop for German products - provided we can come up with sufficient Euros.
Hartenberger submarine lights are the sort of thing that would go down well on a modern U-boat, but don't get confused - they are for divers. I tried the Hartenberger Maxi Compact. "Compact" is a misnomer; I suppose it's slightly compact compared to some of the super-teutons around, but it's not a pocket torch.
Beautifully crafted in a slim tube of aluminium 25 x 7cm, it has a useful handle at one end which allowed me to slip it over the webbing waistband of the BC I was using. Because this handle is long, it provides for a perfect balance in the water.
There is a five-position magnetic switch of a type commonly used on other expensive German and Swiss lights, like those from Subtronic and Subatec. This allows you to run the lamp at varying degrees of brightness with commensurate burn-times between 45 minutes and nearly two hours. It even allows you to over-run the lamp, which proved useful when exposing animals in their natural colours in bright, sub-tropical conditions.
The lanyard supplied has a simple plastic plug which, when inserted into its slot, prevents the torch being turned on inadvertently.
To charge the nickel metal hydride battery pack, you grip the tube at the handle, unscrew it and withdraw the guts, including the bulb and reflector. The battery pack normally takes 14 hours to charge but the lamp came with a fast charger that could recharge a flat battery in about three hours.
This is the sort of electronic wizardry we are beginning to take for granted. It automatically takes care of the input voltage, as long as it is in the normal 100-250V range. The advantage of NMH batteries over the more usual ni-cad type is that they can be recharged at any time, and resist developing a memory.
A single O-ring at each end renders the unit watertight. You must be careful to keep these free of dirt and dust and lubricate lightly with a suitable silicone grease if you are not to court disaster.
The Hartenberger Maxi Compact might be a smaller light than some but it is still a considerable item of hardware to tote around. You could buy four very good rechargeable lights from America for the same price.
It costs a not-inconsiderable £398.

Naut-Tec 01227 761232

PLUS	MINUS
+ German precision engineering + Bright output in a relatively slim package	- Compact by name but not necessarily by nature - German price

NO SPITTING
Too often, a dive is ruined for someone because they failed to spit in their mask properly, or to apply a proprietary defogger. This usually happens to people who don't dive very often. Now a Mr Miller in the USA has come up with a mask that he says will not fog up.
I took it with me when I had to do some research in a steamy heated indoor pool. I have found that continually having to get out of the water and then back in again, in the ultra-humid conditions found there, can catch out the most practised diver.
Of course, in a pool it's easy to surface and go through the spit-and-rinse ritual. It's just that when you've done it 30 times already that day, it can become rather tiresome.
The Miller mask is a fairly standard-looking twin-lens affair with an adjustable nylon strap and stretchy neoprene pad. It comes in its own pouch with a side pocket in which you will find a bottle of mask-cleanser and conditioner.
For fog to form, three factors need to be present: water vapour in the air, a cold environment which will bring the surface down below dew-point, and small nuclei on the surface about which water droplets can form.
Salt crystals, dirt, scratches and blemishes in the glass of the mask are all examples, so it is important that you clean it without scratching it if you want to stop it fogging up. Spit works by putting a blemish-filling film over the surface of the glass.
Two of the passengers on mv Oyster in the Red Sea helped me with our BC review. I gave them the Miller mask to try, with explicit instructions not to spit in it, and I didn't see them do that once in two days, which constitutes a vote of confidence. It also worked well for me in the pool.
The Miller Mask is one of a range of styles available. It costs $85. If you, like me, have prescription lenses, or indeed would rather stay with a mask you know and love, Mr Miller can supply Advexx film inserts ($25) for converting your own mask.

Miller Visual Dynamics (www.fogless.com)

PLUS	MINUS
+ It doesn't fog up	- Why pay out when you can spit for free?

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Appeared in DIVER - June 2000

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