Aqualung Aqua-Navy

[ROMO DIVER]

While swapping stories with an old navy diver he told me about the double hose he used in the navy. He said that it was a aqualung Aqua-Navy and had a very interesting (to me at least) feature. According to him the exhaust area of the regulator was filled with cork to cut down on bubbles. He said that it did not breath very easy but had virtually no bubbles to give away his position.

Has anyone else ever seen/heard this and if so are these regs still available?

 

[herman]

Most likely he is refering to a DA Navy Approved. US Divers Company The cork was not standard, sounds like a field mod. They come up from time to time on ebay. Hopefully Sam and/Captian has more information on the cork.

 

[captain]

Never heard that one before. Bernie would be the man to answer that. I'll pass it on.

 

[ROMO DIVER]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I guess my next question is even if you have never seen it, is it possible to do and how much of a difference would it make in bubble formation?

 

[james croft]

I have heard of bubble diffusers on military Draegers that break bubbles up but I cannot see how cork could diffuse bubbles as it is not porous enough to let air go through it. Imagine trying to to blow air through cork. Better yet, imagine a cork in a snorkel...I suspect a reg with cork in it would not be a very good breather. I am sceptical on this one.

If bubbles were a major concern for a combat diver they would just use a rebreather.

 

[captain]

This is Bernie's reply


"I don't know about cork,but there were some attempts to defuse the bubbles earlier on,this is before they could measure breathing inhalation and exhalation resistance, I did a few dives with a Mark VI semi-closed with a defuser on the adjustable exhalation valve,I believe it was a ceramic material with a lot of holes in it. With the Mark VI set-up properly you exhaled aprox 1/5 of your breath the remainder was recycled,so you had far less bubbles to defuse,I don't see how cork?would work with the open circuit volume?"

 

[John C. Ratliff]

While swapping stories with an old navy diver he told me about the double hose he used in the navy. He said that it was a aqualung Aqua-Navy and had a very interesting (to me at least) feature. According to him the exhaust area of the regulator was filled with cork to cut down on bubbles. He said that it did not breath very easy but had virtually no bubbles to give away his position.

Has anyone else ever seen/heard this and if so are these regs still available?

Ever thought that, just maybe, this ol' Navy diver was pulling your leg? They were known to do that a time or two.

SeaRat

 

[ROMO DIVER]

Thanks guys.

It sounded a little odd to me too. I will bring it back up next time I talk to him and see if I can get a little more information. He is an older fellow and probably still has a few bubbles on the brain but I really enjoy talking to him and he has seen/done a lot in the last 50-60 years of diving.

 

[ROMO DIVER]

Searat,

That is the story of my life. But it is still fun!!!

 

[herman]

I am not too sure he was. A while back I got a DA Aquamaster with the exhaust hose plugged with cork stopper in place of the exhaust valve. The stopper had a small hole in it so it would pass some air. I have no idea what it was for or why it was there but it does lend some credence to the story, not that I believe it works but that it may have been tried. I dug around and found a photo I took of it as I often do with strange things I find in regs. Here is its