Can someone tell me about the "Tech Dive" Calypso?

Hello,

Is anyone familiar with the regulator displayed in the photo below? I'd like to know more about it, but I haven't had much luck finding any information on the web. I recently acquired it along with a 13 cu ft pony bottle. I was told by the previous owner that both the bottle and reg were purchased new a few years ago, but were never used and have never been wet. The first stage is marked "FG6899" by the HP port and "0078" on the bottom, but I can't say what specific model it is or what its capabilities are from these numbers. Also, if anyone can tell me where I can download a manual, I'd really appreciate it.
I dive mostly off the Pacific Northwest coast at depths that rarely exceed 80 ft., with 60 ft. being the average. My intention was to sling this rig on my harness and proudly dive with a pony bottle, but after reading some posts about 19 cu ft bottles being the minimum useful bottle size, I'm having second thoughts. Does anyone here dive with a 13 cu ft pony bottle? In what situations it is appropriate?

Thanks for the help,

Sadamune

That is an O2 ready Calypso reg with a piston first stage (see here: http://www.aqualung.com/products/calypso_o2.html ).

Regulator Manuals should be available on Aqualung's website here: http://www.aqualung.com/technical_library/RgltrOM.pdf .

As far as pony bottles go, do a search there is a great thread with alot of pony bottle discussion. I believe the consensus was that a 13 was not quite enough. I would go with at least a 19. YMMV.

If your dives remain in the 60-80 range, and you don't go into required decompression then the 13ft cylinder would be okay. After all, it is free...

A 30ft cylinder works very well when slung from a harness/BCD. If you rig it in a cave diving fashion, it hangs well and is rather hydrodynamic. Just remember that this should be used as a bail-out bottle, and not to extend your bottom time. After a few dives, you won't even notice that it is there.

Greg Barlow
Former Science Editor for Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine

Thanks for the links LUBOLD8431. I visited Aqua Lung's website and saw the Calypso O2, but it doesn't exactly match my particular reg. After further searching around, I found a few websites that describe this reg as an "EAN Calypso". A short description from a UK vendor's website states that it is, "Nitrox compatible. An excellent pony regulator for your 50% mix." Thus, it would seem that the EAN Calypso is at least 50% nitrox compatible, but I would still like to have a formal description of this reg's abilities before I start using it with any gas mix.

Thanks for the pony bottle advice Greg. I think I could use this cylinder as a pony for shallow dives, but I'm beginning to think that I'd be better off with a 19 cu ft. bottle as I could take it on virtually all my dives. This leaves me wondering, what good is a 13 cu ft. bottle? A 13 cu ft. bottle seems way too small for a stage bottle. Do some divers have uses for 13 cu ft. bottles other than as a redundant air source (pony)? If almost all divers use 19 cu ft. bottles or larger, why do 6 cu ft., 13 cu ft., and Spare Air cylinders even exist?

A bit confused,

Sadamune

This leaves me wondering, what good is a 13 cu ft. bottle? A 13 cu ft. bottle seems way too small for a stage bottle. Do some divers have uses for 13 cu ft. bottles other than as a redundant air source (pony)? If almost all divers use 19 cu ft. bottles or larger, why do 6 cu ft., 13 cu ft., and Spare Air cylinders even exist?

A bit confused,

Sadamune[/QUOTE]


Well, some divers use the smaller aluminum bottles for argon, but lower pressure cylinders are typically used as argon comes from distributors at pressures around 2,400. You do see divers using the smaller bottles for bail-out, but the larger ones like a 19 are a more logical choice.

A 13 bottle realistically has around 10 or 11ft of usable gas. If you breathe with a SAC of around 1.0 during an "emergency OOA" it would last around 10 minutes at the surface. Now, at 33' it should last 5 minutes, and at your planned depths it should last 3 minutes. If you switched to bail-out at 60-70' and started your slow ascent (30-40fpm) you shouldn't have any problems making even a short safety stop at 15'. Sure, it would be close, but it would certainly beat an out-of-air ascent. The 19 is essentially the same size, only a bit longer. It does fit the bill rather nicely.

When I solo dive with a single tank at depths less than 70', I typically take a 30ft bottle carried on my harness. If I am diving deeper than 80' or doing any deco, I dive doubles with appropriate deco gases.

Greg Barlow

Sadamune:

Thanks for the links LUBOLD8431. I visited Aqua Lung's website and saw the Calypso O2, but it doesn't exactly match my particular reg. After further searching around, I found a few websites that describe this reg as an "EAN Calypso". A short description from a UK vendor's website states that it is, "Nitrox compatible. An excellent pony regulator for your 50% mix." Thus, it would seem that the EAN Calypso is at least 50% nitrox compatible, but I would still like to have a formal description of this reg's abilities before I start using it with any gas mix.
(snip)

A bit confused,

Sadamune

Click to expand...

Your Calypso is just an older model of the one in the link. As far as using it with
O2, I would recommend getting it O2 cleaned first from an authorized repair tech (if you dont know how to do it yourself), if you didnt receive the reg brand new from an Aqualung dealer. These regs come from the factory O2 cleaned and ready for oxygen service.