Hookah Unit?

[darylb]

Hey,

Does anyone use a hookah? I've been wondering about getting an AirLine or Browne's but wanted input from anyone who's used one before.

Looking for something to do shallow water dives with - down to 60' or 70' for lobstering, sharks teeth, spear fishing, etc. I'd like to be able to dive without worrying about air fills... Yeah, I know, no nitrox with a hookah but I'm thinking I could do shallow dives all day and not have the weight of 6 or 8 tanks tanks in the boat.

How reliable are they? Safe? Maintenance? Useful?

Thanks,
Daryl

 

[mlynch21]

I have had the same thought for the shark teeth and whatnot here around southwest florida. My main gripe is a decent hookah to get 2 people to yours depths (60 -70) can be big money.

 

[darylb]

Yeah - AirLines on Leisure Pro sell for about $2500.00. Expensive, but worth it?

 

[dpbishop]

The owner of the sailboat I race on went together with a few other owners and bought one that I use when I wipe down the bottom before a day of racing. It is certainly convenient for that.

The downside, for normal diving activities, would be towing the line around behind you, with the possibility of entanglement, and the necessity of having someone on the surface to monitor the compressor. I would not use a hookah without a surface monitor. I suppose you could carry a pony as a back up if the compressor failed, but that kind of negates the reason for using the hookah in the first place.

 

[mlynch21]

dpbishop... just out of curiosity but what could a surface monitor do other than top of gas? which is unneccesary because you generally get several hours of runtime on one tank. If the compressor stops running you are heading to the surface with or without a surface monitor.

on another note in some of the places the OP is planning on diving the detriment of dragging a floating hookah above you is actually a positive as you really need to have a personal dive flag in these areas because of boat traffic.

 

[dpbishop]

mlynch21...Surface monitor can restart the compressor if it stops. It's amazing the things that can happen on a small boat when you're not there. As for dragging the hose, if you're not in a overhead environment I guess it's OK. I'm a left coast diver and wouldn't want to drag one through kelp; not a problem in Florida, although I do remember a "You Asked For It" from the 50's that spoke of the dangerous sea turtles in those waters that could bite through a diver's hose.


Here's a thread from a couple of years ago:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/171550-latest-scoop-hookah-systems.html

 

[muddiver]

I've never seen a surface monitor for a hooka dive. Of course on the west coast we call a hooka any non-commercial diver surface supplied system. That would include the little low pressure "Brownies Third Lung" compressors or a SCUBA tank on the dock with a long hose off the first stage. Boat scrubbers use them all the time, abet in shallow water of less than 20' feet usually.

Check out the prices for hose at either Pacific Wilderness Welcome to Pacific Wilderness Online! or AquaTech San Diego Diving - SCUBA Divers Gear & Equipment Southern California - SCUBA Dive San Diego with Aqua Tech Dive Center they both supply boat scrubbers and have good prices on the yellow hose by the foot insted of a set length.

Check the cost of a float like the snorkle charters in Hawaii use for their SNUBA setups. It's just a float for the tank. Or, get a used kayak and strap a tank on it with a long hose and a dive flag. Both ideas should be cheeper than a compressor setup.

Oh, last thought. If you are going to dive to 60' to 70' you need to have a surface regulator that is adjustable to approximately 170 psi to provide your second stage with the correct working pressure at depth. Most use 135 psi over the pressure at depth. So at 135' X .445 psi/FSW = 31.15 psi + 135 psi is approx. 167 psi.

 

[mlynch21]

the op wanted to replace having to carry 6-8 tanks... i think the compressor is his only option.

 

[danvolker]

I have a Brownies 390. While you might expect it could put 3 divers to 90 feet by the name, it can put 2 normal/reasonably good divers to 70 feet, and 3 EXCEPTIONAL divers to 60 feet.

I got the Brownie for the bahamas, where there is a huge volume of diving between 25 feet and 50 feet deep, which is excellent for the Brownie...along with the lack of current we have in palm Beach, Fl where I live. I have used the Brownie on Horseshoe Reef and many of the Boynton and Delray reefs, and it works well as long as there is no screaming current running at a 45 degree angle to the reef ( sometimes you get blown off the backside of the reefs by an outgoing current--Gulfstream eddy or whatever...This can be a 2mph current, which is easily defeatable with scuba tanks by getting close to the bottom, out of the main pull of the current, but it makes Brownie divers work much harder than scuba divers that know how to do this. If there is no current to speak of, there is probaly less drag with the brownie from just normal swimming--you share the pulling load with your buddies, and end up with less drag than a scuba tank in this scenario.

Run time is 3 hours--more than enough time. I do not believe any hookah divers on this coast of florida would ever even consider a surface monitor...the very cautious of the hooka set ( like the man who wears botha belt and suspenders, just in case use the Brownie Egressor system, which has a small pony bottle which fits in your brownie weightbelt ( which also tows the brownie--you don't tow with your regulator and mouth ) and the regulator of the pony bottle is worn on a bungie around your neck ( DIR style) --should a drunken Yachtie run over your Brownie while you are working hard at 70 feet, struggling with a beligerant lobster..instead of having to do a free ascent while already winded, you have a regulator right under your chin, all ready to breathe...It is a hot set up, though a bit pricey. If you have to use the brownie to 70 or 80 feet though, it could be money well spent. In water less than 35 feet deep, I'd be happy to just free ascend, even if working hard. And then you need a monster speargun attached to the Brownie to blast the drunken yachtie, before he gets out of range

 

[darylb]

Great info - thanks everyone!