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This month Mark Knox describes his kit configuration for diving on closed circuit. Mark has been diving since 1995 and is a full trimix and Inspiration user.
Standard Setup
The use of two bailout cylinders allows a safe return from deep dives 50m+ with the use of oxygen (white reg) at 6m, using dive/bailout tables as a backup to my VR3 a minimal amount of additional time is required in the water should I have to bailout. The bailout cylinders are hung from the neck of the cylinder on to the front of the harness and from just above the mid point of the cylinder to a ring on the rear of the waist belt. This allows the cylinders to be almost vertical when standing but more importantly gives a very streamlined setup in the water. Due to the positioning I have no problem kitting myself as well as handing off cylinders underwater if required without any change to my buoyancy.
Suit, Computer and Other Equipment
Over the last twelve months I have been designing and building my own scooter - shown here with my inspiration. Constructed entirely from aluminium and anodised for protection it is an excellent tool, designed for use well past 100m. The shape is taken from the design of the Gavin but that is the only similarity. The rest of the scooter has been designed from the bottom up, using quad ring seals, solid internal bulk head, easy maintenance drive train. The front end cone has a handle incorporated to allow easy lifting, The operation of the scooter is via electronic switch activated by an external magnet which itself is located on a pushrod and moved by using a twist grip on the handle. The scooter is neutrally buoyant and the speed is set by changing the pitch of the 3 bladed prop which is borrowed from the tekna scooter.
For more information on the Buddy Inspiration, try Ambient Pressure or Stephen Hawkins Inspiration page. |
Until
last year my equipment configuration had remained unchanged for about 4
years, a manifolded twin set with staged side mounts when required. This
setup worked great from 6 to 60m+, so when I qualified as an inspiration
user I wanted to transfer relevant areas of my kit setup. The first to
be transferred was the stainless steel back plate and harness followed
by a larger capacity wing with a standard inflator (in preference to the
Buddy Auto air). The only other major change to the unit was the
addition of an ADV (Auto Diluent Valve) to allow a hands free descent
during camera or scooter runs, and a bailout regulator and a oxygen
regulator (with free flow device fitted).
Diving
to 20m I rely on the 3L diluent cylinder on the inspiration for bailout
- shown as the red regulator which is held on a bib around the neck for
easy hands free access. From 20m to 45m I carry a 7L side mount
containing the same gas as the diluent cylinder which is carried on the
left side - this cylinder also has a diluent hose to supply the
inspiration if required. When diving deeper than 45m I carry a
bailout cylinder matched to the diluent gas (left side as above) and an
additional 7L of 50% carried on the right side ( left - lean mix/right -
rich mix), this cylinder has an additional suit whip which can also be
interchanged with the wing inflator - the aim is always to allow a safe
return to the surface without omitting decompression obligations. Each
cylinder valve is handed to allow easy operation. The bailout
cylinders are there entirely for that reason alone and are seldom used,
as there are several options of 'flying' the inspiration manually if
there are problems with the oxygen levels or the electronics fail.
My
drysuit is a DUI compressed neoprene at 1.5mm, under which I wear a
weasel undersuit and little else! The warmth from the suit and the
rebreather mean I can get away with wearing 3mm gloves all year. My suit has a
fitted hood to prevent flushing, which makes the dive even more
comfortable especially when using a scooter when water can be forced
behind the hood and neck seal -wet!! Inside my leg pocket I carry only a
small 50m backup reel with a yellow buoy for alerting boat cover to any
dive problems, a pair of shears for cutting line/rope and a set of
dive-bailout tables. My main 100m reel is carried on a small
bungied loop from the backplate and is used with a self inflating buoy.
On my mask I carry a small LED light which is amazingly bright (a night
dive allowed up to 2m vision max), the light saves the use of the
backlight of the VR3 and inspiration handsets as well as allowing me to
read contents gauges easily. My main computer is a VR3 which I have used
for 2 years on full trimix open circuit and now full trimix closed
circuit, a truly fantastic computer that has never let me down. As
a backup I always have a dive timer for use with the dive/bailout
tables. My main torch is a 10W HID held in a goodman handle, purchased
from the USA before HID's were readily available in this country, it has
the useful function of being able to adjust the angle of the beam from
tight spot to wide flood. On the bottom of my backplate I have a
pad with bungied loops, fitted to this I have a self inflating buoy, a
goodie bag and a lift bag.
