scuba vs hookah?

[seeker41]

instead of hijacking the other post ill start this one. im wanting to get into diving for detecting, shipwreck salvage, spearfishing etc: i have bought all the equipment for scuba and had planned on getting my certification this year but now im begining to think that a hookah system would be the better way to go. my wife and two kids would really enjoy diving as well and a hookah with 4 lines would be the best option for that. i dont want to have to get everyone certified and buy complete scuba kits for four people for casual shallow dives.
a gas hookah would be noisy but im guseing would handle four divers at once better than electric? i would like to be as light and mobile as possible when diving by myself !! maybe i should do both scuba for myself and hookah for the family???? any advice or opinions would be appreciated!
CHUCK.

 

[scubadetector]

Seeker, I can answer a few of your questions, and some research can answer some more. Hookah's have a depth limit. Hookamax and Brownie make the most. They also have a max user and the more users the shallower the dives have to be. BUT even though you do NOT need to be certified with a hookah, its NOT WISE at all. You can still get killed on hookah. Also you need most but not all the same equipment. BC, weights, mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit. If any of your children hold their breath going up that the main danger, but lots of others and you learn to don and ditch your gear underwater and how to clear your mask and a lot of other things. Being a certified diver is the ONLY way to go for every ones safety. I have taken all my 6 daughters diving BUT only in water that you can stand up in. One got certified. Another possible problem with hookah is if you all metal detect with the same detectors or some different ones. For example 2 CZ-21 do not play well within 30 ' of each other.

Diving you have more freedom, BUT easier to lose sight of each other. I don't know where you are but shipwreck salvage is a art of its own. In Michigan all shipwrecks are protected. New ones have professional divers raise.


http://www.hookamax.com/


http://www.browniesmarinegroup.com/


I love the freedom of no hose. I also do not mind the weight on my back. Good luck in whatever you decide and maybe talk to your local dive shop if you have one.

 

[seeker41]

thanks,
im just begining the research and i know when you add divers on a hookah you need to decrease the dive depth in general. also know that anyone diving should be certified and plans for myself were/are to get pretty serious about diving and eventually dive some wrecks! im in florida about 45 mins from all the main wreck sites. to start out i will probably be scubadetecting/treasurehunting in relitively shallow water.
i think i will get certified and possibly get my 13 year old son certified also. it seems to me that shallow hookah (15-20 feet max) would not require more than just the safety basics?

my son and i had a casual scuba basics lesson in a swimming pool and we both loved the feeling of "flying underwater"!!!! looks like hookah would be easier and safer at shallow depths and you could stay down longer?
how long in general can one stay down using a tank( 60 ) vs a gas or electric hookah?

forgive me while im learning and possibly asking stupid questions!
chuck.

 

[scubadetector]

Above one atmosphere 33' you can stay down as long as you want. No decompression stops. The biggest danger is breathing compressed air, holding your breath and ascending. The air will expand and could burst your lungs. I don't know what they offer at the dive shops now. Its been a very long time since I got my certification. I also do not know how long a hookah lasts. No experience. I do know I can stay down for up to three hours on a single aluminum 80 tank. BUT that also is subject to variables. How cold the water is (cold water makes you breathe faster) How much work your doing, how relaxed you are. I hold my breath and skip breathe. BOTH NO NO's in diving. However with my experience (33 years) I feel I know exactly what I am doing.

In the spring I last about an hour and a half on one tank. The water is quite cold. I usually only make one dive also. In the summer I can make 3 dives and be gone all day. A gas hookah, you can make any size tank for and keep it running. An electric one you can hook up a couple of batteries and run it longer. Maybe those web sites will give you an idea. I sold my gas one after one use because of the noise. I like to be totally invisible and silent when I am out there. Invisible except for my dive float.

 

[mudpuppy]

Good subject! my wife and daughter got into scuba from meeting the Atocha crew up here when they came to display the stuff in the early 90's...my daughter was maybe 12, and my wife never liked the water much, but the daughter wanted to be a diver sooo bad, so the wife took her to the dive shop and they both signed up and got certified, then I did too, and we all went on a dive trip to Bonaire.
The wife and daughter wreck dive, night dive and all that stuff to this day..the daughter is 31...I just haul the gear and smoke up on the boat...I'm certified as well, but not as good as either of them, and my doctor said I wasnt to dive any more, (an ear thing)...I'm a "hoover" so I dont stay down very long on a tank, a hookah would probably work for me, keep me in the shallows and let me suck all the air I want! The daughter went on to take up freediving, she can hold her breath for over 4 minutes and go 100' down with no trouble...took lessons from Martin Stephanik. Scubadee has the best advice and info on this subject, and freely shares it as well...wouldnt hurt to get certified, all of you, probably cheaper in the long run, and no gas engine to worry about taking a crap and wiping out your whole family.
Mud

 

[Joey]

I just purchased a Airline by Jsink Electric Hookah, there in Ocala. I looked at the gas ones but did not want all the noise as
there are houses near by, where I am going. With the battery I got I should get about 1 1/2 hours out of it, plus I have a 2 gallon accumulator tank.
The reason I picked this one is the compressor its one of the best out there, it does draw 26amps but with the big battery i got it should be fine.
4 divers on one hookah not sure it can be done, the most hook-ups I have seen are for 2 divers.
As far as shipwreck diving, myself wouldn't do it for fear of being tangled or caught on someting.

Good advice from ScubaDetector, don't hold your breath coming up.

The max depth I would be going is 25' or close to it.
If the weather stays nice I will be going out on the river tomorrow and try it out, and 1st time out with my new Tiger Shark.

 

[scubadetector]

Never heard of that company and looks interesting. Thank you for the link. Will be doing some comparisons soon. PLEASE post your finds on here!!! We love to see them. Thanks

 

[Water wizard]

Cool topic! Very intresting, I was thinking of selling my scuba kit, but now I'm staying scuba the noise is an issue for me to I have free dived 30 meters, can hold my breath for 4.20 mins static and would definitely advise seeker to get an open water padi certifate before diving with hookah or scuba. Dont risk it seeker41. Things happen all the time and you work out what to do because of your training, knowledge, and experiences that you have learnt from.get the basics down and the rest will come naturally. Good luck seeker41, I hope you find some good gold.
Water wizard

 

[seeker41]

n/t

 

[Aqua Digger]

I have and use both...My hookah is a brownies commercial version with reserve tanks...The best way to use is with a full face mask (Aga), even better with comms....Tank(s) give you more freedom...If you are not an experienced diver I would get a lot of dives in first before metal detecting U/W.. If you are being task loaded (and you are), your doing everything poorly...Hookah is excellent for shallow water (10-15 feet) and pretty hard to hurt yourself, (although not impossible)....If ya need any particulars, lemme know....

 

[scubadetector]

http://news.yahoo.com/2-scuba-divers-die-off-calif-monterey-co-191156494.html

 

[Aqua Digger]

http://news.yahoo.com/2-scuba-divers-die-off-calif-monterey-co-191156494.html

Even using a metal detector can cause death ..

Top 10 deaths caused by metal detecting

10). Strangulation by cord while digging with a shovel without taking off headphones

9). Heart attack due to unearthing a gold coin

. Shotgun blast due to failure to ask for proper permission

7). Bludgeoned to death With a rolling pin by significant other after returning 6 hours after kitchen pass expired

6). Basically the entire script of Deliverance while metal detecting in Arkansas

5). Husband coming home to find detectorist "just metal detecting around the pool" while his wife is sunbathing

4). Death by fright while detecting near a graveyard and receiving a demonstration that ghosts are real after all

3). Struck by lightning during storm due to ridiculous amount of ferrous trash in finds pouch

2). Dying lost in the woods because detectorist thought G.P.S. is just a condition experienced by women every month

1). Old age due to enjoying a fantastic outdoor hobby!

 

[scubadetector]

 

[Sailorman]

Pretty funny!

But seriously, get everyone certified. It will be more than worth the time and money. There are safety considerations even with going less then 30 ft. Bends can happen even shallow. It's rare but it can happen. You should all learn basic diving practice, safety and the signs of trouble. Had a friend who got bent bad on his hird 20 foot dive one time. Rare but it put an end to diving for him. Luckily there were others there who knew what to do! At least do that for your family!!!

 

[Aqua Digger]

Pretty funny!

But seriously, get everyone certified. It will be more than worth the time and money. There are safety considerations even with going less then 30 ft. Bends can happen even shallow. It's rare but it can happen. You should all learn basic diving practice, safety and the signs of trouble. Had a friend who got bent bad on his hird 20 foot dive one time. Rare but it put an end to diving for him. Luckily there were others there who knew what to do! At least do that for your family!!!

I have never seen or heard of decompression sickness on a 20 foot dive, as there is no gas(s) (Nitrogen) to actually off-gas or go back into solution...Although he was breathing compressed air....I have been a diving instructor for Trimix, Heliox, Nitrox and plain ole air for 26 years...I can summarize diving in three steps....Never hold your breath, Never come up faster than your slowest bubbles and NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH.. !!!!! (or skip breath )...Everything else is icing on the cake !!! Please do get certified, we don't need (or want) Gov't regulation....

 

[Sailorman]

He was a professional diver. It does happen. While I'm certified I'm not an instructor. I do know an instructor / dive master who has seen shallow water bends in the Caribbean three times in her career which spans over twenty years as well. Talk with a diving medicine MD. They will tell you it's rare, poorly understood and no one quite knows why it can happen but it does indeed occur.

A simple search will turn up several articles on it such as this one: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/05/14/1021002446190.html

 

[Sailorman]

Here's more.

http://www.divenewzealand.com/index.asp?s1=dive-articles&id=135

http://www.undercurrent.org/UCnow/dive_magazine/1998/ShallowWaterBends199810.html

 

[Aqua Digger]

Thanks for those links....Love to learn !!!!

 

[scubadetector]

Wow Sailor, I have never heard of it either. I sometimes spend 9 hours in the water in a day and I have never experienced anything but pruneness. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mudpuppy]

n/t