jsmall
Diver
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:05 pm
First Name: John

Hookah Diving

Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:53 am

Hi All
I was thinking about leaving the tanks on my kayak this spring and diving with a Hookah setup. I have a couple of questions maybe you can chime in on. Since there is no ambient pressure change on the first stage do you set it higher than 135 or just leave it? I was thinking of using one of my DA Aquamasters for the rig or maybe just a regular old second stage. If I use the Aquamaster is the cap and o-ring enough to work against 140 PSI or should I take an old valve and silver solder the opening?

I was planning on a 19 CF pony on an old finseal BC since I don't have a SPG, and possibly using regular Home Depot air hose with quick disconnect fittings rather than hookah hose. Planned depth is about 50 feet. Anybody see a problem with this. How much extra hose should I have for a 50 foot depth.

The activity would be scalloping, I was wondering if off gassing from the cheap generic air hose would be an issue at depth or would flushing it for about and hour simple green or something like that.

Your comments are appreciated.

John

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Bryan
Plank Owner
Posts: 5279
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 11:40 am
First Name: Bryan
Location: Wesley Chapel Florida
Contact: Website

Re: Hookah Diving

Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:57 am

In the website store there are a couple of different options. Allan make a really nice reproduction of the US Divers hookah harness. There is also a first stage block off cap that is a reproduction of the original USD.
You could also use a tightly sealed first stage cap and run a hose with 3/8" male end to a hookah port adapter.
As far as breathing at depth though hose that's not made for breathing it's a roll of the dice in my opinion. Could be fine or it could cause problems especially as that hose is exposed to sunlight and saltwater.
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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antique diver
Master Diver
Posts: 2210
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:50 pm
First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Hookah Diving

Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:39 am

jsmall wrote:
Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:53 am
Hi All
I was thinking about leaving the tanks on my kayak this spring and diving with a Hookah setup. I have a couple of questions maybe you can chime in on. Since there is no ambient pressure change on the first stage do you set it higher than 135 or just leave it? I was thinking of using one of my DA Aquamasters for the rig or maybe just a regular old second stage. If I use the Aquamaster is the cap and o-ring enough to work against 140 PSI or should I take an old valve and silver solder the opening?

I was planning on a 19 CF pony on an old finseal BC since I don't have a SPG, and possibly using regular Home Depot air hose with quick disconnect fittings rather than hookah hose. Planned depth is about 50 feet. Anybody see a problem with this. How much extra hose should I have for a 50 foot depth.

The activity would be scalloping, I was wondering if off gassing from the cheap generic air hose would be an issue at depth or would flushing it for about and hour simple green or something like that.
If you use a first stage of some type on the tank left at the surface, and it's set to 135 psi, you end up with about 113 psi over ambient to your second stage at 50'. Might be ok, but if you want the second stage to perform as well as it normally would (on a tank on your back) you could raise the IP on the first stage 20 psi or so. May not be necessary if not working too hard. You could do a quick test on the surface to simulate being at 50' by setting your IP to 110-115 range and seeing how the second breathes.

The cap on your double hose may be ok, but if you can find one of the old Aluminum ones you would definitely be ok. Better yet check the one available at VDH Store.

Not much way to be sure about the safety of that hose. I wouldn't know if rubber is safer than some of the plastic types available. As a kid in the 50's I used plastic garden hose with no regulator. Later I had over 100 working dives in the 80's and early 90's on the end of a 300' rubber lined hose (not diving that deep!) with no ill effects... at least none attributable to the hose. But it may have been made specifically for diving hose. If I was going to take a chance on the cheap hoses I think thoroughly cleaned rubber-lined would be better than the plastic type. Might contact Brownie's Third Lung for info on lighter weight hose.
The older I get the better I was.

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rhwestfall
Master Diver
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Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2014 2:34 pm
First Name: Robert
Location: "La Grande Ile"

Re: Hookah Diving

Mon Feb 12, 2018 3:57 pm

If you really don't want to deal with much of the rig, why not just leave the whole rig topside, and, using the HPA, attach a single stage on a (insert length) hose, using a "single hose " second?
Bob

No Longer Awaiting my Kraken.....

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Ron
Site Admin
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First Name: Ron
Location: Puget Sound, Washington
Contact: Website

Re: Hookah Diving

Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:08 pm

Just run real scuba hoses:

http://www.northeastscubasupply.com/sur ... tor-hoses/

use a first stage blank off from Bryan's store. Blank off the first stage on a double hose. Hook up the scuba hose to the hookah port adapter. Run a conshelf or any high performance first stage off your tank on the surface.

Take pictures and show us. I'd be interested to see it. If the dang water wasn't 56 here in the summer I'd have built a hookah or surface bottle rig ages ago. If I ever actually become a banana republic dictator like I plan to, the hookah rig will be the second thing I do after oppressing the people.
The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed. -JYC

jsmall
Diver
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:05 pm
First Name: John

Re: Hookah Diving

Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:49 am

Wow 56 degrees? What I would give for water that warm. That's 3mm wetsuit water for me (1/8" in vintage conversion). We can get some warmer water but last summer it was in the 40's until late august.

I want to make the rig for scallop diving something that is best done pre and post summer because of less boat traffic. In September and October not so bad but April can be really cold.

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Bronze06
Master Diver
Posts: 666
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:33 am
First Name: Russell
Location: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Re: Hookah Diving

Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:52 am

Don't play around with average diameter hoses. Get a real Hookah hose especially in colder waters to avoid kinking! Just FYI. This one at:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/75-Airline-for ... 0752.m1982

and is rated for 250 psi max at 70 F. it is also breathing air supply rated. The one above in the link is 75 feet long and will run you right about $123.00 shipping included. That extra twenty-five feet will give you some "wiggle room" along the bottom while gathering tasty critters. Also, 19 cuf. is not enough IMO for Hookah diving, unless you meant to take a 19Cuf. pony along with you as you dangle on the hookah as a reserve. An AL 80 is the minimum I use, when being a "dope on a rope". A oceanic kayak can handle that tank, or at least my Folbot "Greenland II " does. A "bargain basement " hose can spell disaster at depth if is not thick enough to resist form collapse and kinking at depth if there is a an flow problem. regardless of what the IP is set at. JMO
"Where'd ya get that ol' thang, don't cha' know them thare things ill kill ya!"

Live From the Red Sea,

Russ

jsmall
Diver
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:05 pm
First Name: John

Re: Hookah Diving

Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:32 pm

Russ,
Point taken.

Thanks
John

scubapeter
Lung Diver
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Oct 01, 2010 12:31 pm
First Name: peter
Location: Macedon NY

Re: Hookah Diving

Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:20 pm

Hookah diving is a blast!!! Doing it correctly involves the use of a non-return valve on the divers end of the hose. In the event of a hose rupture, this could save your life.

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Chris
Master Diver
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First Name: Chris
Location: Coos Bay Oregon
Contact: Website

Re: Hookah Diving

Sat Feb 17, 2018 4:03 am

I have contemplated readjusting my 109 for huka diving. I was going to adjust it at surface with the knob all the way in so as I dove down I keep the breathing easy by backing off the knob. Haven't tried it yet to see if that would even work. On the hose, the large diameter and anti kinking of a real huka hose are good points, far as food grade I think most people are putting worse in their bodies than what you would get from an Ace Hardware tool hose. The previous guy mentioned a check valve, I was just wondering a couple days ago how long it would take my lungs to deflate with a hose failure.


Formerly tripplec. Decided to use my real name since you guys aren't a bunch of flaky internet trolls.

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