The D-Day is Approaching

The last three months I pursued methodically my diving training sessions. Twice the week with instructors and one or two free one (snorkeling) just to acquire a good condition. I practice swimming on a regular basis for more that 20 years and it replaced easily that exercise.

I had a look to my watch yesterday while swimming with fins + mask + snorkel : 1 Km in about 22 min, just comfortably and quietly. I continued by extra 20 min with just with fins then 20 min on the back and finished with cool litlle apnea dives.

I feel now quite OK for my first diving trip to Saint Raphaël, on the mediteranean shore, on may 17-20. Four days and 6 dives are planned...the D-day!


Meanwhile, I completed my equipement progressively.

• 3mm thick neoprene gloves (Tribord, Decathlon)
  
• 5/7 mm Cressi black wetsuit in Ultraspan neoprene
  
• neopren booties Beuchat

• Open-heels Mares Superchannel fins, light grey ans black
• A spare mask Beuchat Strato without correcting lenses as back up of my regular one with correcting lenses (Cressi Sub Matrix).
  

• My Suunto Vyper diving computer
  
• A ScubaPro K-4 stainless steel knife
• A no-name 6-LED torch

A safety set comprizes

• A rescue signaling mirror
• a flashing lamp
• An Aqualung parachute
  

More recently, I've found almost by accident a wishful configuration for the air cylinders. A new bi-bottles 2x7.5 l, service pressure 230 bars (3 m3). The weight 2x8 kg plus the valves, is less than a regular single 15 l cylinder.


It fits directly on the SeacSub Pro2000 BCD back pack without extra accessories. I tested it 2 days ago during the friday session for about 1h of exercises. Then someone else also used it for an extra session so I could see the system working properly.
Since I own my regulator system, I am still doubtful on the initial configuration. The spare second stage (yellow one) called "octopus" is an Aqua Lung "ABS" designed for a non-compensated medium pressure (I guess 9 bars or so). The Aqua Lung brochure just says that it is "non-recommended" to use that regulator with an "over-compensated" first stage as the Legend one (medium presurre compensated in depth to max. 15 bars). It may cause air escape through the regulator.

The vendor said that it is in fact not a problem, but another one claimed that is even "hazardous"...

Well, well. I could not leave the doubt installed.

I decided to have anyway the benefit of my second bottle valve by a modification of the system using a separated first stage regulator and that could be fully compatible with the Legend system.

Oh! what I said there : "No, Sir! Only legend octopus can fit Legend regulator", "That's impossible!", "Systems are accredited and can't be separated!"....I had to fight to obtain a clear answer only to known that Aqualung Legend and Titan series are fully compatible!!!!

Finally, I own now a Titan LX with DIN 300 bars connector. I connected the DS inflator, the HP manometer and the Octopus "LX". I can switch all to the Legend to dive with a mono HP valve or all to the Titan if necessary.


Someone else almost gave me also a Scubapro MK2, which is one of the most basic and reliable regulator that fits perfectly Aqua Lung ABS octopus.


I did not really appreciated those divergent opinions and vague information. There is something to do to improve the diving hardware business, indeed!

Anyway, here is the configuration with the separated regulators shown in a FlashPlayer animation

This configuration is closed to the SCUBA commonly used for cave diving. The two cylinders would be then separated to give a fully redundant system. Every 10 bars consumed the cylinders are best switched manually. This is a demanding additional manipulation to afford the necessary level of safety required (if something goes wrong, you can just surface...)

A musical diaporama in FP format (6min50).