Dive kit

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Well I’ve got the regulators back from service so now it’s time to look at exactly what I intend to take to Singapore. I visited the organiser of the trip, Jack Ingle who has been diving out in the South China Seas for the last seven years. The journey to Kent to meet up with Jack was well worth the long drive. The help and advise I received about what to take and kit configuration was first class and I’m sure that when I get in the water out there, I’ll only have the kit I need, no more and no less than required. Jack also runs diving courses for experienced divers while out there so I’ve decided to do an Extended Range Course with him while I’m out there.

The kit I’m taking is a little different to what I use over here in British waters. I’ll be using a 3-mm thick full-length wet suit as apposed to a dry suite with under suite. I’ll also be using twin 11-ltr cylinders on open circuit SCUBA with an 11-ltr-stage cylinder, instead of my rebreather. Now here is where I’m expecting some minor problems with buoyancy control. When I dive in my dry suite, I use my suite for buoyancy control but this isn’t possible with a wet suite and must be controlled by the BC (buoyancy compensator). With open circuit SCUBA, fine buoyancy trimming is controlled by your breathing. This means if you breathe in you become more buoyant and ascend and breathing out you become less buoyant and descend. But with a rebreather, breathing in and out does not have the same effect as open circuit SCUBA. So it’s off to the pool later this month to get some practice in.

I’ll also be using a wing type BC and carrying a torch, delayed SMB (surface marker buoy) and a jon line. Mask, fins, boots, light gloves, and a hood will accompany me because of the stingy things in the water out there.

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