twistedtree
Guru
For those of you with Hooka's....can you use them to fill a tank ?
No. The Hooka pressure is order 100 psi, and tank pressure is 3000-5000 psi. So a specialized, high pressure compressor is needed to fill tanks.
For those of you with Hooka's....can you use them to fill a tank ?
I think I would add to the added risks, exceeding the no decompression limits, since you can theoretically stay down all day, and CO poisioning.
I think statistically hookah diving is more dangerous than scuba, however I would say the higher risk is not due to equipment, but the lack of training, as certification is not required for hookah diving, but is for scuba.
From Scuba Diving Magazine:
An Australian study a few years ago showed hookah divers a.k.a SNUBA with a DCI* rate ten times greater than scuba divers. No one told them the dangers of staying down and the surface supply air came as long as the pump was running. Advance open water training is a must if you want to go deeper than OWD depths.
*DCI = decompression illness
I had a Hooka and never used it because of the one risk not yet mentioned. The air you breathe is ONLY as good as what the Hooka sucks in. Normally not a problem.....unless you are near other boats with running engines or your Gen set is running...or...the compressor leaks oil into the air it compresses........or? With bottled air, from a certified shop, you know what you are breathing.
You may have to open any tanks when you cross an international border for a tank inspection. I know that we left our tanks here when we went to the Bahamas since it would take longer to clear through security and require a scuba place to seal it back up and pressurize them.
Get certified for Scuba even if you use hooka
Apologize for lack of knowledge but isn't there something in-between scuba and hooka? A small bottle of air used for short stays in the water? Seems I remember seeing an ad or picture of something like that?
In shallow water the spare aire would give you a few minutes but you'd need to have a regular tank to fill it from, and if you're going to buy a real tank....you might as well get a regulator and use that. The cost would be less, and you'd get more time.
Apologize for lack of knowledge but isn't there something in-between scuba and hooka? A small bottle of air used for short stays in the water? Seems I remember seeing an ad or picture of something like that?