Diving for bottles

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willong

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My son and I use a Hooka dive system, Unlimited air until the gas runs out. It’s a phenomenal way to check under water
A hookah limits one to a single atmosphere, or at least they did in the USA back around 1970 when I first got the hankering to own one for bottle diving. The advantage was they could permit, as you noted, unlimited shallow diving and did not require SCUBA certification. Thirty-three feet would have been adequate for most of the shallow lakes I had on my list of bottle prospects. My personal problem, other than finacial, was I could not adequately clear ear and sinus pressure when free diving to only a third of that depth. I didn't know if the additional regulated pressure would enable me to do so. I never got an opportunity to informally try either a hookah or SCUBA gear; so, the question persists. Meanwhile, a few years later one of the lakes on my list--saloons along its shoreline were noted on the 1910 plat map--ended up producing a hoard of antique bottles for those who could dive.
 

Jamdam

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I do a lot of open water diving. If you had trouble with clearing at 10’, it was not the system issue. Might have been a temporary thing (ear or sinus problem) or no proper instruction on clearing procedures. That’s one of the many things SCUBA certification helps with. I suggest anyone using a hooka system for bottle diving get SCUBA certified. Even at 10’-20’ in running water like a river with limited visibility, underwater skills you learn with certification could save your life. Here’s just one hard rule. Never dive alone. You can figure out why. I’ve never dove specifically for bottles but think it would be great fun. Going to give it a try.
 

Brnjrv

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My son and I both had scuba classes , no very dive
 

Brnjrv

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I do a lot of open water diving. If you had trouble with clearing at 10’, it was not the system issue. Might have been a temporary thing (ear or sinus problem) or no proper instruction on clearing procedures. That’s one of the many things SCUBA certification helps with. I suggest anyone using a hooka system for bottle diving get SCUBA certified. Even at 10’-20’ in running water like a river with limited visibility, underwater skills you learn with certification could save your life. Here’s just one hard rule. Never dive alone. You can figure out why. I’ve never dove specifically for bottles but think it would be great fun. Going to give it a try.
My son and I both had scuba classes , no very dive
I misspoke, we had dive classes but no cert dive, was going to get one from a navy dive team in Iraq, I took one look at the Tigris river and tossed that idea, YUK!
 

Brnjrv

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A hookah limits one to a single atmosphere, or at least they did in the USA back around 1970 when I first got the hankering to own one for bottle diving. The advantage was they could permit, as you noted, unlimited shallow diving and did not require SCUBA certification. Thirty-three feet would have been adequate for most of the shallow lakes I had on my list of bottle prospects. My personal problem, other than finacial, was I could not adequately clear ear and sinus pressure when free diving to only a third of that depth. I didn't know if the additional regulated pressure would enable me to do so. I never got an opportunity to informally try either a hookah or SCUBA gear; so, the question persists. Meanwhile, a few years later one of the lakes on my list--saloons along its shoreline were noted on the 1910 plat map--ended up producing a hoard of antique bottles for those who could dive.
One of the lakes we dive in has islands with blogs over 100 years old, one had an ice house and another had a “house of I’ll repute”
 

Brnjrv

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One of the lakes we dive in has islands with blogs over 100 years old, one had an ice house and another had a “house of I’ll repute”
I so hate spell check, I meant bldgs
 

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