Equipment

The Dive Club has diving equipment mainly for training, but that can be loaned out, for a small fee, to visiting divers and guests. Generally members are expected to purchase their own equipment such as:

·        Buoyancy Control Devices (BCD)

·        1^st and 2^nd Stage Regulators + Alternate Air Source (AAS)

·        Fins and Masks

·        Wet Suits

Club equipment is held in the Dive Room  and has identification numbers (ID. No.)to enable it to be tracked and maintained. Guest divers or trainees requiring equipment will sign the items out and record the ID No. The club charges a minimal fee for the use and this is put towards maintenance and replacement.

A limited assortment of wet suits and fins is also available and some ‘dive computers’.

On completion of a dive the loaned equipment must be washed and returned to the dive room. The register must also be signed back in to indicate the equipment as been returned.

General Information

BCD -

The BCD is an expandable bladder that can be inflated or deflated to regulate buoyancy. Inflation is normally from a low pressure air supply attached to the inflation / deflation hose. In emergency the BCD can be inflated orally using air from the divers lungs.

Besides regulating the divers buoyancy underwater the BCD provides positive buoyancy for the diver on the surface or when swimming.

The club BCD's are of the common jacket type and incorporate an integral 'back plate' for mounting the diving cylinder.

Regardless of style a BCD has 5 features necessary for scuba diving. First it must hold sufficient air to give the diver and equipment ample buoyancy at the surface. Second it must have a large diameter inflation / deflation hose so that air can be added and dumped quickly. Third it should have a low pressure inflation system that fills the BCD directly from the diving cylinder. Fourth it must have overpressure relief to prevent rupture of the BCD due to overfilling or air expansion during ascent. And lastly it must fit comfortably and not ride up when inflated.

Regulator Set - The regulator makes it possible for the diver to breath from air in the diving cylinder. It reduces the cylinders high (200 to 300 bar) pressure to match the surrounding water pressure and delivers air to the diver on demand. It regulates air flow hence the name regulator.

The modern scuba regulator is a simple and reliable device with only few moving parts. It has two stages, a 1st stage that attaches to the diving cylinder valve and a 2nd stage which is used by the diver to breath through a mouthpiece.

The stages reduce high pressure air sequentially. The 1st stage reduces the high pressure in the cylinder to 7-10 bar above the pressure of the surrounding water. The 2nd stage reduces this pressure to the water pressure which is needed for comfortable breathing.

Regardless of make, all modern regulators share the same relatively simple design.

The clubs  regulator set comes with 1st stage, 2nd stage, Alternate Air Source and an optional console with Pressure Gauge, Depth Gauge and Compass.