Never mind want. I *need* one

[daz]

Following And's recent thread about his rebreather try dive and my post on the same thread I received a PM from Zak.

Unusually though, this PM did not compare me to any part of a woman’s anatomy or allude that I practise solo sex , this was a new experience for me... A non abusive PM from Zak.

Originally Posted by Wreckweasel

Fishing are we?

OK so I was! (unfortunately when you go fishing, sometimes you hook a shark ), Now I know that Zak does not suffer fools gladly (present company excepted ) and I know that he wouldn't agree to let just anyone loose on his kiss so it seemed a better solution to express an interest rather than just ask him direct (Also rejection is so hard to handle - even though I've had a huge amount of experience of it )

Anyway following a phone call a date was set, I think Zak figured if anything went wrong I was small enough that he could hide the body under a small rock somewhere.

Having tried a YBOD quite some time back I'd been keen to try out a kiss unit, mainly as I found the YBOD a bit cluttered around the chest area and I wasn't 100% sure how comfortable I was with the electronic controls.

So Saturday afternoon arrived and I headed off to meet up with Zak at Vobster, I’d had a look over Zak's kiss in the past and he had shown me how to prepare it and given me some information about it. The uncluttered chest area and simplicity of the kiss really appealed to me.

So as soon as Zak arrived and the usual pleasantries were exchanged (which basically consists of calling each other suitably offensive names), the kiss was unpacked and Zak went through the whole process of preparing the unit to dive. While this was going on we discussed how it works, what each bit did and some basic theory on the unit.

Pre dive checks were performed, pos/neg pressure checks etc. and instructions on monitoring the PO2, how to bailout, increasing and decreasing PO2, how to bailout, buoyancy, how to bailout, safety procedures and.... oh yes bailout procedures.

Once I'd got the unit on and battled my way through the group of DIR/Prospective DIR divers (Moths to a flame ), we jumped in, surprise, surprise! I didn’t spontaneously combust much to the disappoint of those stood on the side we bobbed around on the surface while I had a practice bailing out a couple of times.

As we descended and the bottom started getting closer I did the usual deep breath (It's instinctive!) and kept going, so a quick bit of air in the wing and I finally stopped 12" from the bottom <Engage smug mode>. So after a couple of minutes just to get used to it and make sure all the displays could be easily read (both by me and Zak) I gave an ok and off we headed.

The silence was as they say deafening! I didn't even notice Zak on OC right next to me. The work of breathing was ok, even natural. Buoyancy seemed ok around the 12m ledge, although the tendency to try to use breathing control for buoyancy changes is a difficult habit to get out of. Fortunately I found that swimming up to an object, such as an old car and then dragging myself up over it by hand, works remarkably well

The unit was obviously setup with an O2 flow rate for someone who :-

A: Has a very low SAC
B: Doesn't have a working brain thus reducing the O2 requirement
C: Is too stubborn to actually die if starved of O2

So I was possibly a bit over cautious about monitoring the PO2 and maintaining the set point. I was actually very surprised how little manual effort was need to maintain the set point even during depth changes. Zak was keeping a fairly close eye on the displays and gave me the odd nudge to add some O2 or vent some of the loop content by breathing out through my nose so DIL was added.

So after 45 minutes, an awful lot of laughs at the odd buoyancy wobble and one low vis situation. Zak indicated that he was starting to feel the cold somewhat. What a big jessie! I was quite comfortable and not feeling the cold at all and I'd even dispensed with one of my undersuits for this dive. I made it quite clear that he was a big girls blouse and I was quite warm. At which point he told me to bailout....

Christ alive..... Coming off the warm loop onto OC kind of emphasised Zak's point, what a massive difference breathing warm gas makes to dive duration and the cooling effect of compressed air.

So sod that back onto the loop and we headed back to the exit point. During our ascent to the surface I experience a slight loss of buoyancy control but Zak was very quick to provide assistance all the while giggling his tits off. Once I'd got some air out of my suit we continued our ascent at a more reasonable speed.

So what I liked.

Breathing warm gas makes a huge difference in reducing heat loss.
The simplicity of the kiss unit.
The uncluttered chest area and general weight of the unit made it very similar in and out of water to diving my twins.
The preparation and pre dive checks is not as time consuming or labour intensive as some people seem to think it is.
Maintaining the set point was not difficult and to my mind manually maintaining the set point ensures that displays will be checked regularly and should avoid the temptation for complacency.
The relative silence of diving a RB
The build quality
Perfect buoyancy (well for a few brief moments )
Work of breathing was fine and I find the idea of enclosed counter lungs quite reassuring.
That you can swear, cuss, cast doubt on your buddies parentage with reasonable clarity (Usually while they are giggling their tits off)

What I didn't like.

I found the lexan plate on the displays was a bit reflective if a torch is shone directly on them, if shone just slightly off to one side it is ok though. I can see why backlit displays on the new units would be an improvement.
Buoyancy (Yep pro and con, can be frustrating due to the OC mentality of using breathing to control buoyancy)
But the number one thing I don't like about the kiss. That I can't afford one (Yet....)

The only other negatives were very minor points to do with little tweaks here and there for personal preference.

So having tried a YBOD and a kiss unit now, my preference is very much towards the kiss unit.

I asked the wife if I could have a kiss for my Christmas present this year , she said if I'm lucky I might get a grope as well

Daz

[Garf]

Excellent post. It was great to see you again at the weekend, you certainly looked a lot happier coming out of the water than you did going in, and sorry for all the "you're going to be dead soon" jokes

[dave archer]

Interesting write up Daz

But please please please can all you sods STOP posting about how much you're enjoying sodding rebreathers!

< wanders off muttering to himself... No, you do not want a rebreather, no, you are not even slightly interested in them, no, it would kill you, no, you can't afford it, no you are not developing an interest and desire to try one, no, no, no,... lovely safe simple OC... lovely safe simple OC " >

Dave

[Rick Huggins]

Nice post Daz....But breathing warm air....From Zakaroo's KISS??

Images of pugwash!

[Janos]

I initially discounted the KISS as I thought it was a unit for Luddites, and I thought: "I'm no Luddite, so I don't want a KISS." But I've got my unit now (did the theory on Sunday - practical starts on Monday) and I can't believe what a beautifully simple and straightforward unit it is.

Course I'll be hating by day 3 of the course but I won't be online so won't be able to sell it then!

Janos

[daz]

Originally Posted by Janos

Course I'll be hating by day 3 of the course but I won't be online so won't be able to sell it then!

Pm me, I'll send you my phone number

[daz]

Originally Posted by Garf

sorry for all the "you're going to be dead soon" jokes

Now to me, I see that as a challenge.

I was going to come back alive even if it killed me.

Daz

[David]

I did not even like them untill I read your post.

:-(

[Mark Chase]

Excelent post,

Could you please dive the Meg now and let me know which one I should get

KISS was definatly my first choice of unit. Having got the YBOD instead after several months of diving it I felt that it was a better unit for several reasions. However now after about 16 months of diving the YBOD I am feeling drawn back to the KISS again??? strange but true.

Its simplicity is realy atractive.

ATB

Mark Chase


ATB

Mark Chase

[MATTBIN]

Bugger off you lot!!!

Matt

ps
Nice write up (or should that be right up) Daz, I hate you.