The Little Diver

I can see if now: Fast-Forward 30 years, and in a diving discussion two divers are debating equipment configuration or some other point of interest. One says something questioning the other divers experience, to which she says, "Oh Yeah? You want to discuss experience, eh? Well: I was diving with triples and a double-hose regulator when I was SIX!"

Well......... It'll be true. She's a chip off her Dad, that's for sure, in temperament and interests.

Yup. Triples at age 6. Here's the back of the littlest diver, bravely holding up those triples. The rig is the Russian ShAP-62, which was designed as a bailout system for surface supplied diving. It can also be used as the smallest set of triples ever seen. Notice the (2) 1.5 liter bottles flanking the single (1) liter bottle. The whole thing pumped up to 200 BAR is just right for a kid to use in 3 feet of water, with a watchful Dad not too far away. You can see the first stage of the regulator system, with a tube feeding the non-removable second stage at the top.

This rig was sent to me by my Russian friends as a curiosity. I saw it and thought "Kid's Stuff!". My daughter saw it and said "It's just my size". Thus the advent of the littlest diver.

The rig came in a neat wooden box, little larger than an attache case. I thought it was a spare-parts box, or an accessory of some sort. Imagine my surprise when I popped open the lid and found this gem!

Close inspection showed that the box contained all of the hardware needed to perform shallow-water surface supplied diving. The regulator at the top is designed to be hooked up to storage bottles at the surface, and the neat wooden spare-parts chest contains every part needed to keep the rig operating. Below the box was stored all the tools and little gizmos, and the gauge for testing the pressure of the backpack bottles.

One never-before-seen Russian goodie was this adapter to take the DSV that is supposed to feed a full face mask to be connected to a regular SCUBA mouthpiece. This is presently being duplicated in Delrin for use on the rebreathers that we are fooling with here.

The DSV has the same guts as all of the other Russian DSV's that I have seen, but has a different external casting. Why? No clue. Like all of the rest, it's chrome-plated brass with mica valves and stainless steel springs.

The diaphragm type first-stage is mounted on the bottom. You can see the adjustment slot for intermediate pressure. At the extreme right you can see the chained cap for the filler port.

At the top, we have a basic two-hose regulator, fed with intermediate pressure gas from the first-stage, and also with the 'Hookah' connection which allows a surface supplied hose to be added.

And here is the whole rig laid on the floor, ready to go. The total length of the rig is perhaps 18 inches.

So, here she is, sitting on a box and practicing getting her gear all set to dive. Not unlike her Dad sitting on the box of the Sea Lion, getting all of his stuff in order prior to jumping in. Last season we explored the coves of Rhode Island with Snorkel gear, and watched from the surface while Dad used his LAR-V in the shallows. This season it's back to the cove, only with SCUBA gear for the first time. I figure that 3 feet of water is deep enough for this year, especially with an anxious Mom standing on the dock, watching Father and Daughter start the circle of diving anew for yet another generation. As my Father first taught me in 1966, and as his Father taught him in the 1950's, the cycle has started again.

Why with a 2-hose regulator? The better to transition to a rebreather, my dear!

	Yup. Triples at age 6. Here's the back of the littlest diver, bravely holding up those triples. The rig is the Russian ShAP-62, which was designed as a bailout system for surface supplied diving. It can also be used as the smallest set of triples ever seen. Notice the (2) 1.5 liter bottles flanking the single (1) liter bottle. The whole thing pumped up to 200 BAR is just right for a kid to use in 3 feet of water, with a watchful Dad not too far away. You can see the first stage of the regulator system, with a tube feeding the non-removable second stage at the top. This rig was sent to me by my Russian friends as a curiosity. I saw it and thought "Kid's Stuff!". My daughter saw it and said "It's just my size". Thus the advent of the littlest diver.
	The rig came in a neat wooden box, little larger than an attache case. I thought it was a spare-parts box, or an accessory of some sort. Imagine my surprise when I popped open the lid and found this gem!
	Close inspection showed that the box contained all of the hardware needed to perform shallow-water surface supplied diving. The regulator at the top is designed to be hooked up to storage bottles at the surface, and the neat wooden spare-parts chest contains every part needed to keep the rig operating. Below the box was stored all the tools and little gizmos, and the gauge for testing the pressure of the backpack bottles.
	One never-before-seen Russian goodie was this adapter to take the DSV that is supposed to feed a full face mask to be connected to a regular SCUBA mouthpiece. This is presently being duplicated in Delrin for use on the rebreathers that we are fooling with here.
	The DSV has the same guts as all of the other Russian DSV's that I have seen, but has a different external casting. Why? No clue. Like all of the rest, it's chrome-plated brass with mica valves and stainless steel springs.
	The diaphragm type first-stage is mounted on the bottom. You can see the adjustment slot for intermediate pressure. At the extreme right you can see the chained cap for the filler port.
	At the top, we have a basic two-hose regulator, fed with intermediate pressure gas from the first-stage, and also with the 'Hookah' connection which allows a surface supplied hose to be added.
	And here is the whole rig laid on the floor, ready to go. The total length of the rig is perhaps 18 inches.
	So, here she is, sitting on a box and practicing getting her gear all set to dive. Not unlike her Dad sitting on the box of the Sea Lion, getting all of his stuff in order prior to jumping in. Last season we explored the coves of Rhode Island with Snorkel gear, and watched from the surface while Dad used his LAR-V in the shallows. This season it's back to the cove, only with SCUBA gear for the first time. I figure that 3 feet of water is deep enough for this year, especially with an anxious Mom standing on the dock, watching Father and Daughter start the circle of diving anew for yet another generation. As my Father first taught me in 1966, and as his Father taught him in the 1950's, the cycle has started again. Why with a 2-hose regulator? The better to transition to a rebreather, my dear!