While it’s one thing to stow gear
when you’re inside the boat, Intrepid
has also created ways to stow and
retrieve gear when you’re in the water.
“We created hatches for the wet-
stowage locker on the outside corners
of the 375 Center Console and 375
Walkaround,” Clinton explains. Each
can be opened and closed by someone
in the water. This eliminates the need
to hand items like fi ns and masks to
someone on deck. Instead you can
stash gear — or perhaps even transfer
a live lobster or two — using the corner
lockers. This negates the need to bother
crewmembers or toss your expensive
dive equipment on the deck.
FILLING THE NEED
While snorkelers and freedivers don’t
need air tanks, scuba enthusiasts do. And
they often want to stage more than one
dive per trip, or even plan multiday trips
to remote locations where there’s no
place to refi ll scuba tanks.
One solution lies in an onboard tank-
refi ll system. The AC-powered YachtPro
Series of high-pressure compressors
from Brownie’s Marine Group includes
a number of models designed expressly
for refi lling dive tanks with air. The larger
YP55 and YP75 compressor systems fi t
nicely in the engine rooms of boats as
small as 45 feet in length.On the other hand, the YP25SF-U
light-duty compressor is compact enough
to fi t below deck on a boat as small as
30 feet in length, yet this system will
automatically fi ll up to four tanks at the
same time. Given the system’s need for
115 volts AC, you will need to run it with
shore power for refi lling between trips
or spec out a marine generator for your
dive boat if you want to refi ll tanks at sea.
Brownie’s recommends sending out a test
sample of the compressed air annually
to check for purity using a lab such as
Lawrence Factor (lawrence-factor.com).
Another option is to forgo scuba
gear and instead use a Third Lung
system from Brownie’s (starting at
$1,995). These hookah systems supply
compressed air via long hoses to divers,
so you don’t need any tanks. You can get
a self-contained fl oating system powered
by a gasoline engine or electric motor.
Or you can get a compressor system
built into the boat, powered by AC or DC
electricity. The fl oating systems off er the
greatest fl exibility, allowing as many as
four divers to venture well away from
the boat (as long as everyone goes the
same direction).
While renting or refi lling a scuba
tank at a dive shop requires a PADI
certifi cation card, no such card isrequired for using a Third Lung system,
since there are no tanks. However,
Brownie’s off ers an online training
course with the purchase of each hookah
system, says Tom Furbish, director of
sales for Brownie’s.
“The program is an interactive, Web-
based learning course designed to teach
you how to properly and safely use your
hookah system,” Furbish explains.
As the Brownie’s website points
out: “Breathing in an underwater
environment can be dangerous, or even
deadly, if you don’t know the rules or
if you choose to ignore them. Proper
training is crucial to minimize risk and
maximize enjoyment.”STABLE AND ABLE
Donning a wetsuit and strapping on a
tank and weight belt (which together
can weigh as much as 50 pounds) are a
lot easier when the deck is stable. Until
recently, divers didn’t have much control
over deck stability. They simply hoped
for smooth seas when suiting up.
Now, however, thanks to new
gyrostabilization systems from
companies such as Seakeeper, scuba
divers can prepare on a deck with
virtually zero roll. This trend is anB OARDI NG
L ADDE RS FOR
DI VI NG
Most divers prefer boarding
ladders with a single vertical rail
and rungs extending outward,
such as the Armstrong ML3-34,
Garelick 19833 or Windline DL-3X.
These removable ladders al-
low divers to climb aboard while
wearing fi ns. Boarding ladders
with rails to the outside force
divers to remove their swim fi ns
before ascending the steps.BREATHING IN AN UNDERWATER ENVIRONMENT CAN BE
DANGEROUS, OR EVEN DEADLY, IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE RULES
OR IF YOU CHOOSE TO IGNORE THEM. PROPER TRAINING IS
CRUCIAL TO MINIMIZE RISK AND MAXIMIZE ENJOYMENT.
PHOTOS: (FROM TOP) COURTESY GARELICK, COURTESY BELZONA MARINE90 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MARCH 2018
B OARDI NG
L ADDE RS FOR
DI VI NG
Most divers prefer boarding
ladders with a single vertical rail
and rungs extending outward,