Big Frame Hunting, Or: Dive Vader's Shootout

Dive Vader's Shootout? Well, sort of. Christian, a dive instructor and (despite this) friend of mine finally unearthed some underwater video shootout footage taken in 2013 and which we thought to be lost. Usually, I'm the one behind the camcorder eyes and shooting video. So this surely is a rare incident where I was shot myself.

As I still had my own footage with the same shootout scene from my perspective as well as some more funny footage about a hungry perch that wants to get a fair share of crab but simply can't.
So I made this small video about Big Frame Hunting in the Austrian lake Plansee. Enjoy!

Big Frame Hunting / Dive Vader's (Video) Shootout (view on YouTube)

100 Safe and Comfortable Full Face Mask Dives

What else can be more fun than celebrating my full face mask dive #100 in an exceptional beautiful diving spot, such as the Green Lake in Styria, Austria?

100 safe and comfortable dives with the Dräger PND full face mask.

The Green Lake is a clear, cold mountain lake with mindblowing sight. The water temperature was 6°C, so diving with the Dräger Panorama Nova Dive full face mask was a real pleasure. Over the past two years, the Dräger has proven to be a rock-solid and highest quality full face mask. In combination with the Apeks regs you get a dream team. This ain't a once-in-a-while full face mask. You either dive the Dräger as often as possible, or you don't dive full face masks at all.

I won't like to miss the unique features of the Dräger, such as the damn easy to operate nose clips for pressure equalization, the quick release handles, the easily switchable regs, and its good visual field. This quality comes at its price, but I find this mask to be worth every nickel. The Dräger Panorama Nova Dive makes diving with a full face mask such a great and relaxing experience. No stupid marketing gimmicks and cheap compromises, but instead a safety-first design. The Dräger mask pays back its price in its superior handling and good field of vision without annoying distortions and reflections. That is, units of safety that really count. And which cheap full face masks miss by a wide margin.

On a final note ... as usual, I'm diving here with my double reg set with full double reg redundancy. Ah, there's that «lifestyle» full face mask that yet needs to integrate this level of intrinsic safety, me thinks...

PS: this awesome photo was shot by my buddy Axel Eisele.

Impressions: Cam Eyes

Resurrected from a NSA backup file thought to be lost: a camera high noon shooting in Lake Plansee in Tyrol, Austria.

First Under Water Cyclist with Full Face Mask?

As if cycling under water wouldn't be bizare enough. So I couldn't resist and add a full face mask on top. This is now my personal, inofficial world record. Probably I'm the first one to do it in this combination... so a good reason to celebrate this with its own dedicated video clip. Enjoy!

World Record Day Under Water

Yesterday, we saw two new world records under water (2013-09-07)

Impressions: TheDiveO 50+ FFM Dives

New pictures of me diving the Dräger Panorama Nova Dive full face mask ... I've now dived the Dräger in 50+ dives in open water, without even the slightest problem. I'm glad, I've purchased this full face mask, as it is a professional and rock-solid mask.

Ice Diving with Full Face Mask

Urisee (T/A)

Ice diving in Lake Urisee (near Reutte, Austria): snuggly packed we dived under ice ... that was more of a thick layer of snow than proper ice. One week ago, there was rain and later heavy snowing, so we ended up with this less-than-perfect situation.

But it was still a real pleasure, especially with my Dräger Panorama Nova Dive full face mask on the face, keeping the cold waters at bay. And the redundant reg system was also adding to the good feelin'. Of course, there is much more to safety than just the redundant full face mask regs.

Full Face Mask Quick Removal

Source: German SCUBA diving magazine unterwasser 9/11, p. 98, story entitled «Vollgesichtsmasken [sic!] ‒ voll normal?» [«full face masks ‒ fully normal?», my translation].

In this blog article, I'm citing a checklist for full face masks from this story («Checkliste Vollgesichtsmaske» [sic!]), page 100, item #5, most important skills («5. Die wichtigsten Fähigkeiten»):

«Ablegen der Vollgesichtsmaske [sic!] im Panikmodus (geht ein einfaches Wegdrücken vom Gesicht oder muss man eine Vorrichtung (Bänder, Griffe etc) benutzen?»

[«removing the full face mask in panic mode (does a simple push-away from the face works or does one must use an apparatus (straps, handles etc)?», my humble translation, same errors as in German original]

Now, what is a «panic mode» in the context of handling a full face mask? Unfortunately, the magazine story from unterwasser never cares to explain this term. Maybe this «panic mode» is simply an awkward phrase coined by the story writer for an emergency situation under water? A situation which requires quick and straightforward reaction, but also advisedly handling? Where the equipment must not get into your way so you can safely mitigate the problem and situation?

LOOK, I'm Your Father

Sorry, but I simply could not resist this one. Especially as it is twisted in several ways at the same time. Of course, this is the famous meme, but properly adapted to our blog topic: SCUBA diving and full face masks.

Dive Wars in a Nutshell.

Cool Glasses

Well ... no ... when it comes to really cool underwater glasses, I'm clearly opting for the Dräger ones. But judge for yourselves: Dräger or the run-off-the-mill glass chain ones?

PS: Both Polaroids result from video footage taken during my SCUBA full face mask diving certification. Many thanks to Wolfgang Friebe for filming while examining me for the Dive Vader speciality in Lake Blaustein (NW/D). The script used on the Polaroids is the font vSHandprinted (OFL) by Thomas von Strong.

Kraut Dread

Some safety-aware full face mask drill beyond commercial dive tricking organization certification: switching masks while hovering freely. And as bonus: switching gas supply with the Dräger PND full face mask and some cut scenes. Have fun watching!

Diving the Dräger Panorama Nova Dive

No, this isn't from a Dräger product catalog. But it could be.
I have no idea why I'm looking as if I'm from an 007 Thunderball movie.
(In Lake Murner, BY/D)

This is my highly subjective report with first-hand experience gained when starting diving with a Dräger Panorama Nova Dive full face mask. My old blog post still holds true, I even enjoy diving my Dräger more and moire after almost a hundred dives.

Why Diving a Full Face Mask?

Diving with a full face mask was intrigueing me since my young days. But before I could try to realize this old dream I had to master SCUBA diving at least half-way. Especially diving in cold water. And only after cold water diving and mastering a dry suit was, well, home and dry, I could finally start to realize my old dream.

Redundancy

Here, I'm looking at features that allow divers to switch their gas supply without having to remove their full face mask. Reasons may be problems with your primary supply, but also regular switch-over such as when diving in sidemount configuration. But ... is that possible after all with full face masks that got gas supply integrated by design?

Dräger PND Configuration

Enjoying full face mask diving. (In Lake Murner, BY/D)

Diving with the Dräger Panorama Nova Dive (PND) isn't that different from diving with one of the other professional full face masks. Except one thing: the quick release P connectors at the mask and regs are really outstanding. You can switch your gas supply at any time and thus also during your dive with ease and safely (please see also the topic of Redundancy). As far as I know only Dräger (currently) offers this.

As the Dräger is, unfortunately, not that common in use by SCUBA divers, I would like to show my PND configuration for illustration and as one possible example. Especially a dual reg configuration for gas switching is only rarely be seen, so I'm showing it here.

If you want to see switching gas with the Dräger PND in moving pictures: my drill video «Kraut Dread» («Es graut dem Sauerkraut») contains a few scenes about this. The title derives from the fact that the indoor diving pool where the footage was taken formerly had been a Sauerkraut factory. So much for German stereotypes...

PND Configuration Mono 12l Tank, Double Regs

Dräger Panorama Nova Dive
and two sets of Apeks regs.

For reasons of safety I'm diving with two completely independent regulator sets, each consisting of a first and second stage. The second stages each are fitted with the Dräger P connection system (the Dräger quick release connectors) instead of ordinary mouth pieces. As long as there is a problem with one of the stages but not with the mask I can easily switch from the main air supply to my backup air supply without having to take off my full face mask.

For historical reasons I have one TX100 first stage for my main gas supply, as well as and another XTX100 first stage for my backup gas supply.

An ordinary XTX40 backup regulator completes my backup system. Thus, in case of a full face mask problem I can still switch to the half mask and regulator with a normal mouth piece. You don't want to hold tight a P connector directly in your mouth, only in really bad situations. This XTX40 backup regulator is also for buddy help, as usual.

Hose lengths in this configuration are as follows, for a single 12l tank carried on my back, with two first stage feeders:

• primary gas supply: 85cm between first and second stages,
• backup gas supply: 100cm between first stage and XTX40 backup regulator.

From My Experience: Shorter hoses are not that useful in this configuration, because otherwise free head movement is limited when turning the hide sideways to the left. Hey, this is full face mask reality and not almighty DIR-in-exactly-only-my-way theory. Due to the Dräger P quick connector system, the regulators are a little bit more away from your mouth compared to diving with the reg directly in your mouth. Hose lengths have to compensate for this.

PND Configuration Sidemount

In the future, I plan to dive also in sidemount configuration with to completely separated tanks. Both reg sets then will by (almost) identical, both with an additional octopus as well as a trusty «classic» (read: purely mechanical) pressure gauge.

More...

• what is different when diving a full face mask?
• mask typology: my incomplete overview on full face masks.
• go for safety-aware drills when diving full face masks:
• my safety-aware drill concept,
• gory details about drill rounds and exercises,
• not only for the fun: my  drill videos ... so that's how it's looking when I'm gonna making a fool of myself. ;)
• yes, suitable hoods for diving with a full face mask are worth a topic of its own.
• so this is how diving with a Dräger PND full face mask is like ... a real pleasure.
• ...and finally some rants about unfunded cut&dried opinions when it comes to full face masks.

You will find even more blog posts on this topic following this tag: full face mask. Likewise, I've put some impressions from diving with full face masks online.

PS: Many thanks to Jörg Lucinsky for his «scarp slope» shot from Lake Murner (BY/D).

Dräger Panorama Nova Dive

In Brief

Dräger Panorama Nova Dive

Faceplate/visor	molded, flat visor
	opaque nose and side sections
	polycarbonate
Mask frame/soft body	opaque
Respiration	nose and mouth
Head harness/spider	5 straps
Quick removal	big, easy to grab handles
Pressure equalization	nose clips, operated from the outside
Defogging	same as half mask
Purging	separate purge valve
Surface valve	replaced by Dräger P quick release connector system
2nd stage	quick release can be operated at any time, even under water Apeks TX100 or Dräger Shark
Redundancy	yes, regulator switch possible at any time due to quick release connector system
1st stage	Apeks XTX100, TX100, DS4 or Dräger 1st stage
Communication	optional