What you can't see from this is that if I now sit in front of it the unit is
positioned just where it should be. It is upright and the straps come over my
shoulders as I'm kitting up just as they will in the water. In a few kilos of
stainless the whole thing is transformed.
| Real diving... Well Vobster Quay as this is January and the club isn't
doing much as, with the storms of the last few weeks, the sea off Sussex is
like Yoghurt. Diving with Janos on another rebreather, the JJ. It was 4°C with teeth however we drove there and Janos had sensibly booked us a parking space. We kitted up and dived. Frankly there isn't much more to say than that. I had ordinary dive problems, my old mask leaked plus I got cold and when I dekitted I found I had a wrist seal on its way out and I was all wet. Diving I bumped through things and under things and the case hit stuff but I was never aware of the stand touching anything. The suit inflate hose could do with being an inch or so longer as it is going tight when I stand up and the weight comes on but that might be just how I dress the first stage. I deliberately dived 2kgm overweight after the pool dive expecting a bit more suit inflate would be needed so I was initially disappointed to be cold but on discovering I was all wet I forgave things. I was more interested in playing 'wearing my mask under my hood' (it works) and the happy discovery that the best way to clear a gurgully loop is a nice slow 360° roll (think about it). Frankly it was very boring and as a result I was very pleased. I'll take it to sea based on that. |
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Good points: Kitting up. If you've put on a Sentinel and had it roll you on your back, or try too, you'll know what I mean. I took it to Scapa last year and always found a problem going from it sitting on the bench with me getting into the harness in front of it to me sitting on the bench. I'll just have to try it on a RIB. Somewhere to put things. As I've said belt hanging the suit tank and the lamp battery sucked. If I can move out the extra lead and dispense with the belt I'll feel that is an added bonus. If you don't have a huge fluffy undersuit like mine you might dispense with most of your lead and have the weight working for you instead. John puts loops for clipping stages on. Now I confess they will need bigger clips than my stages have but I'm going to try them. I might not end up using them but it's nice to have the choice. Bad points: It makes the already heavy Sentinel heavier. With stand, trim weights, suit inflate and can lamp I've got 52kgm to wrestle about. OK, before the advent of the stand a lot of these were separates so that's not a fair number but when you can just leave things installed you will. Conversely I can put my arms into the harness on the ground and get up with all this clutter and I'm a 5ft9 12stone grandfather. It is very tall. The Sentinel is a bulky piece of kit at the best of times and standing next to Janos's JJ it seemed a lot bigger. To the top of the hoses is now 82cm tall , just over 32inches, now. This might be a problem to people who want to transport it upright in a saloon car. It fitted in my Rangie OK and I just seat belted it for stability. If something gets under that stand and I sit it down on it it's going to die. My current worry is the torch cable but stage hose or just a simple mask thrown behind you as you sit down could be very vulnerable. |