tanja

I am looking for a BOV for the Optima. I have a fairly small build and am looking for a BOV that's small and light weight (or small and neutral). My chest area is crowded enough as it is with the counterlungs, hoses, etc, and I don't want a huge clunky BOV on top.

I have narrowed down options to the APD (Silent Diving), JJ-CCR, or Poseidon. I have seen the Poseidon (a friend of mine has it) but was told by Poseidon that their rebreather won't hit the market until the fall and that their BOV will not be available for sale separately (I guess you'll have to prove you own a Poseidon rebreather if you want to buy replacement parts!!).

JJ-CCR responded to my first request but that was the last I ever heard. That is, I know how much it costs and the dimensions, but not the weight. My questions on how to adapt it (they list it as compatible with the Optima) remained unanswered. The gazillion of parts listed on their website come without images and I can't figure out what I'd need. E.g. - how does the HUD holder look like? Will it work with mine/can I make it work?

My best experience was with Silent Diving who put me in contact with a dealer/rebreather diver in my area who sells both the Inspiration/Evolution and the Optima, but does not have the BOV in stock and cannot get a unit to show. Silent Diving sent me drawings and specs, and answered questions on OC performance at depth. The thing I was never really able to find out was the hose size issue, but I have tracked someone down with an Inspiration, and I should be able to figure out whether it will be possible to adapt the different style hoses/connectors. I have access to a machine shop so in the worst case I can build something. However, before I spend a grand I'd like to see the unit. I asked for a dealer or even customer somewhere in VA, northern NC, or FL (I'm headed there tomorrow) and have not received a response. The advice was to attend a dive show.

Can anyone help? Does anyone own one of the new (I believe they came on the market last summer) Inspiration or JJ-CCR BOV's that I could look at? Has anyone tried to outfit an Optima with one of those units?

I'd never thought it'd be that hard to spend a thousand bucks. So much for the bad economy!


ps - I live in the DC area.

edasque

I had it on my O2ptima and had no issues. Jan worked with me on getting the measurments exactly right for the O2ptima. You just need the lever. You can get the basic one and use the clamps to set up your HUD the same way it is on the DSV or get the Inspiration lever and find some way to attach it to the half tube that's there.

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Tony_Q

Hi Tanja,

I have a Golem and APD OCB BOVs fitted to an Optima loop (obviously not the same loop).

Have not dived unit with either configuration yet but some comments which may help your decision making.

The OCB is smaller than the Golem unit but still much larger than the stock DSV.

Get the Golem HUD mount. It obviously fits the Golem unit well, but is slightly loose on the OCB. May work in practice, if not, I will need to find another way to mount HUD.

With a hose kit, the OCB takes Optima sized hoses.

Regards,
Tony

PS
If you are not in a hurry, DR may eventually get around to releasing there own BOV.

Bazza

Tony ... what a slack ass, thought you would have had that APD BOV in the water by now .... no commitment !

regards Baz

diverreb

I've been using the Golem BOV for a year and a half now... While it my be heavy out of water, it is virtually unnoticeable once you are in the water. While pre-breathing on the boats I just keep my head tilted down and the BOV more or less rests on my upper chest, so I really don't feel any strain from it.

It's extremely reliable at all depths and very easy to maintain and clean. The HUD ring is much better than the original HUD holder in that it rotates and is easily adjustable in the water.

A BOV is there for emergencies or a quick sanity breath or two... Golem's BOV's are used with many different units and have a great track record of reliability and ease of breathing.... Don't be turned off by it's size or bulk.. It does the job well and is neutral under water.

Richie

ScubaDadMiami

I echo everything said by Richie. No issues with weight in the water using the Golem.

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IANTD CCR Instructor
Miami Beach, Florida
CCRDiveTraining.com

tanja

Thanks for all the advice!! Friends of mine dive the Golem but I am somewhat not so excited due to its size. Sounds like I need to rethink that (thanks, Richie!).
Erik, sounds like you got the JJ-CCR? To what depth have you run it on OC?
Tony, can you give me some details on how you solved the hose size issue?
Thanks!
Tanja

DS

If you want one for the Optima, it's easy to do.

Essentially, the JJ-BOV can come with loop input on the right (rEvo, Mark-15, etc) or from the left (KISS, Optima, etc). So the first option is just to specify which loop direction you need.

Once that's done, you figure out what hose diameter you need to set it up for. "As-Is" the threads on the BOV accept Inspiration screw-on hoses. So, for Inspirations you just buy the BOV. For any other hose, an adapter screws onto the body and then the hoses slip over the adapter and are clamped with a SS clamp. Piece of cake.

The larger a BOV is, the heavier it needs to be so that it does not float. Light and Large = floating BOV. Small and light go together. It's not an issue underwater, but can be an issue topside.

Full disclosure: I'm now servicing the JJ-BOV in the states, as I believe it's an excellent piece of kit, and because having a US Service Point is good for the owners. With that said, I'd be happy from a safety standpoint with the Golem, and they have a good reputation as well.


Dave

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edasque

Jan from JJ-CCR made an O2ptima BOV for me so you just need to ask him for the same. I already worked with him on getting the measurements right.

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Tony_Q

Hi Tanja,

Solving the hose size issue was easy, I got Baz to do it for me.

Probably not useful for you in the USA, however I would think your APD distributor/experiended LDS should be able to sort it out for you.

With the hose-kit option, hoses of the right diameter to fit optima fittings just seem to clamp on.

Whenever my BOV manual turns up, I will be able to give you more information.

Regards,
Tony