LAMA Scanuba

[Janwillem Bech]

Here you find another beautifull unit. It is the LAMA Scanuba.
Semi Closed Automatic Nitrox Underwater Breathing Aparatus.
It is surface supplied and has interesting techniques!
Check this out:
http://www.therebreathersite.nl/SemiClosed%20Rebreathers/France/lama_scanuba.htm
I would like to thank Yves le Masson for his kind cooperation to this article!
Janwillem Bech
http://www.therebreathersite.nl

[iain-hsm]

Hi Jan. It always amazes me the kit you turn up with, I remember the LAMA set around 1990? Maybe earlier. Alain Erdody had the units and was selling them (trying too) to Oceaneering for diver lock out. Weird feeling wearing that bubble. Mind you under no exception were you allowed in without the oral nasal mask. See the guy in your picture get him swimming. See if he is still smiling lol. Good way to die that.

One unique feature of the helmet was the comms I had never seen before or after come to think of it. Rather than being the usual hard wire to a Jap speaker or potted cone speaker they were just an air filled pipe. That was all you had just a tube you stuck in your ear and bingo sound. At the time we were still wrapping Mc Murdo speakers in Durex condom wrappers in the KMB-10 and Aquadynes so you can see at the time we took advantage and made better use of the condoms!

The fact that a 180 degree viewing area scared me to death and every leak was a trouser changing experience. Looking like a numpty was another of my memories of the LAMA rig and probably the main reason it didn’t sell. I last heard Current State Diving Richard Bull were supplying them to the BBC in Bristol for TV.

Jan. Knowing your interest for diving oddities there was an earlier unit doing the rounds by La Spirotechnique much more serious constant volume unit called I think something like EOP-5 I still have the photos I will drag them up. That unit I did like, no condoms required!! Lol. Iain Middlebrook.

[DaveP]

. Alain Erdody had the units and was selling them (trying too) to Oceaneering for diver lock out.

Hi Ian,

Oceaneering actually bought the system. I dived the LAMA system extensively from the late 80's to the mid 90's. The bubble helmet was dropped after an incident where a diver had the hat fly off while locked out! A modified Rat Hat was introduced and we had no more repeats of that. My experience of it was that it was very prone to leaks with a likelyhood of a caustic cocktail. CO2 hits were also common place due the two scrubber pots lying in a sideways position. If the lime was not filled properly then gas would track across the gap at the top. We used to call it the LAMA hangover. The system was used on installations where deck space was limited and gas reclaim units could not be utilised. We achieved gas savings over O/C of about 85% which compared quite favourably with reclaim systems in use at the time.

Dave

[Janwillem Bech]

Thanks for this information!
Please sent the pictures of the older unit to jw.bech@quicknet.nl
Thanks in advance!

Janwillem