Hookah rigs deliver air from a compressor on the surface down to a diver below, just like those old school cartoons. Divers doing serious long term jobs underwater may opt for these regulators, which are specially designed for hookah style diving. Please bear in mind that a regular scuba diving regulator cannot be used for hookah applications! Hookah regulators function with a different set of pressures and have specific regulators for specific conditions.
A Hookah regulator setup is entirely different from a scuba regulator. It consists of a 'second stage' only, which is fed directly from the output of the reserve tank via a Hookah air hose. There are no tank valve and first stage regulator assemblies of the type that are used with scuba cylinders.
Hookah second stage regulators typically employ a 'tilt', or 'pin' valve, which delivers a full airflow to the diver at low-pressure. This type of regulator is specifically designed for use with low-pressure Hookah compressors. Hookah second stage regulators, as are all modern regulators, are of the single hose, 'demand' type. A 'demand' regulator works on a relatively low volume of air since it only has to deliver air as the diver breathes, or 'demands' it.
Scuba second stage regulators typically can't be used for Hookah applications without special modifications. A typical Hookah compressor operates in a low-pressure range which is not enough pressure to drive the spring-loaded downstream valve of a scuba second stage regulator.
A diver who already owns a scuba second stage regulator, but who wishes to use it for Hookah applications, must take the regulator to a competent dive shop and get the regulator converted over for low-pressure use. The conversion can be made by installing a set of low tension springs which will give maximum efficiency when operated at low Hookah pressures. A dive shop will also have the necessary test equipment to make certain the adaptation has been effective.
Please read Introduction to Hookah Diving for more information about things you need to consider with a hookah diving setup.
Other | Boat access
Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 12 m (39 ft)
Chinaman's Hat is an octagonal structure serving as a shipping channel marker and haul-out for local Australian Fur Seals, near the South Channel of Port Phillip. Earlier structures on the site once served as navigation beacons. In early 2002 the old structure was demolished and a new one built nearby.
Chinaman's Hat is a popular destination for scuba divers, snorkellers and tourists. Dive charter boats, snorkelling and tour operators, operating out of Sorrento, Portsea and Queensliff all have regular trips out to the site.
The term Chinaman's Hat is the local name once associated with the site of a former military structure, Station M, but now transferred to a new seal platform erected by Victoria's Park Authority in 2002. The postwar structure was built to replace a dilapidated military installation erected as part of the Port Phillip defence system shortly before 1942.
Parks Victoria was granted a permit in early 2002 to demolish the old structure after arguing that it posed a risk for small craft navigation and was devoid of heritage value. In the face of public protests, the Authority went ahead and built an expensive alternative platform which was quickly disparaged by critics at the time as a veritable 'Taj Mahal for seals'.
This new Chinaman's Hat structure for the seal colony lies not far from the Mud Islands bird sanctuary. Chinamans Hat is also a minor roosting site for cormorants and other diving birds.
Initially the Australia Fur Seals, the largest fur seal found in Australian waters, gave the new structure the cold shoulder and refused to budge from their traditional, run-down landmark. It was only after the authorities proceeded to demolish the old haul out that they settled on the new platform, giving it their seal of approval. It's this new structure which now carries the name Chinaman's Hat.
The seals need to haul out of the water and have a deep sleep every few weeks after days of fishing. During this time they generally spend time scratching themselves and romping with each other. Unlike most seals, Australian fur seals like touching each other.
Australian fur seals can be found sunning themselves at Chinaman's Hat. Together with Popes Eye and other structures and buoys, Chinaman's Hat is a popular haul out or resting site in Port Phillip, and is occupied by a bachelor community of Australian fur seals.
Chinaman's Hat is a popular destination for scuba divers and snorkelers. Access to the site is by boat and visitors are warned to keep their distance. The seals can at times behave aggressively towards people who approach too close.
The rules at a glance:
In summary, at seal haul out sites, where seals congregate but don't breed (e.g. Chinaman's Hat), you must stay at least five metres from the seals if you are swimming, and at least 30 metres away if you are in a recreational vessel, other than a jet ski. Jet skis must remain at least 50 metres from a seal on a haul out site. (Licensed tour operators are permitted to approach closer than distances detailed above, subject to a range of other operating conditions.) Additional restrictions apply to approaching seal-breeding colonies.
See Encountering seals for more information.
See WillyWeather (South Channel Pile Light) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.
Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.
Chinamans Hat Location Map
Latitude: 38° 17.257′ S (38.287621° S / 38° 17′ 15.44″ S)
Longitude: 144° 43.587′ E (144.726454° E / 144° 43′ 35.23″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2021-07-28 15:08:19 GMT
Source: GPS
Nearest Neighbour: William Salthouse, 2,445 m, bearing 314°, NW
Australian Fur Seals, Port Phillip.
Depth: 2 to 12 m.
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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.
The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.
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