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MIFLEX Hoses / Accessories
Are Double-Braided Flex Hoses Better Than Rubber?
YES! After generations of rubber as the status quo in scuba hoses, technology has finally been used to improve this important product used by every diver. Every aspect of the double-braided polyester hoses out perform rubber hoses. Double-braided is much more flexible, at least a third lighter, much more durable, kink resistant and enormously stronger. Recent updates with high-pressure fittings have addressed the early issues and these too are now better than found on rubber hoses. The only issue remaining has been price, and now even that has reached parity or better at The Scuba Doctor.
Only a handful of companies have the technology to make double-braided polyester hoses, although these same hoses are sold under a variety of different names. The Scuba Doctor sells the Italian made, premium quality, Miflex brand.
The Miflex Carbon HD and Miflex Xtreme-hi + ranges of high pressure gauge hoses bring clear benefits when compared to traditional HP hoses to better suit the majority of divers requirements. Slim-line and Lightweight design, approximately 60% lighter than traditional HP hoses with a burst pressure in excess of 2,000 bar (29,000 psi).
Miflex Xtreme Low Pressure Regulator hoses and Miflex Xtreme LP BCD/Inflator hoses feature an external nylon safety braiding designed to resist the snags and abrasions that divers can often encounter. The patent-pending Miflex Xtreme double braiding also resists UV rays out of the water, thus extending the lifespan of the hose.
Unlike traditional hoses, the Miflex Xtreme nylon safety braiding is not simply pushed over the hose fittings. Instead the braiding is tightly bound and fixed to the hose core by stainless steel or brass sleeves.
Each Miflex Xtreme Low Pressure Regulator hose comes standard with 3/8" Male and standard UNF 9/16" Female connections. The Miflex Jacket/BCD/Inflator hose comes standard with 3/8" Male and quick release coupler fittings.
All Miflex hoses come in a Water Resistant Document Wallet, and are Oxygen Cleaned from the factory.
As a related business imports and distributes the Miflex range of diving hoses in Australia, we know these hoses better than anyone else in the region.
Tech Tip: Dive Hose Life
In our experience double-braided polyester diving hoses are more reliable than rubber hoses, but keep in mind that all SCUBA hoses, both rubber or polyester, will fail sooner or later either due to age, storage conditions or handling.
Do not allow hoses to receive prolonged exposure sunlight, as the heat and UV from strong sunlight will significantly shorten the life of the hose. Do not attempt to flush the inside of the hose with any form of solvent or other chemical. New hoses are factory clean and if you have any reason to think they are no longer clean then the hose should be replaced.
Prior to every dive trip you should always pressurise and inspect your hoses for mechanical damage, corroded fittings, bulges and leaks. For more information about the care and maintenance of your dive hoses, please see Caring For Scuba Diving Hoses.
The Scuba Doctor suggests replacing all SCUBA hoses every five years or 500 dives, whichever comes first.
Williamstown Beach Breakwater
Shore Dive | 
Shore access
Williamstown Beach Breakwater
© Unknown
Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 5 m (16 ft)
Level: Open Water and beyond.
Williamstown Beach Breakwater, also known as Crystals, near Williamstown, is popular for midweek diving and snorkelling as it's only about 14 kilometres (25 minutes drive) from the Melbourne CBD. It lies about 500 metres east of the Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, has easy entry and exit points, and there are lots of critters to see, even on a night dive.
Williamstown Beach Breakwater
© Unknown
Williamstown Beach is backed by the Esplanade, making it a very accessible beach. The Williamstown Swimming and Surf Life Saving Club is located at the western end just north of the breakwater. The beach is 550 metres long and faces due south. It receives waves during strong southerlies. These waves have built a wide, sandy beach fronted by an attached bar that widens to the west. At low tide, it can be a 100 metre wade before you can swim off the bar, so best at high tide.
Diving and Snorkelling at Williamstown Beach Breakwater
It can get very shallow the more west you head so the best strategy is to enter via Williamstown Beach just east of the breakwater and work your way along and around the breakwater and then head south. You will see more than if you head out into the more open area to the west of the breakwater.
There are dozens of Shorthead Seahorse if you pay close attention to the weeds, Southern Blue-ringed Octopus, many Five-armed Cushion Star (among other kinds) and tonnes of sea urchins, so check before you grab onto anything.
There are also short tailed nudibranchs, Decorator Crabs and heaps of Southern Cardinalfish (especially at night). Old Wives, Southern Bobtail Squid (aka Southern Dumpling Squid), Stingarees, Southern Fiddler Ray (aka Banjo Shark), Clingfish and Southern Pygmy Leatherjacket have also been seen.
Beware of fishing lines from fisherman that cast off from the groyne (breakwater). Always take a dive knife and/or line cutter. This is the beach entry, whilst a set of steps leading directly into the water are on the western side of the groyne.
Williamstown Beach Breakwater Dive Site Map | © The Scuba Doctor
See also, Williamstown Beach in "Shore Dives of Victoria" by Ian Lewis, 3rd edition page 74.
Williamstown Beach Breakwater Parking
© Google Street View
Location: Esplanade, Williamstown, Victoria 3016
MELWAY Ref: Page 55 A11
Parking: There is a large car parking area to the west of the Williamstown Swimming and Surf Life Saving Club, at the southern end of Victoria Street, Williamstown. Of course, getting a car park is problematic on busy days in Summer. Before gearing up check out the water. If you see lots of white water, head on home.
Facilities: Toilets open until about 9-10 pm near the surf life saving club, parking machine takes credit card.
Warning: Always go with a buddy and carry a dive knife. Make sure you tow a dive buoy with dive flag.
Entry/Exit: Shore beach entry at the western end of Williamstown Beach, or entry via steps near break water. Short walk to either entry from car park.
Ideal Conditions: There is little background swell in this part of Port Phillip — the water is calm when the wind is still. In moderate winds the waves are choppy and under 0.5 metre. Best with light to moderate offshore northerly to easterly winds, or light onshore south-easterly to north-westerly winds. Avoid after rains due to the rain runoff reducing viability. Best dived at high tide as this allows snorkellers better access. See WillyWeather (Williamstown Beach) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.
Sea Urchin Dive Site
© Julian Finn, Museum Victoria
Divers have the opportunity to catch Sea Urchin at this dive site. Remember your catch bag, dive gloves and Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence. Please abide by all current fishing regulations if you intend to catch Sea Urchin.
See article-catching-sea-urchin for practical Sea Urchin catching advice from The Scuba Doctor, and melbourne-sea-urchin-dives for other dive sites where you can catch Sea Urchin near Melbourne.
Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country
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.
Williamstown Beach Breakwater Location Map
Latitude: 37° 52.097′ S (37.868282° S / 37° 52′ 5.82″ S)
Longitude: 144° 53.358′ E (144.889295° E / 144° 53′ 21.46″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
| Get directions
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-17 16:36:45 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Williamstown Beach Rotunda, 428 m, bearing 94°, E
Williamstown, Port Phillip.
Depth: 2 to 5 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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