What Is Hooka Diving?

The word “hookah” is probably better known for its connection to smoking than as a type of diving. However, both are based on similar principles, and some suggest this is why they share a common name. In both hookah smoking and hookah diving, the user breathes through a long tube that is connected to an air (or smoke) supply.

  1. Features

    • Hookah diving, a form of diving that combines the advantages of snorkeling and SCUBA diving, allows the diver to explore the underwater world while staying connected to a constant supply of air from the surface. A generator funnels air from the outdoors into a long tube that is connected to a mask at the diver’s mouth. This way, the diver’s time under water is virtually unlimited.

    Low Cost

    • Hookah diving is significantly more cost effective than SCUBA diving. It has a much lower start-up cost, and the only ongoing investment is fuel for the generator. However, since one gallon of gas can usually produce enough air to support a diver for about two hours, the cost is considered minimal.

    Easier to Learn

    • While obtaining a SCUBA certification is expensive and time consuming, a qualified hookah diving instructor can teach a beginner in less than half an hour. Surfacesupplydiving.com also points out that hookah diving may be safer for the inexperienced diver since there is no need to operate technical equipment or replace oxygen tanks when they run out.

    Some Disadvantages

    • Hookah divers are always limited by the length of their air-supply hose. For this reason, hookah divers are often confined to shallower water than SCUBA divers. However, hookah hoses may be 150 feet or longer, so divers still experience a wide range of motion.

    Generator

    • Most hookah divers have partners who stay on land to make sure the generator is working properly. If the diver is only exerting himself lightly, there will be high pressure in the tank that is balanced by a pressure relief valve. However, if the diver is swimming hard and breathing heavily, the pressure will be lower. In some cases of heavy exertion, the diver may draw additional air from the generator’s air reserve tank.

    Uses

    • Although hookah diving is often done recreationally, it is also used by the military and by certain other professions. For example, divers who collect lobsters often rely on hookah equipment. The continuous air supply and lack of equipment allows them to collect large numbers of lobsters without having to resurface