Photograph © Dennis Champ
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Mighty Miflex
Article by founding Tritone, Simon Campbell
How can someone get so excited about the humble hose? Over my diving career I have used hundreds of different sets of SCUBA kit. I learned early on that the low & high pressure hoses can be problematic.
I bought my first set of kit in Cyprus. Each of the hoses was fitted with a plastic 'strain relief' end. I asked what they were for and was told that it prevented the hose from rubbing against the crimped metal of the hose coupling and also to prevent the hose being bent so far that it restricted the flow of gas. Sensible I thought.
When I was introduced to the DIR methodology of diving, the recommendation is all 'strain relief' had to be removed. The rational being to detect leaks easier and see if your hose is becoming damaged. Unfortunately, like many things in life, in solving one problem, you gain another.
My 'black box of doom' is the spares box that I carry on every dive. As I load it on the boat (especially RIB's) I get the comments: 'Its too big', 'What do you need that for', 'You always bring too much kit'.
Inevitably when one of the dive team loose a mask or o-ring, break a finstrap, have forgotten to analyse their gas before setting out, forget they have a DIN cylinder with an 'A' clamp regulator (and visa versa), or a direct feed / intermediate pressure regulator hose / HP hose (usually with content gauge) - the box makes an appearance like a knight in shining armour. I never receive complaints again 
The other issue is what to pack in the box, as the number of bloody fittings out there is quite frankly ridiculous.
The 'box of doom' contains many things. Like the mythical curse on those who unearthed the tomb of King Tutankhamun, unfortunates who inadvertently open it, or peer in as I am rummaging ,carry the risk of being stuck down by a strange illness or simply just disappear!
But, to reveal some of its many secrets, I carry an inordinate number of blasted hoses: Poseidon hoses for Cyclone and Extreme/Jetstream, adaptors for 1/2 UNF to 3/8 UNF (APEX inconsistencies), the five different types of direct feed coupling (a favourite amongst divers who have borrowed a drysuit and find when out at sea that the direct feed are different types - inevitably the Seatec large bore coupling).
I could go on, but if you really want to get the full info, and have a lot of time on your hands, charge your glass with a large brandy and call the mighty O-ring King; he will see you right.
I dive open circuit using exclusively 3/8 UNF (LP) and 7/16 UNF (HP) and the small Seatec fitting so our dive team can pool the spares and the box isn't so bloody heavy. But, as you can see, hoses really piss me off, but then revelation, I saw Miflex XTREME hoses at a dive show.
They are beautiful. They feature an external nylon safety braiding designed to resist the snags and abrasions. This braid is not simply pushed over the hose fittings, but tightly bound and fixed to the hose core by stainless steel or brass sleeves. This fearsome stuff also resists UV rays out of the water, thus extending the lifespan of the hose. Not too much of a problem in the UK!
The Xtreme's are also ultra flexible and tough as any British diver will need. For me however, the best feature is that you can knot them, pull them tight against the fitting and the gas just keeps on flowing - tremendous.
I sorted a set for all my kit and stage cylinders (including a 210 cm long hose for my primary) and then decided to go for a re-breather (see the Sentinel article)... Joy, the Sentinel is also exclusively fitted with Miflex, a testament to Kevin Gurr's strive to use the best materials for his re-breather.
So, if you really want to stop lugging my 'black box of doom' in and out of RIB's, just go and buy a set of Miflex and your troubles will be over!
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