Sherwood Oasis - Sportdiver.com

Dry mouth has been a natural byproduct of breathing from scuba regulators since they were invented, and the methods invented by divers to deal with the problem range from ingenious to bizarre. My wife takes her regulator out of her mouth frequently and rinses her mouth with seawater. Capt. Andy Bowers of the Aggressor has come up with his own unique solution. He puts a little dab of toothpaste on his regulator mouthpiece, which, he says, stimulates salivation. You get a fluoride treatment with each dive, and you come up with your breath fresh and clean. OK, Andy, if you say so. Enter the Sherwood Oasis. This newly redesigned regulator and the company's cold-water Blizzard regulator have two metal fins just inside the mouthpiece that condense moisture out of the air and allow you to breathe it back in with the next breath. Yes, it also collects a small amount of saliva, but that just adds to the moisturizing effect. I took the Oasis to the South Pacific to put it through its paces. (How's that for an excuse to go to the Pacific?) On my first dive, just off the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, I noticed an immediate difference. Several differences, in fact. This regulator is light, and the mouthpiece is really comfortable. The bottom of the exhaust T rests against the chin, further reducing drag (though there are reports of divers with, ah, shall we say prominent chins, who dislike this feature). As for me, I could keep this baby in my mouth all day without jaw fatigue. Also, my vision seems to have improved. No, really. The exhaust bubbles are broken up by baffles and directed away from the diver's face, leaving a clear field of vision. Both my wife and I commented on this; we weren't aware of this feature until we got in the water. As for a more moist airstream, my first reaction was that the air somehow felt lighter. My wife thought it felt cooler. After a while, though, we both realized that our mouths weren't as dry as usual. Guess we'll skip the toothpaste. One note: We had been using older metal regulators, and all metal-bodied second stages condense some moisture. People switching from the newer plastic regulators will probably notice an even greater difference. The Oasis is a very easy-breathing regulator. I lay on my back on the bottom and experienced only a slightly increased resistance and no flooding at all. We also found that we couldn't overbreathe it; it just kept on pumping. Divers in the market for a comfortable, well-performing regulator with the bonuses of better vision and less dry mouth might want to consider Sherwood's Oasis. SHERWOOD OASIS PRICE: $350 FEATURES: Low drag design; baffles gather moisture for intake; baffles also disperse exhaust bubbles. MORE INFORMATION: Sherwood Scuba2111 Liberty DriveNiagara Falls NY 14304-3744Tel: 716-283-2356 or Tel: 888-507-2822.Web: http://www.sherwoodscuba.com

	Paul Humann; he'd help me ID fish
	Cathy Church; she'd help me set up the perfect shot
	Alan Rebbe; we'd have the wildest dive adventures
	Teddy Tucker; I want to find treasure!
	Richie Kohler; wrecks are where it's at.

Already a member? Log in here

Username:
Password:

Name
Email