TESTCENTRE
Sherwood Scuba produced their first regulator in the relative infancy of our sport , way back in 1955 . Still a recognisable and popular manufacturer the world over , more ’ s the pity that this US-based company ’ s products have never quite hit the heights they deserve in the UK market .
This failure to establish a foothold among British divers is no fault of their comprehensive line of scuba diving equipment but more down to an inconsistency in distribution . With several attempts to gain a secure and stable network not entirely successful , hopefully things are about to change .
Now aligned with another wellestablished company founded in the ‘ 50s , Sherwood ’ s new UK distributor , Leicesterbased Midland Diving Equipment , have a proven track record with other leading brands in the past .
A side view of the lightweight second stage
While some UK divers may have held a wrongly perceived notion that Sherwood ’ s regulators were strictly warm water fare , then the Blizzard Pro is putting paid to this myth [ the company has two other cold water certified regulators – the SR2 and Maximus Pro .]
The Blizzard , as you ’ d gather from the name , is Sherwood ’ s cold water specific regulator . It has , in their own words , been the ‘ go-to ’ valve for public service dive teams throughout the United States for more than 30 years .
Getting to know the reg
MDE supplied the Test Centre with the current Blizzard Pro model , complete with Sherwood ’ s 9000 Series first stage , plus the SR995s Octo alternative air source .
The three components , including hoses , just tipped the scales at 1.5kg . Both second stages appear to share the same lightweight , high impact polyamide housing . The Blizzard ’ s more stand-out appearance setting it apart from its bright yellow octopus .
The environmentally dry-sealed , first stage is manufactured from marine grade chrome-plated brass . CE-certified for use in water temperatures as low as 4 ° C , the compact , 300bar DIN version sat nicely on my tank ’ s valve . Hose routing proved simple and effective .
There are four low and two high-pressure ports positioned around the valve ’ s onepiece , cylindrical barrel . With the two second stages on one side , on the other I added hoses for my drysuit and BCD ’ s direct feed . The pair of HP ports allowed attachment of both a conventional SPG and wireless transmitter .
The first stage features a system called Air-Assisted Depth-Compensation , which
uses internal pneumatic force to compensate for ambient pressure changes . What this means in practice is that as you travel up and down the water column you ’ ll discover , as I did , that there ’ s virtually no difference in breathing resistance .
The second stage
The Blizzard ’ s second stage feels very light in the hand and , more pertinently , when in use . The soft mouthpiece gave a very comfortable bite , with very little effort required to keep it in place . Situated on the left side of the valve is a small OPP ( Opposite Pivoting Point ) lever . Basically , a Venturi system under any other name , it ’ s marked plus and minus . Switch it to the minus ( pre-dive ) position to prevent free flow during entry to the water or while swimming at the surface , then to the plus ( dive ) position prior to descent .
Pivoting levers apart , there ’ s no other form of adjustment present , or indeed needed , with first and second stages meshing together perfectly . While I wasn ’ t able to use the regulator in anything approaching its low range limit of 4 ° C , it had no problems with 9 ° C and I was impressed with its consistent ease of breathing over a range of depths .
Making my way against a strong current , I had no complaints about the Pro ’ s ability to cope with my increased breathing rate . It remained dry throughout , even while inverted . Its large , full-sized purge worked very efficiently even wearing 5mm-thick gloves . The Octo required slightly more effort to purge , which for an alternate air source is an advantage . That little extra resistance can prevent any accidental activation when stowed close to the body .
Switching back and forth between the Pro and its Octo alternative air source , I could detect very little difference between the two , with perhaps just a little more finesse when breathing from the Pro .
If reading this , you ’ re thinking that maybe you should just go for the cheaper option Octo and save a few quid , then I must also point out that it ’ s actually rated to 10 ° C rather than the Blizzard ’ s 4 ° C . Neil Hope
Sherwood Blizzard & Octo
COMPANY : MIDLAND DIVING EQUIPMENT PRICE : BLIZZARD £ 439 / OCTO £ 139 TEL : 0116 2124262 WEB : WWW . SHERWOODSCUBA . COM
SCUBA SAYS
Sherwood Scuba may have a little way to go to achieve the popularity in the UK that they enjoy in other territories . But with a new distributor and products such as the compact , lightweight and easy-breathing cold water Blizzard Pro , there ’ s no reason why these regs shouldn ’ t establish a dominant place in the UK market .
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