Mini G (left) next to a Short Body Gavin (right)
In a concerted attempt to run before I can walk - I've just bought one of the new Gavin Mini G's from Rich Walker and I met up with him at Stoney yesterday to take delivery of it and go for a dive and some basic informal training.
Neil H, Crispy Fiver, Rick and PhilO were there as well so we all ended up having a chinwag in the pub. When Rich and I returned from our dive, Rick was about to go in using his Gavin Short Body so I gave PhilO the Mini G to use as he was buddying up with him.
Once the gallery's back up and running and we've sea tested it with Bob and Gledders this coming Friday - I'll write up a full test report with photos as there seems to be very little about the unit on the net.
Initial impressions are that it's an absolute riot. I found it very maneuverable and easy to us and whilst I've never used a short body or any other Gavin for that matter - I'd be surprised if they weren't much harder work for a novice. Clearly there's a lot to learn and a long way to go, but both Phil and I found it manageable first time out and neither of us have any previous scooter experience
Subjectively it was about half to two thirds the weight and about 2/3rd of the size of Rick's short body and the weight was the most noticeable thing: On a moving boat with a lot of stages, this would make a big difference when getting in and out of the water I reckon.
Rich was on his Mini G as well and he reckons it'll be his "weapon of choice" for ocean diving from now on. Apparently they're not suitable for cave diving at the moment because there is no sure fire way of burn testing the batteries. I would imagine that the maneuverability which makes them so much fun in open water would be better traded for the directional stability of a bigger unit in a cave environment. Perhaps Bob could shed some more light on this?
The reduced size means they fit inside a 1660 Pelican case which is absolutely perfect for transporting the unit and keeping it safe. For the small extra cost you'd be crazy to buy one without I would suggest. There's enough spare space in the foam lining to cut out holes for HID's etc - so I'll use the case to transport all my more sensitive bits of gear.
A really great day - thanks to Rich and good to meet a few new faces - including Rick "Jock Exley" who had us in stitches.
Full report to follow...