Hey everybody,
I got a chance to dive a Mark V rig this past Saturday. It was a Blast!!! I highly recommend it! Not only do you get to dive the rig, but you also act as tender for all the other divers. It's definitely an educational experience, showing you how they used to do it back in the day. We dove the rig at Vortex Springs and other than the vis getting screwed by all the divers in the spring it was a lot of fun. You definitely attract a crowd when your down there wearing that thing! There were constantly divers and snorkelers going past the portholes wanting to get a closer look. It looks like the rig would be heavy, and it is topside; but once you get underwater, almost all the weight comes off. You can actually hop up and down on the bottom, kind of like an astronaut on the moon. The only downside I had to deal with is my size 13 feet. Those lead shoes don't come in a wide range of sizes, and the pair they had (which they said were the largest made) could accomodate about a size 11 foot. So my toes wound up being curled and crushed against the solid ends of the boots. That wasn't too pleasant, but I dealt with it and still had a great time.
I posted some pics in the gallery. If anyone else wants to try it out, go to the link below for more info.
http://www.pcbdownunder.com/mkv/Index.html
