Leave Some Agitation Space
Octacle is a natural seaweed extract, so it comes with some natural quirks. However, its not rocket science. For those who have experienced lumps in their mix, they’re not harmful. The best solution is to make sure you have enough agitation space in the bottle you're shaking. This is why we recommend 1 litre of water in a 1.5 litre bottle. More space for a good shake.
Other causes of lumps can be water temperature- If the water is too warm when you add Octacle, lumps will form quicker than you can shake it because the seaweed extract absorbs the water so quickly. Or if you add water to the powder in the bottle, it will stick to the bottle, so always add TO the water.
Timing- Shake it hard, straight away
Shake your Octacle immediately. The powder absorbs the water very quickly (it’s hydrophilic), so if left in a powder blob the outer layer of the blob will become harder to break up resulting in a big blob with a powder inside.... sometimes referred to as a fish eye (seriously!). If you do get lumps, they will dissolve, but can take time. Don't spoon it in and then walk away.
Depending on your organisational skills, it can be good to make it the night before, or before you leave for a dive. Some of the commercial crews mix up a few litres of Octacle at the beginning of the week (they dive a lot!) a good thick mix, then add hot water to it in the morning, or when needed. If you do mix in advance or have left over, keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Check out Greenstraight Scallops in the UK, just one of Octacle’s commercial users. These guys only catch to order, and freedive for each one. No dredges, only sustainably caught by hand. Or Tora Collective here in NZ. Collected kaimoana to order.
If you are interested in commercial or education organisation rates, please get in touch.
Some People Like Hot Lube
For the winter months or just because you like it, Octacle can be made hot. However, as mentioned above, you can’t add Octacle straight into hot water or it clumps. Simply mix the powder into a smaller amount of cold (it will be thick), and then add hot water from there. We have excellent double walled thermo flasks available for exactly this purpose. Or for a post dive cuppa tea or mulled wine
Hadn't thought about making hot lube that's a great tip for winter months! Great post thank you