Deep Air Diving - thoughts

[Tomeck]

I speak French and German, but not Italian and Romansh

 

[cave_diver]

I think we can agree that today’s standard is a resting PO2 of 1.6, and if you are working, it is 1.4. In rebreather diving, there is an additional safety margin build in by using a PO2 of 1.3.

Can you get away with a higher PO2? Most likely! But why would you try it if you don’t have an emergency. If you are in the middle of the jungle with no deco-chamber around and somebody has an accident, then I would opt for in-water deco with a higher PO2.

Would I go to 60 FSW? Probably not, 40 - 45 should do. However, you would have at least one support diver present in case the diver breathing O2 at 2 ATA or more gets unconscious, and you would probably bungee the regulator to the divers mouth – just in case.

But again, that’s in case of an emergency and not during regular diving.

 

[Tomeck]

Je pense que faite the meme en francias, mais pas German, Italian ou Romansch... (What the hell is Romansch....?) (also can't make my keyboard do those fancy little accent things on the french words..........)

Hi Jack alert: BTW, I hear you have some new tech divers in Seattle.......

hell = enfiern in romansh

 

[jhoey]

The decompression with helium is more dangerous than air and it must ascent slower.

That may be so - kinda. As I acknowledged earlier, one can in theory be more severely bent on helium than on air if you really screw the pooch. But that does not make a Trimix ascent more "complicated" than air. It just requires good buoyancy skills - skills that you ought to have anyway if you're going to be diving at this level.

Trimix does not in and of itself add much (if any) complexity to a dive. The complexity of these dives is intrinsic to deco diving in general - accurately timed stops, gas switches, etc. - whether Trimix is involved or not. In fact, I would go further and argue that overall, Trimix reduces the chance of DCS because the diver is going to be far more clear-headed and less likely to make stupid mistakes.

This ain't rocket science, folks. But I don't expect to persuade any of the deep-air advocates here - opinions are indeed deeply entrenched on both sides. *sigh*

 

[peterbj7]

don't try to advocate deep air diving by hiding behind your own personal definitions of "narked" and invent some fictitious difference between "physiological" and "psychological" impairment caused by alcohol....I mean narcosis

A good example of what I mean by entrenched views. I stated explicitly that I am NOT advocating deep air diving - try reading more carefully. I was merely trying to point out that what you are painting as black and white is actually many shades of grey. If you don't understand the difference between physiological and psychological and the relevance of both to diving then you really are living in your own private world.

And for what it's worth, I do "deep" dives on air, trimix and heliox, depending on the circumstances. As do many people I know. I was diving trimix over 10 years ago, when the circumstances were appropriate.

I'm not continuing this pointless discussion. I thought you wanted to tease out some facts and make some conclusions that would help others - it seems not.

 

[Bismark]

A good example of what I mean by entrenched views. I stated explicitly that I am NOT advocating deep air diving - try reading more carefully. I was merely trying to point out that what you are painting as black and white is actually many shades of grey. If you don't understand the difference between physiological and psychological and the relevance of both to diving then you really are living in your own private world.

And for what it's worth, I do "deep" dives on air, trimix and heliox, depending on the circumstances. As do many people I know. I was diving trimix over 10 years ago, when the circumstances were appropriate.

I'm not continuing this pointless discussion. I thought you wanted to tease out some facts and make some conclusions that would help others - it seems not.

More smoke and mirrors..................not interested in "teasing out" any facts, just presenting them.

 

[rjack321]

Je pense que faite the meme en francias, mais pas German, Italian ou Romansch... (What the hell is Romansch....?) (also can't make my keyboard do those fancy little accent things on the french words..........)

Hi Jack alert: BTW, I hear you have some new tech divers in Seattle.......

Lol yup yup, we got 3 more trimix deco divers after last weekend. I don't think they are into the deep airy >100ft END thang. :14:

 

[Bismark]

Maybe if they learned that if they lacked a feeling of psychological impairement, then they wouldn't actually be physically impaired?............ I will have to remember to tell the police that I didn't really feel drunk so therefore I must not have been impaired. Doubt they will go for that either.........

Congrats to Doug and the gang.

 

[cave_diver]

Trimix or Heliox is the way to dive deep!!! Doing it on air is just simple stupid. Sorry, but that’s my opinion. I did do deep air dives when I was young, and I did get lucky. However, I don’t even remember some parts of these dives!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Trimix or Heliox is the way to dive deep!!! Doing it on air is just simple stupid. Sorry, but that’s my opinion. I did do deep air dives when I was young, and I did get lucky. However, I don’t even remember some parts of these dives!

Funny, I don't remember forgeting any part of my deep air dives..