Scuba as a survival tool in Australian bush fire

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Scuba does not keep you from roasting in an intense fire. It is the water that is protecting you from burning and scuba allowing you to have something to breath under the water.

Bushfire sucks all the oxygen out, you need a tank to breathe even if you're hiding out in a fire-proof basement.
 
Just another reason to be comfortable on Scuba without a mask. You may not be able to find your mask when you need to breath from your gear, in the pool, surrounded by a brush fire
 
Just another reason to be comfortable on Scuba without a mask. You may not be able to find your mask when you need to breath from your gear, in the pool, surrounded by a brush fire
I am pretty sure that I would have planned that out well enough in advance. Even in shallow water with the ability to simply stand up, the though of asking the average diver to stay underwater blindly might be a big ask. No real knowledge of air consumption and time elapsed; no vision of what is going on top side..........
Don’t get me wrong,I’d do it, but the though of occasionally sticking out a hand to check air temp, seems way less than optimal. Granted, my mask and regs are in the same storage area.
 
In the 1980s my wife and I were in the house when a smoke detector went off. It was in the garage. I opened the garage door, and the entire garage was filled with smoke. I went on a breath-hold into the garage, found a single 72 with a backpack, quickly placed a close-by single hose regulator on it and opened the valve, got a breath of air through it, found an oval mask and put it on, then stood up and looked around. Our second freezer (left over from the previous owners, was bellowing smoke from underneath it. It was an electrical fire, and I unplugged the freezer. Then I opened the garage door, came back and rolled the freezer out into the driveway as the fire department rolled up (Chris had been to the phone). The firemen said it was pretty funny to see the garage door up, smoke boil out the door, and a guy in a scuba tank and mask rolling a burning freezer out onto the driveway. Fortunately, there was no real damage, and the smoke dissipated quickly. But it goes to show that the scuba unit can be used in an emergency as a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA).

SeaRat
 
Kudos Lady, well done mate. I don't think any watch would have Made any difference in this case. The water in the pool would've turned black within seconds due to ash I'd imagine. I think most rural Aussies know the fire front would've been moving quite quickly so hey even 50 bar would've been enough for me. She did a freakin awesome job whatever equipment she did or didn't have. Because of this lady I lent out two of my tanks and old but adequate reg sets that are going to spend summer sitting on friends verandah in case of last resort - they have a dam close to the house and live on a one car width road on the side of a very steep gully and know other than air support they have been zoned undefendable.

Just hope someone remembers to remind the public when all this has finished and were sifting through the ashes to find any lessons that Watertanks are a deadly option even with scuba gear. I don't drink beer but I'd happily buy this lady one and share it with her. Aussies are awesome.
 
... remind the public when all this has finished and were sifting through the ashes to find any lessons that Watertanks are a deadly option even with scuba gear. I don't drink beer but I'd happily buy this lady one and share it with her. Aussies are awesome.

Oi! I used to work for a place that sold/built 'em, they're life savers when used as directed. Water your property, keep sprinklers running, have outlets placed for optimal fire hose routing: all the stuff that our sales guys went over with the customers before taking the order.
 
Oi lol I agree with you totally when they're used as directed. I just wouldn't advocate them being an optimum place to immerse yourself in during a fire impact - I can't remember which fire (was over 45 years ago) but I do remember the brother and sister who climbed into one and didn't survive. I'm glad to hear when they're purchased nowadays they come with "instructions"
 
I'm glad to hear when they're purchased nowadays they come with "instructions"

Oh, I dunno about nowadays, it's been a while and I hear the company was sold at least once since.

I suppose if the choices are fire or tank, I might consider the tank myself... but obviously, the smart money is on not getting to where those are the only choices.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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