Additional measures beyond analyzing, labeling, and notox procedures to help prevent incorrect deco gas switches

[crofrog]

This is weenie stuff. Replacing sensible solutions with convolutions at every step of the way.

There is a different word that use to be used too...

 

[eightytwenty]

There is a different word that use to be used too...

Rule 1 and rule 2. People like this don't deserve to be listened to, but they do deserve what they get.

 

[Mobulai]

I have some gear pics on onlyfins
Trip Report - Bonaire shallow 50m dives

Rant: I really wish we had a simple HUD for each regulator like the CCRs have. Each regulator would have a capsule with two LEDs: two lights = breathe. one light = don't breathe, no light = off. Each HUD will have a max and min depth. Wireless charging and programming.)

Do you mean to say a HUD for each 2nd stage?
At risk of diverging a bit from the thread topic — how do you imagine this? Probably with some analyzer on the reg2nd/HUD combo to confirm MOD?
Given infinite resources/engineering capability I do like the idea

 

[flymolo]

Open circuit gear is just too simple we should find a way to put galvanic oxygen sensors in it

 

[eightytwenty]

Open circuit gear is just too simple we should find a way to put galvanic oxygen sensors in it

Well, how else am I supposed to manage gas switches diving solo???

 

[boulderjohn]

I tgink it was blue hole instructor fatality — I’ll find the thread and edit with link

Error - Blue hole fatality

I came across a post on Chinese social media called 小红书 , but I couldn't find any corresponding reports in English-language news sources. According to the post, it appears that a Tech instructor was leading a group of students on a technical dive to the Dahab blue hole in Egypt. Tragically...

scubaboard.com

TLDR: instructor switched to/ has been using deco gas at depth (arch, 56~60m)

Okay then, I read through the thread, embarrassed to find I was active in it but did not immediately recall it.

The big discovery in this thread, if you go almost to the end to find it (post #48), is that evidently there was no switch to an incorrect gas on this dive. The diver was supposed to start the dive breathing from an air cylinder but instead started the dive--right from the surface--breathing his deco gas and continued with it to the bottom.

This is consistent what I said earlier in that thread--in almost every case I know of a diver toxing because of breathing an incorrect gas at depth, the problem actually occurred on the surface, usually because because of mismarked contents, and not because of a faulty gas switch at depth.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Well, how else am I supposed to manage gas switches diving solo???

Follow DIR gas switch procedures.

 

[eightytwenty]

Follow DIR gas switch procedures.

That would be too sensible

 

[SelfDiver]

Well, how else am I supposed to manage gas switches diving solo???

I am a lazy, cheap hypocrite for sure.
We used to joke about "Sportechincal" and "techmix" diving. We still do, but we used to also.
Helium is so expensive on OC that the gear is a minuscule expense.

 

[SelfDiver]

Do you mean to say a HUD for each 2nd stage?
At risk of diverging a bit from the thread topic — how do you imagine this? Probably with some analyzer on the reg2nd/HUD combo to confirm MOD?
Given infinite resources/engineering capability I do like the idea

Yeah, like maybe? Can't solve a skills issue with gear.

The CCR has a HUD with lights, but that is too complicated.
I imagine a depth gauge with two lights

• zero lights = unit is off
• one light = unit is on but the depth is outside the set limits
• Two lights = unit is on and the depth is inside the set limits

Even in silty soup and mask off, you should be able to figure it out.

But seriously, assume a twinset with bottom mix, an AL80 with travel gas, AL80 with 50% and AL40 100% O2
That is not too many tanks to handle, but we see bad things happen. Task loading, ego, complacency, ego, fatigue, ego, communication breakdown, ego, denial, ego, hypothermia, ego and evenluck can all play a role in the accident chain of events.

Booth's law:
"The safer skydiving gear becomes, the more chances skydivers will take, in order to keep the fatality rate constant."