After 41 years I almost bought it today...

[DandyDon]

dandydon once bubbled...
Glad you weren't hurt, but next time - call DAN: 919-684-8111, or 800-446-2671. Store those in your cell phone...

don

Dang! I regretted saying that, that way, after I left the office last night, (I don't allow TV or Internet in my home) as it certainly may have sounded smart-mouthed - since a reader wouldn't know about PMs between Bill and myself before and during the postings. One could also not see me smiling, back slapping, elbowing, in jest.

THE TRUTH IS THAT I HAVE GREAT RESPECT AND ADMIRATION FOR DRBILL, his diving, his additions to this Board, and his work on Catalina. Additionally, if you click Profile on any of my posts, you'll see my smiles, and my admission and confirmation that I am a greenhorn in comparison in training and experience.

And to DrBill: Yeah, it's good to have ready communication available to call DAN when needed. If you're not a cellphone type, you have alternatives I'm sure you keep handy...

Best regards,

don

 

[drbill]

Jeez, Don... I took no offense.

ScubaPro says it is impossible for my 1st stage to have frozen closed. While it is possible I may have made SCUBA history (and almost not lived to tell about it), I am leaning towards something in the tank. My LDS is looking at it again tonight.

My Mk10/G250 is functioning beautifully. Was down to 85 ft today with Walter and Sapphire. We had an awesome first dive... best vis (~70 ft vertical) I've seen at Casino Pt. in months. By the second dive the current had dropped vis to 20 ft.

Dr. Bill

 

[Arnaud]

I ran away for a dry WE with my (non-diving and much) better half (7 year anniversary) and just saw this.

Obviously, you did everything right (except diving solo, of course
ut: ). Good thing, in a way, that it happened on your first dive.

As I know no one, not even UP, will convince you to give up diving solo, how about going for doubles and have a true redundant system?

 

[drbill]

Congrats Arnaud on the anniversary.

NOTHING (except my demise) would get me to give up solo diving. I've had incidents with buddies that while not threatening my life were equally problemmatic. However this incident has certainly renewed my commitment to carry my pony bottle... and at depths shallower than my former 60 ft limit, say 45 ft.

Dr. Bill

 

[diverbrian]

Diving cold water in low vis conditions, EVEN WITH A BUDDY, I am with Dr. Bill. Maybe I will take it down to Florida in a couple of weeks after all. Thanks for sharing that Dr. Bill.

The reason that mention cold water, is that regs have a nasty habit of freeflowing up here. If diving singles, I don't have the redundancy that I do in doubles.

The only catch on my pony bottle is that big 70 MOD on it. This is good and bad. I have practice deploying it as it is my deco bottle/ safety stop bottle after deep dives. That also means that it has 30 cubic foot of air (or thereabouts) which is plenty to end a dive. The bad news: I have make sure that I get to about 65 ft. before deploying it or I can be reminded of CONVENT ID.

I may start carrying it more often. Also, Dr. Bill, do you keep a supply of pure Oxygen for precautions after the dive in case something like this happens. I may look into that as well after reading this. It may help prevent/reduce the onset of DCS or air embolism after something like this.

 

[drbill]

DiverBrian- Almost all my dives are either at our dive Park or on one of our dive boats. The paramedics are air fill station at the Park have O-2 as do the divce boats so it is there if I need it. It was offered to me after my ascent, but I felt fine (other than the surge of adrenalin that hit at the surface) so I didn't take any.

Dr. Bill

 

[DeepScuba]

Well DrBill:

I'm late to the party, but allow me to wade in.

What strikes me most after reading all the posts........

YOU!

With all due respect, after a scare/near death experience, the next day (or the day after) you went to "test" this possibly bad equipment...and AGAIN you went out on the 45ft dive without a pony!!! I hope I read that right.

You cite you could do a CESA from there, OK I agree, but why would you even chance it? You then say you put the pony on for the 75-80ft dive.

I assume, again, that this is what you did. If so........

What are you smoking???? I think you got scared, for sure, but evidently you learned very little.

Solo diving requires redundancy, period. And it matters not if it's 50 ft or 150 ft.

Regardless of U/Pugs somehow distrust/false sense of security (or whatever the reason) it doesn't change the fact that redundancy is ALWAYS a good thing.

As far as practicing "deployment", can I ask you guys, is this pony set-up you all seem to have strapped to your tank? or is it slung stage-style from the shoulder and hip?

You be hardpressed to screw up a deployment/valve turning or anything else if hung off you in the later manner, which is why it should be done this way in the first place.

FWIW: I'll bet on a tank problem as the cause of your problem.


Good to see you dodged the bullet, but don't try it too many times!

 

[jlkline]

Would this kind of problem be more characteristion of a piston style 1st stage, or can such a failure occur with either?

 

[diverbrian]

drbill once bubbled...
DiverBrian- Almost all my dives are either at our dive Park or on one of our dive boats. The paramedics are air fill station at the Park have O-2 as do the divce boats so it is there if I need it. It was offered to me after my ascent, but I felt fine (other than the surge of adrenalin that hit at the surface) so I didn't take any.

Dr. Bill

If so, I am sorry as you have far more experience than I do. I was "thinking out loud" more about arrangements that I should be making than referring to you. (The shop provides us with an O2 Kit if we are "hosting" the dive for them." I was wondering out loud if I should invest the money next year and get a kit for my own personal diving.)

I am glad that you felt all right. As you said, AGE would have been the primary concern and you would have felt that far sooner than DCS to my knowledge.

I also carry my "pony" slung under my left arm. (See profile photos). I like to know what reg that I am reaching for when EAN50 is involved at depth and take the dual precaution of visually verifying it!

Safe diving! I hope that I have cause to get out your direction. I may look you up!

 

[Otter]

drbill once bubbled...
... but I felt fine (other than the surge of adrenalin that hit at the surface) so I didn't take any.

Dr. Bill

Dr. Bill remember, the first sign of DCS is denial

In all seriousness, and since this is the Ask Dr. Deco forum, isn't it possible to be asymptomatic right before the AGE took you out if the embolism was in the right place ?

Otter