Argon?

[Tug]

Not PNW, but Atlantic NE, water was 33/34 degrees all winter. No one here touches Argon, everyone Ive spoken too that is a mix diver sees no benefit in it. Some do run 13cu bottles for drysuit, but they just want the redundant gas for their suit.

I agree. Most people around me (Massachusetts) just fill their inflation bottles with air. I use an inflation bottle because I don't want to be inflating my dry suit with mix. I'll be putting an argon sticker on the tank so nobody is tempted to use it as a pony though.


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[fishb0y]

I'm from the PNW and I use argon on most dives in the winter. I find that it is easier to use a 6cuft bottle for my dry suit than run off my bailout bottle, which may contain trimix. I used to be in the 'placebo effect' camp until I started flushing my suit with argon prior to the dive.

 

[Tigerman]

Note that argon is more common in mix divers. Helium is considerably thinner than air (or argon) and has very little heat retaining properties. In this situation an ancillary system to feed your suit with something other than backgas is advisable. Most people using argon systems do so because of this. Most that I know just fill their systems with air. The concept is useless unless you flush and dump your suit a few times with argon, as you really aren't going to have any considerable benefit of argon being dumped on the mass quantity of air trapped when you zipped up.

Not to mention the fact that you dont want to pump your suit and bcd full of cash either?
AFAIK helium isnt exactly considered a "cheap" gas to fill..

 

[DevonDiver]

I think the primary benefit has been identified - for inflation when helium mixes are used.

I used to use Argon in the UK, but in winter-time only. Water temp was around 2-3 celcius... every little helps.

 

[divealaska]

You know what they say about opinions...they're like rectal temperatures...everybody's got one. Speaking of rectal temperatures, the earlier quoted study doesn't make sense to me. The body has a wonderful way of compensating for illness, injury, or in this case...cold. To measure rectal temperature doesn't speak to the bodies ability to vasoconstrict to shunt blood away from the extremities to keep the core warm. I can say from a purely un-scientific perspective that argon is an effective tool for retarding heat loss while dry suit diving. This effect is especially pronounced when diving trimix which makes a completely inappropriate suit inflation gas! To maximize the benefit, one must "flush and fill" their suit with argon prior to the dive. Argon and a thinsulate undergarment makes much more sense than relying on an electric garment. Not only is it inherently more reliable, but the decompression ramifications of an electric garment being used during the "working" portion of the dive, then suffering a "failure" during deco are vastly unknown, but one can speculate that the outcome cant be good. I only use my heated vest once I begin deco, and only then as a compliment to my 800 grams of "core" thinsulate, argon, and 10mm hood. Of course, I only log 150 "cold-water" dives a year, and I see divers every weekend who claim to be "just fine" without it

 

[Tigerman]

rectal AND SKIN tempratures it says quite specifically.. so they didnt just shove it up their ass, they spanked their ass too

 

[Kevrumbo]

Then make sure your electric garment is in good working order . . .wow doesn't that make sense?

You get active core thermal warmth from an electric "cummerbund heater" -- the least expensive heating element. You get whatever heat retention remains from your own metabolic physical activity until overwhelmed by the colder ambient water temperature at depth, using only Argon inflation. Seems obvious which is the better way to keep warm.

What about combining the two, Argon and active electric heated undergarments for those ice diving fools in the environs up north?

 

[divealaska]

Then make sure your electric garment is in good working order . . .wow doesn't that make sense?

You get active core thermal warmth from an electric "cummerbund heater" -- the least expensive heating element. You get whatever heat retention remains from your own metabolic physical activity until overwhelmed by the colder ambient water temperature at depth, using only Argon inflation. Seems obvious which is the better way to keep warm.

What about combining the two, Argon and active electric heated undergarments for those ice diving fools in the environs up north?

Spoken like a Californian diver

 

[Tigerman]

Well, pfft.. just go with wool and be done with it. I dont need no stinking special purpose gas for my suit, plain old air and some proper woolen underwear will do just fine

 

[ajduplessis]

Driving to my dive this morning, I got thinking; I have read a number of books and course manuals over the years stating that the thermal properties of Argon are best for filling your drysuit. Heck, I even have an "ARGON DO NOT BREATH" sticker that came with my drysuit inflation setup.

Thing is, I have never used Argon, I have never seen it used and only know of one dive about 10 years ago where somebody actually filled with Argon. My drysuit runs on Nitrox.

Is there anybody out there that uses it? Or are we all just saving our $$$ for breathing gas fills?

I would not bother, you guys don't dive a lot of mix down there anyway and the water is refreshing but not cold. If I recall between 10-12c. Rather invest is thermals, or use air to fill suit if you do dive mix. Better way to spend your cash.

Monty did some argon dives on our previous expedition on mix, sure he would have some better insight.