Bent at Devils?

[tgsmith]

Just a quick note, that if a diver is trying to hydrate on deco, then they're trying to hydrate too late(unless you've got some crazy long deco schedule requiring hours of deco).

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

The couple times I've "hydrated" on deco(or during a dive), was to quench a thirst and to make more pee.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

IMO it's easier to have a smooth curve on deco at LR
it doesn't have the sharp sawtooth action on exit you can get at ginnie

I agree. Once you start up at Littel River you can do it smoothly, continuously and at suitable rates with suitable stops. But the point is that I also see divers who come up way too fast from 90 feet then again come up way too fast in the cavern as the contours of the cave and cavern allow it.

There is the fore mentioned saw tooth profile at Ginnie, but it happens a bit deeper and with a reasonable ratio to max depth (for most dives in Ginnie) compared to some other places. For example in Peacock there are lots of ups and downs beyond Olsen and coming back through Olsen sink brings you within 7 ft of the surface. Once past Olsen, you can again potentially drop back down to 60-65 ft in the Pothole tunnel before coming up through the crack and into the cavern at P1. The end result is a big sawtooth in the first and last quarters of the dive with smaller sawtooths in the middle and unless the diver thinks and ascends slowly, a farily rapid ascent near the end of the dive where you may have a deco obligation.

The point being a sawtooth can occur many places and is as much an issue of poor planning or poor consideration of ascent rates as it is the cave profile. It speaks to the need to consider deco procedures in the larger context of cave diving and proper planning of the dive to address the additional risk factors that often accompany deco in a cave where you have only limited control over the dive profile.

In that regard, I'd be interested in truly seeing the hit rate at Ginnie compared to other places and also see it with respect to numbers, cert levels and overall experience levels of cave divers at Ginnie versus other cave systems. When you control for those varaibles I doubt Ginnie would be any worse than other systems in terms of hit rate. And if a postive correlation between DCI hits and Ginnie were found relative to other sites, I suspect it would occur primarily on the third or greater deco dive of the day.

 

[LiteHedded]

I think the fact that it's happening deeper rather than shallower is a concern. screwing up and bubbling deep(ish) is bad news.
this is hardly scientific. just something aj and I were going back and forth with.

and for what it's worth, the few people we know bent there this month were not on repetitive dives.
hydration and taking care in the last 300' of the exit are key here IMO

 

[sea2summit]

PfcAJ
I must say of the threads I've seen posted in multiple forums this one seems to have the greatest dichotomy in responses:cool3:
I thought everyone went to all the boards.

 

[PfcAJ]

Imagine what would have happened if I put it on TDS

 

[DiveMonkeys]

Here is some anecdotal information you may be interested in...
Having had the skin bends three times at Devils and once at Orange Grove I considered the factors mentioned by the OP at the time of the events and noticed for my physiology these common factors: Dehydration, over consumption of Diet Coke, Exertion, and the histamine reaction from the post dive hot shower in the Ginnie bath house.

My experiences with skin bends have led me to hydrate well before diving, and hydrate during the dive only when leading (hopefully for obvious reasons), and hydrating well after the dive. I've stopped soda altogether, and limit iced tea on dive days. And, then am relatively anti-social or just try to pass off as Bohemian until showering the next morning.

Upon exiting I go slowly through the keyhole, ride high in the Gallery, and spend extra time at 40' near the exit, and then extra time again at 10'. Take a leisurely cruise up the run to Little Devil, and hang out there for added time.

 

[jeandiver]

I wasn't going to reply , but someone mentioned Diet Coke.

So now I replied.

I'll let you professionals continue on.

I have my own opinion , but I won't say cause I am scared I'll be whipped. (EEK)

Beano

P.S. I have been VERY FORTUNATE and have not been bent at Ginnie (or anywhere else actually) but my dive profiles at Ginnie are not as long etc as most peoples. There , I said it (sigh). My place for really long ones is Peacock , but that's just me. And I know what all of my friends say , It's not IF you get bent , but when. I'll leave that one up to others judgement.

Go ahead and put in on TDS btw. It would make for ENJOYABLE READING (and LOTS of different opinions)

 

[loquat149]

And, then am relatively anti-social or just try to pass off as Bohemian until showering the next morning.

UGH! Couldn't you just take a tepid shower instead?

I have my own opinion , but I won't say cause I am scared I'll be whipped. (EEK)

Come on Jean, tell us! It's not like you've done an order-of-magnitude more cave dives than nearly everyone on this board.

 

[sskasser]

Agreed...Jean, give us your opinion! We got yer back against flaming!