Doc Deep dies during dive.

[smellysocks]

The reason given ? "I didn't want to feel added pressure. Wanted to keep an exit door open in case I didn't feel like it on the day."

This, right here. With all the publicity, it would have been very hard for Garman to pull out, even if he wanted to.

 

[SterlingCGJ]

This, right here. With all the publicity, it would have been very hard for Garman to pull out, even if he wanted to.

I do agree with this. He had actually boxed himself into a corner concerning making the dive.

 

[Scuba_tacoma]

While we wait for possible answers in this situation, which I understand may take a long time or never come, lets take a more positive direction. In the spirit of learning from mistakes, what advise can you give in the way of safety? Obviously this is a very broad question but I would like to take an opportunity to listen to people with possibly more experience than myself on the topic. Maybe there is a common practice you see often that you think will lead to injury or death? Please share one for both technical and recreational diving. "... you should take a step back and try to listen to what some very experienced voices are saying here. No one is doing this for self promotion or secondary gain. Divers - especially technical divers - are a closely knit and mutually supportive tribe. Every death is to some degree personal for us." The above is one of the best quotes I have read in the last two days. Thanks

 

[AJ]

In the spirit of learning from mistakes, what advise can you give in the way of safety?

Lesson learned: just don't do it.

As far as I am concerned there's not much more to learn from this tragedy. I will never dive to these extreme depths, neither wil 99,99999999999% of all the divers in the world.

 

[Jax]

Thank you, Scuba Tacoma!

The "blending gas for an extreme dive on standard scuba shop equipment", to which Doppler alluded in one of these convoluted threads, is a fascinating subject for anyone who has done or wants to do advanced gases.

Basically, Doppler said something about (paraphrased) you cannot partial-pressure blend when you are measuring moles of O₂'.

EDIT: the mass of an O₂ mole is 32 grams . . . or the mole is -- help!

To help those who don't know - to partial pressure blend in a 'normal' scuba operation, you figure out the percentages O₂ and what else you need. For this purpose, we will stick to O₂.

For example, if you have an empty AL80, to mix a 32% mix, you do the calculations (take the course) and you add 417 psi of O₂.

To measure this, you would want a digital gauge - analog is too much estimation.

You would want a gauge that measures up to 5000psi - because a gauge near its max and min is not as accurate.

So, let's say you get such a thing:

Note the gauge accuracy s 1% of its range. 1% of 5000psi = .01x5000 = 50 psi.

Wait, What?!?!?! That is PLUS or MINUS 50 psi. So that means you could have from 467 psi to 367 psi! Then top with air, that adds O₂.

Now, 467 psi O₂ ends up to 34%, and 367 psi O₂ ends up as 31%.

So, you have a possible % swing on O₂ percentage.

Here is the issue on the calculations - they depend on the Ideal Gas Law. When you add in the temperature and such, things swing wider.

Down to 1200 feet would require around 3.9 % O₂. At the ambient temperature of the water at 1200 FSW.

(1) You cannot afford ANY swing in O₂ at that depth. You are inches from Oxygen toxicity.

(2) You cannot measure that specific of O₂ without going to a temperature controlled, weight-measured-in-a-neutral-air environment.

Unless, of course, you have access to all the tools, instruments, support and supervisor expertise, and equipment of saturation divers (i.e., crazy people) who do 400 or more FSW daily.


Asbestos suit on. ;-)

 

[doctormike]

Lesson learned: just don't do it.

As far as I am concerned there's not much more to learn from this tragedy. I will never dive to these extreme depths, neither wil 99,99999999999% of all the divers in the world.

I disagree. Even though we won't personally dive to those depths, going through the work of calculating gas requirements, pressure changes, exposure suit and buoyancy needs, etc... are all useful exercises that help us with our own dive planning.

 

[Akimbo]

... Someone decided to take a calculated risk and do a dive he was not qualified for. How can I say that with such certainty ? Because no qualification or formal training exist that get someone to 1200 ft on open-circuit Scuba. The person died. The community is upset and wants to discuss what can be done to prevent similar incidents...

This is true anytime humans try to exceed known limits. The trouble here is the constraints of diving to 1200' are well understood. Testing a new theory, medication, and/or support system to manage these known constraints would be pioneering. Trying to beat the odds is a pointless waste even when successful. Beating the odds just proves you were lucky once and is of no value to you or anyone else.

Perhaps the only benefit to this discussion is some Scubaboard readers have learned about the practical constraints of diving to these depths. It is just unfortunate that the exchange had to result from such a flawed dive plan instead of the deceased asking a few questions before wasting the remainder of his life.

 

[The Chairman]

And, terms such as 'reckless', 'egotistical', and even 'suicide', etc. have been inserted in various threads, and that is uncomfortable, at least for me.

I'm sorry if this offends you, but this was a suicide at the very core. No, it wasn't an intentional suicide and I don't believe he wanted to die. But there is no question that the diver was killed by his own actions and no one else. No matter how much assistance he had, he made the decision to gear up and splash that day. His actions caused his demise. He clearly demonstrated that he felt he was impervious to the extreme physiology he was going to be exposed to and it's my opinion that he persuaded his team that he had the secrets no one else possessed. It was the opposite of "Group Think" in my estimation, but of a single authority who was deluded into believing that he could actually accomplish this feat.

 

[Jax]

I disagree. Even though we won't personally dive to those depths, going through the work of calculating gas requirements, pressure changes, exposure suit and buoyancy needs, etc... are all useful exercises that help us with our own dive planning.

Exactly! Even my fumbled calculations above bring home the seriousness of gas planning the deeper you go.

 

[SterlingCGJ]

This is true anytime humans try to exceed known limits. The trouble here is the constraints of diving to 1200' are well understood. Testing a new theory, medication, and/or support system to manage these known constraints would be pioneering. Trying to beat the odds is a pointless waste even when successful. Beating the odds just proves you were lucky once and is of no value to you or anyone else.

Perhaps the only benefit to this discussion is some Scubaboard readers have learned about the practical constraints of diving to these depths. It is just unfortunate that the exchange had to result from such a flawed dive plan than the deceased asking a few questions before wasting the remainder of his life.

I know little to nothing about Sat diving. How do Sat divers deal with the issues of the pressure on their joints?