ajduplessis
Contributor
Looking at the video its difficult to take anything serious.
Doc Deep plans 1200' Dive
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Looking at the other meticulous plans for other extreme deep dives (starting with Exley) I just don't know how Dr. Deep expects to survive this, so I'm interested in his thought process, how he will do something different, and where. Dives of this magnitude are often done in holes or sinks so that current is an issue that doesn't have to be dealt with, and bodies can be recovered easily with an ROV.
stcroixscuba
Contributor
Wow some pretty harsh replies. Let me set a few things straight. First of all I'm the voice behind the video and never really intended it to be used like this (or anything else really). Along with running a dive shop I also do voiceover and other radio production. I was playing around with a new microphone and came up with what I thought would be a humorous, in house, audio. One of our Instructors put it to some stock video. At over two minutes it's not like we were ever planning to use it as a radio ad or anything like that.
Various things that have been said here about Doc Deep and his deep diving are correct and quite a few are completely un-informed. I'm not going to get into specifics as I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a Tec diver nor do I plan to be. I happened across this thread doing a search for the keyword "St. Croix" as I normally do looking to see if I can answer questions divers may have about our island. All I do is Captain the boat for Tec Dive Wednesday where he, along with the support staff practices for the world record breaking attempt.
One thing mentioned was the damage to his lungs. Yes it will happen. I'm told (by him) to the tune of 15%-20% of his lung capacity. I don't remember the term used for it but I'm sure plenty of you here know what he's talking about. This came about by my asking what would be next? 1250? 1300'?. That's when he explained the lung damage thing and said there would be no more deep diving for him. It's his decision and his alone. Would I do it? Hell no (I've already said I'm not a tec diver to begin with). I will support his wanting to do it. And by the way we're not in this for money or accolades. We're not even charging him for the all day charter that it will take to pull off this dive. He pays for his own gas, he pays members of our staff to blend the gas for him, he pays a very minimal amount for his space on the boat (as a local diver) for the Wednesday dives.
Why does anyone want to set a world record? Fame? Personal feelings? I don't know. We set one several years ago for the largest underwater wedding. Certainly that didn't have anywhere near the danger factor of this dive. By definition anyone attempting a world record is doing something most people wouldn't or couldn't. As the saying goes "if it was easy everyone would be doing it". You Tec Divers are already in a very very very small percentage of the total scuba diving community. I spend a lot of time during our boat briefings on Tec Dive Wednesday reminding the regular (I don't want to same "normal") divers that are on the same boat (yes we can easily mix the two) that it's quite alright to just look at the colorful fish and reef. Not everyone is cut out to be a Tec Diver and a lot less at the level of Doc Deep.
Along with being a Nose, Ear, and Throat specialist, Doc Deep is also a hyperbaric medicine specialist. I don't know the level or anything else. I'm writing this without consulting him at all. He has studied this and lives and breaths it (literally).
To facilitate this dive we have sunk a 1,300' line with a 250# weight on it. This was the line used for the 815' dive. That eliminates any chance of a deep support diver missing him. There are medical staff on hand including physicians, physician assistants (both also deep divers) with full trauma units. His wife is one of those two.
Someone mentioned the cold. Definitely a problem but he won't be at extreme depths for very long. The plan is to bounce down to 1200' then rapidly back up till the first gas switch when the deep support team meets him. I don't remember the depths involved there because, again, I'm not a Tec Diver.
I'm sure that 99% of the people reading this know more about Tec Diving than I do. If this is successfully pulled off it will show off St. Croix as the Tec Diving destination that it's becoming. Warm water, clear water, blue water, and deep water within minutes of the dock. (It will only take us about 15 minutes to get to the dive site). Our regular Wednesday Tec Dives where he's going to 550' are taking place 10 minutes away. We don't expect anyone else to attempt this and I'll tell you right now that we wouldn't support it. We do it this time to support a good friend. On the other hand if you Tec Divers are looking for an excellent place to dive deep, or on rebreathers this is one of the best places on the planet for it.
I apologize for this long reply by a guy who's not a Tec Diver but I just couldn't let some of what's being said go unanswered. As I said in the first sentence there were some pretty harsh replies. Nobody's suggesting that everyone should try something like this. Heck I don't think anyone should but it's not my life. I fully support Doc Deep and will do everything in my power to make sure that it's as safe as it can be, but ultimately it's all up to him, his research, his planning, and his support team.
Various things that have been said here about Doc Deep and his deep diving are correct and quite a few are completely un-informed. I'm not going to get into specifics as I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a Tec diver nor do I plan to be. I happened across this thread doing a search for the keyword "St. Croix" as I normally do looking to see if I can answer questions divers may have about our island. All I do is Captain the boat for Tec Dive Wednesday where he, along with the support staff practices for the world record breaking attempt.
One thing mentioned was the damage to his lungs. Yes it will happen. I'm told (by him) to the tune of 15%-20% of his lung capacity. I don't remember the term used for it but I'm sure plenty of you here know what he's talking about. This came about by my asking what would be next? 1250? 1300'?. That's when he explained the lung damage thing and said there would be no more deep diving for him. It's his decision and his alone. Would I do it? Hell no (I've already said I'm not a tec diver to begin with). I will support his wanting to do it. And by the way we're not in this for money or accolades. We're not even charging him for the all day charter that it will take to pull off this dive. He pays for his own gas, he pays members of our staff to blend the gas for him, he pays a very minimal amount for his space on the boat (as a local diver) for the Wednesday dives.
Why does anyone want to set a world record? Fame? Personal feelings? I don't know. We set one several years ago for the largest underwater wedding. Certainly that didn't have anywhere near the danger factor of this dive. By definition anyone attempting a world record is doing something most people wouldn't or couldn't. As the saying goes "if it was easy everyone would be doing it". You Tec Divers are already in a very very very small percentage of the total scuba diving community. I spend a lot of time during our boat briefings on Tec Dive Wednesday reminding the regular (I don't want to same "normal") divers that are on the same boat (yes we can easily mix the two) that it's quite alright to just look at the colorful fish and reef. Not everyone is cut out to be a Tec Diver and a lot less at the level of Doc Deep.
Along with being a Nose, Ear, and Throat specialist, Doc Deep is also a hyperbaric medicine specialist. I don't know the level or anything else. I'm writing this without consulting him at all. He has studied this and lives and breaths it (literally).
To facilitate this dive we have sunk a 1,300' line with a 250# weight on it. This was the line used for the 815' dive. That eliminates any chance of a deep support diver missing him. There are medical staff on hand including physicians, physician assistants (both also deep divers) with full trauma units. His wife is one of those two.
Someone mentioned the cold. Definitely a problem but he won't be at extreme depths for very long. The plan is to bounce down to 1200' then rapidly back up till the first gas switch when the deep support team meets him. I don't remember the depths involved there because, again, I'm not a Tec Diver.
I'm sure that 99% of the people reading this know more about Tec Diving than I do. If this is successfully pulled off it will show off St. Croix as the Tec Diving destination that it's becoming. Warm water, clear water, blue water, and deep water within minutes of the dock. (It will only take us about 15 minutes to get to the dive site). Our regular Wednesday Tec Dives where he's going to 550' are taking place 10 minutes away. We don't expect anyone else to attempt this and I'll tell you right now that we wouldn't support it. We do it this time to support a good friend. On the other hand if you Tec Divers are looking for an excellent place to dive deep, or on rebreathers this is one of the best places on the planet for it.
I apologize for this long reply by a guy who's not a Tec Diver but I just couldn't let some of what's being said go unanswered. As I said in the first sentence there were some pretty harsh replies. Nobody's suggesting that everyone should try something like this. Heck I don't think anyone should but it's not my life. I fully support Doc Deep and will do everything in my power to make sure that it's as safe as it can be, but ultimately it's all up to him, his research, his planning, and his support team.
descent
Contributor
It's very kind of you to take the time to write a detailed reply as a visitor to a tech diving forum. Thank you for making the effort.
Depending on who you ask, HPNS becomes a problem about a third of the way into his profile. A diver with a transient neurological problem could really benefit from some help. Shaking hands cannot clip or unclip well. Eyes with blurred vision cannot read labels on deco tanks, etc.
Support divers help with gas switches and in many other ways. For really deep support, the deepest support crews will in turn need their own support. Because the dive profiles of the support divers will overlap, the number of people required grows exponentially for each additional linear measure of depth. The math is similar to planning the number of bricks required for a pyramid.
I am wondering where are all of these people will sit on the small vessel pictured, where their gas will be stored, and which portion of the deck surface not covered by humans or gas will be dedicated to the hyperbaric chamber, operator(s), and physician.
Best regards.
stcroixscuba
Contributor
Actually there will be 3 vessels involved. The you've seen is the primary one that will host all of the tanks and the various support divers as their turns in the water are nearing. There's a second smaller boat that is used as a chase boat. A third private yacht being provided will serve as a place for the divers to relax during their down time. The chase boat will ferry them between the yacht and the dive boat.
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ajduplessis
Contributor
I cant recall, but is the date for this 1200ft dive been announced yet?
CT-Rich
Contributor
i am still surprised he is willing to trade 15-20% of his lung capacity for this dive. The dive is basically a trade for years off his life. Its unfortunate to me that ha values this dive so much. Ultimately it is his decision, but I see much more value in other diving endeavors that might be real medical research rather than this onetime spectacle. I hope succeeds if he insists on doing it.
stcroixscuba
Contributor
Yes, August 15, 2015.
---------- Post added July 23rd, 2015 at 04:52 PM ----------
That's not going to be the case with this dive. Doc Deep told me yesterday that once the dive's done he will gladly share ANY information he has with ANYONE who wants it. Yes, several of those who have preceded him have chosen to consider it proprietary information. Not him.
ajduplessis
Contributor
Will follow this one more closely than I did the others.
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