Filmmaker Rob Stewart dies off Alligator Reef

[Wookie]

None that I'm aware of.

The Navy gave permission to examine the rebreather at NEDU. Although it was always assumed that the rebreather would be sent to NEDU, Sutton believed that it wouldn't actually be examined there (thrown in a corner and left to rot). The Coast Guard made a formal request to NEDU and they agreed to conduct the investigation of the rebreather.

That's actually a big deal.

 

[Christopher_B]

Other than a couple of try-dives on a Poseidon Mk VI 4 years ago, I have no CCR experience, so forgive my ignorance please. If the unit flooded, as is widely suspected, would the examination be able to bring to light any other pertinent facts?

 

[Wookie]

It would be able to determine the depth Rob was diving at during the dives (the site is 220, but there is some question as to his depth), it would determine the amount of O2 in the loop on the last dive, which speaks to whether he ran out of O2 or dil, it would let us know if his scrubber broke through, it would let us know if there was a failure of the rebreather of some sort, It would let us know how many hours he put on that particular scrubber change.

The handsets contain a tremendous amount of data.

 

[The Chairman]

What it won't give us is the amount of CO2 in the loop nor will it give us the pressures in any of his tanks. Remember, this was a work dive... they went to move the anchor. Consequently, we don't know just how hard they were working.

 

[Patoux01]

I it would let us know if his scrubber broke through

On a unit that has spent 3 days underwater and potentially an open DSV? If it's shut, then yes, but if it's flooded, isn't that point impossible to check?

 

[Wookie]

On a unit that has spent 3 days underwater and potentially an open DSV? If it's shut, then yes, but if it's flooded, isn't that point impossible to check?

Sorry, it would give us an indication of scrubber performance based on how many hours the unit had on it, along with the testimony of the other divers re: last scrubber change.

To be very clear: I am no expert (either in the legal sense or in the Scuba God sense) on rebreathers. I have seen an awful lot of them, and supervised many rebreather dives, but I hire experts to guide me.

 

[tripntx]

Does anybody know what the O2 cells would read if they became flooded? If so, how quickly would the reading respond to being flooded?

Hypothetical: If his loop shows proper ppo2 on surface, then depth starts going down because the loop had flooded, would it be readily understood by O2 reading on computer?

 

[doctormike]

Does anybody know what the O2 cells would read if they became flooded? If so, how quickly would the reading respond to being flooded?

Hypothetical: If his loop shows proper ppo2 on surface, then depth starts going down because the loop had flooded, would it be readily understood by O2 reading on computer?

The sensors would fail if flooded, but that wouldn't really matter very much for an investigation. The important information would be in the logged data from the dive, which would be a profile showing time, depth and PO2 (plus some other information). So presumably the log would show him hitting the surface (with that PO2 reading), then descending (as the unit flooded), and at some point the PO2 reading (i.e. the voltage from the cells) would drop to zero. The computer would then record stable depth (on the bottom) after that until the battery ran out. But the important information in the log would be from the initial splash to the surfacing.

 

[tripntx]

Doctormike,
Thanks for the reply. I fully understand what you said about the dive from initial splash until return to surface, I just wasn't sure about cell reading response to flooding, which you answered.

Tripntx
Hollis P2 with BOV and gag strap

 

[James_L]

The Navy gave permission to examine the rebreather at NEDU. Although it was always assumed that the rebreather would be sent to NEDU, Sutton believed that it wouldn't actually be examined there (thrown in a corner and left to rot). The Coast Guard made a formal request to NEDU and they agreed to conduct the investigation of the rebreather.

That's actually a big deal.

So if NEDU is going to examine the rebreather, will all of their findings be released publicly? Or, since the Coast Guard made the request, will NEDU only provide their report to the Coast Guard, and then the CG gets to decide what it wants to release to the public?

How much info, if any, will be released publicly?

And, how long is that expected to take?