halcyon rebreathers

[roakey]

Originally posted by gentlegiant
Thank you for correcting my error Roakey, I appologize for getting WKPP and the Wakulla2 project mixed up. I do want to point out a couple things about your final statements though:
1. The DCS case occured near the start of the mapping project when the team was still refining procedures and did not have the chamber in place yet. Given the number, depth and length of dives though 1 DCS case is actually a pretty good feat. The diver recovered after the chamber runs and I believe he was diving again within a couple weeks.
2. The CNS Tox hit happened to a National Geographic photographer who was not part of the actual Wakulla2 team and was not using a rebreather.
3. The death occurred from natural causes as stated in the medical examiner's report, not diving related injury.

I gleaned the above from the Wakulla2 website daily reports

1) What are you saying, they were in Wakulla without knowing how to deco? Or that it's OK to bend people by accident if there's a chamber on site?

WKPP doesn't dive with a chamber on site and they've been diving in there for years. Where are their helicopter evacs?

Stone doesn't know how to do deco, that's why the diver got bent. No excuses. His entire reason for being in Wakulla was to outstrip the WKPP and he was willing to do it at any cost. Not only did he not suceed, but the cost was very, very high.

2) Stone had absolute control over all diving in Wakulla. The Nat Geo photographer was diving with his permission. This illustrates the complete lack of control Stone had over procedures, divers and standards.

3) Please note the Wakulla2 page reports the *first* ME report, but not the second. After the first ME came up with “stomach hemorrhage” or whatever, a number of divers forced the Cis-Lunar unit to be turned over to a second ME for a second opinion. The first ME didn’t know how to dump the log from the unit, divers familiar with the CL made sure the second ME knew how. The second ME completely revised the cause of death. The log clearly showed the loop going hypoxic. Turns out Kendall didn’t turn on his oxygen and had disabled the alarms on the unit. Again Stone’s “cowboy” attitude over the project allowed Kendall into the water solo and it killed him. We learn to dive in buddy teams in OW, it’s when we think we’re invincible that we become stupid.

So if you want facts, they break down as: DCS: Stone’s fault due to poor dive procedures. OxTox: Stone’s fault due to poor dive procedures. Death: Stone’s fault due to poor dive procedures.

The reason folks hate the WKPP and Irvine so much is that Irvine’s both rude and successful. A combination that people love to hate. His organization doesn’t bend people, doesn’t tox people and certainly doesn’t kill people. And they’ve done *magnitudes* more dives in Wakulla than Stone has.

The sheer amount and magnitude of Stone’s failures over such a short period of time is nothing less than staggering.

Roak

 

[gentlegiant]

I do not hate anyone. I have no involvement with either WKPP or the Wakulla projects and do not know any of the people involved. I merely read the Wakulla2 website and posted the info I found there. I did not intend this to be a huge WKPP vs. Bill Stone blowup and it really does not matter to me. I do not recall saying anything negative about WKPP or positive about the Wakulla2 dives, yet I am being attacked as if I did. I asked the question about the Cis-Lunar rebreathers being used because I had seen mention of them being used in Wakulla Spring. I put WKPP in as the user since, at that time, I was not aware that there had been multiple competing projects at Wakulla Spring and thought that WKPP was the overall project team. I did not do this to be snide or to try and make any organization look bad.

 

[Rickoz]

Anyone know how deep they are rated to

 

[shaner]

Yes, I have been diving the new (RB 80) one for about seven months and have 100+ hrs on it. Between my partner and me we have over 200 hrs and 150+ cave dives with exploration dives approaching 5 hrs. We have not had any problems other than some minor bubbling in the teflon which halcyon is trying to work out. No functional problems at all.