Have tech divers equaled or surpassed what can be accomplished by US Navy divers?

[orange_diver]

By the time the tech divers finish defining the issue, the navy diver has orders in hand, and the commercial divers is already at depth, getting things done.

there's plenty of time, this tech diver will still be in the parking lot struggling into my new, almost painted on drysuit.

 

[Blackwood]

there's plenty of time, this tech diver will still be in the parking lot struggling into my new, almost painted on drysuit.

 

[Rick Inman]

... Ego ... I think most tech divers have a bit of that.

Not me, I'm much better than that.

 

[orange_diver]

 

[irishsquid]

I very much doubt it, but who the hell knows exactly what the Navy gets up to?

One example which probably illustrates the gulf: there are only eight (or possibly) nine technical divers who are known to have dived at depths greater than 800 feet. Yet years before these guys got there, the Navy published a paper on the use of experimental rebreathers at depths in excess of 850 feet for durations in excess of an hour (the paper includes references to depths as deep as 1,000 feet - long before Nuno Gomes and company got down there).

And if the Navy is comfortable publishing those figures, then you know that they are not talking about something new or cutting edge in terms of their capability.

That is quite a gulf.

I read an article earlier this year on Military.com (I think it was on that site) where a Master Chief had just reach the 2000 ft. mark on a dive. I'll see if I can find a link for it.

 

[irishsquid]

I read an article earlier this year on Military.com (I think it was on that site) where a Master Chief had just reach the 2000 ft. mark on a dive. I'll see if I can find a link for it.

Bingo! They were testing a suit and it appears that it works.

Navy Diver Sets Record with 2,000 foot Dive

 

[Captain CaveMan]

Operationally, the Navy does not mormally do repetetive dives and does not do deco dives unless on board recompression facilities are available. Last time I checked it was common on a deco dive to do the stops in water to 40', then the diver is brought up, popped in a chamber and blown back down to finish the deco on board. Part of that is to ensure the ship is able to move in minimum time.
.

Thats the reason why he got bent. After his 2nd time getting a type 1 hit was when he went + 600fsw to do something on a sub. ( I do not know the details. ) but I know they pulled him up too soon. But he said most of his dives were in 100fsw working on the boats and maintaining docks.

I would love to be a Navy diver and the life style but I could not deal with taking a chance of not coming home

 

[Tortuga68]

One example which probably illustrates the gulf: there are only eight (or possibly) nine technical divers who are known to have dived at depths greater than 800 feet. Yet years before these guys got there, the Navy published a paper on the use of experimental rebreathers at depths in excess of 850 feet for durations in excess of an hour (the paper includes references to depths as deep as 1,000 feet - long before Nuno Gomes and company got down there)

Not that it's not impressive, but very different to a solo dive on open circuit

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Thats the reason why he got bent. After his 2nd time getting a type 1 hit was when he went + 600fsw to do something on a sub. ( I do not know the details. ) but I know they pulled him up too soon. But he said most of his dives were in 100fsw working on the boats and maintaining docks.

I would love to be a Navy diver and the life style but I could not deal with taking a chance of not coming home

In that regard it is not much different that commercial diving. In the mid 80's offshore commercial divers made tons of money but it was not a question of if you'd get bent but rather when you'd get bent. Add in a near certainty that bone necrosis would end your career by age 40 and the money just did not seem to be all that wonderful and I chose a different career path and have limited my commerical diving to inland pursuits. And all my joints still work just fine at age 43.

Given the large number of wanna be offshore commercial divers now and the number of trained divers who are paying their dues as tenders and who would be happy to suit up if a diver says 'no', I doubt if it is any different today even though the money is less lucrative.

If I had to get bent, I'd prefer to do it for my country rather than for a corporate bottom line.

 

[slackercruster]

Not really a fair comparison. Goals, objectives, desires are completely different. Navy divers have done some pretty amazing things -- take a look at the documentary on raising the USS Monitor turret as an example. They don't just dive to look at things, have fun or explore new areas as most sport divers do.

I was told the Navy invented Tri mix. The private sector took it and built upon it. Was wondering if the Navy is always in the lead or if the private sector has caught up with any advancements and practices that originated from the navy.