trymixdiver once bubbled...
Thanks for clearing a few things up. I now see the point of diving "wet" as opposed to dry.
Yeah, dry would be really nice, but I had to make a choice as to which set of problems to handle... The ones created by diving wet or the ones created by diving dry. I chose the wet; an unusual choice. I think with the right preparation, the "wet problems" wouldn't be too hard to handle.
Interestingly, this is a departure from other's world record attempts... So it's unusual in that.
hope you pack a reel for that overhead environment 
Wow good thing your dropping in a porta potty, i would hate to log on to the web cam and see you demonstrating the "Warhammer" to the nation.
Heheheheee... For that matter, I suspect that the "window" in the facility will be a pretty popular place for surface support and for the general public. Yeah, I definitely need a few moments every day.
The aquariums at the SC Aquarium (where I was a volunteer) had a sort of "cave" structure underneath of the false reef. We used it to store things... Sorta like a "closet." That's what I've got in mind for the facility that I use, but I may need to construct something, depending on what's available at the final facility.
I would assume your going to be required to have a standby diver at all times for this ?
Yes... There will be surface support 24/7, and all surface support personnel will be required to be at least OW certified... And then checked out by the leaders of this team. So not only will there be an actual standby diver, but anyone on staff will be able to, in a pinch, act as a sort of "backup" standby diver.
How are you planning addressing the sleeping issue, are you diving with a little extra weight ?
Great question...
Surprisingly, I think I'm going to end up spending a good bit of time on the bottom anyway. Simply put, it'll be a very safe place to be. The worst thing I can think of happening, aside from obvious physical harm, would be for me to get distracted somehow and lose control of my buoyancy... And break the surface, ruining everything. Thus, the bottom's a great, safe place to be. Likely I will spend most of my time there, with the exception of about four hours a day, when I'm swimming for the fun and exercise of it, while neutrally buoyant.
Sleeping, as you said, though, will likely happen on the bottom, although I doubt I'll have to change my weights... I'll probably just dump all buoyancy and basically sleep on the bottom, unassisted. There is, however, a technique that I may be interested in, that someone else found to be more comfortable... Sleeping on the ceiling of the "private room" (outhouse)! I've never tried the latter... But I'll give it a shot. Sounds pretty comfy, actually. I might do either from time to time just to break up the monotany.
So your not planning on having comms 24/7. Just how are your going to get voice comms in this case ?
Well, I think that there will be a lot of hand communication, like "regular" divers do... There will probably be a good bit of communication with slates at the window, and of course, there will be the computer and the message boards and all of that. Honestly, I don't think that voice communication will be of the utmost importance the entire time. I believe that it can be restricted to just the times when in an FFM, which will admittedly be most of the time, anyway. My FFM, which will have both a transmitter and reciever in it, will transmit and recieve to an underwater communciations center, which will, via wire, connect to the surface. Surface support will then be able to communicate back and forth to me underwater. In-water support will probably also be linked into the system wirelessly.
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Which FFM or FFMs are you going to use ?
Well, if I had my choice, it would be the Kirby Morgan "EXO" series... In fact, I may purchase one of these so that I have my own personalized, choice gear for this dive. Simply put, I really like the high-end components and the GLASS lens on the front, which undoubtedly wears much better than acrylic.
Unfortunately, what's available to us is a set of AGA masks, which, prior to the EXO's, would have been my choice, due to thier high-end components and excellent design. The reason that I'm not as crazy about these is because of the acrylic lenses in them, which, IMHO, get beat up pretty easily, particularly in salt water. I do like the side exhaust, though, and of course, the unimpeded visibility. We will likely be using these masks because several of them are available to us at no charge.
You mentioned a K bottle as a bail out or for sleeping. Does this mean the res of the time your are using only b/p and wings ? what i mean is your not planning on doing this dive just sitting around multiple K bottles on the bottom. The plan is to be mobile correct ?
I think there will be a healthy amount of both. Two weeks is a long time to be underwater! Certainly the mainstay will be the bp/wing, what I was referring to as "backgas." If I find, however, that doubles don't let me sleep long enough, then I may choose to sleep on the K bottle or on a small bank/manifold of cylinders, unattached to me. I also plan on using these seperate cylinders so as to be able to get out of my harness occassionally, strictly for the variety and comfort level. But yes, for the most part, I'll be wearing a bp/wing with backgas. While I'm wearing that, surface support will be preparing another bp/wing rig and dropping it in the water so that when mine dries up, I can switch rigs. I'll then float my "dry" rig to the top, where they'll retrieve it (possibly with the use of other divers) and prep it for more use. I have planned four rigs like this, in a sort of constant "conveyor" of life support. It would simply continue for fourteen days straight, with emergency "bailout" and/or "sleeping bottles" on the bottom.
There's going to come a time when I know, exactly, where this is going to take place... And when. (Right now, it's looking at something like this upcoming November.) When that does, I'll be searching for surface support... Divers willing to be a part of this for the sheer joy of breaking a world record.
You interested?
