If the world ran out of helium...

[DeepBound]

If the world ran out of helium, what's the deepest dive you would still do, without trimix?

My answer:
I'm not trimix trained, so my answer would be the same as now, 130ft.

 

[Charlie99]

I'd use air to get down to 30-40 meters, and then 4% or 5% O2 + hydrogen mix (hydrox) from there.

On a practical basis, things like helium don't just suddenly run out. They become progressively more expensive and marginal applications stop using it. If your desire to dive trimix is strong enough, you'll find the helium.

 

[DeepBound]

Which agency did you get hydrox trained? It sounds like it would be way cheaper than heliox or trimix, and is the way of the future. Maybe I'll skip helium training altogether.

I'd use air to get down to 30-40 meters, and then 4% or 5% O2 + hydrogen mix (hydrox) from there.

On a practical basis, things like helium don't just suddenly run out. They become progressively more expensive and marginal applications stop using it. If your desire to dive trimix is strong enough, you'll find the helium.

 

[Tomeck]

I dive regularly to 200 feet (60 meters) with air.

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

I'd use neon. No narcotic effects. I've also heard suggestions regarding SF6.

 

[El Orans]

130 Feet would be more than enough for me...

 

[Charlie99]

Which agency did you get hydrox trained? It sounds like it would be way cheaper than heliox or trimix, and is the way of the future. Maybe I'll skip helium training altogether.

Training? Certification? Who needs that when you have an electrolytic hydrogen generator and a compressor in your garage.

Running out of helium is a theoretical problem. Hydrox is my theoretical solution. (But it does have extensive history of use in the commercial diving world.)

The reason for using only 4% O2 is that O2-H2 mixtures with more than 4 or 5% O2 are very explosive. So you will always need a travel gas.

 

[lamont]

by the time we run out of helium to mine we'll be shipping it down to earth from the solar wind or the moon...

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Training? Certification? Who needs that when you have an electrolytic hydrogen generator and a compressor in your garage.

Running out of helium is a theoretical problem. Hydrox is my theoretical solution. (But it does have extensive history of use in the commercial diving world.)

The reason for using only 4% O2 is that O2-H2 mixtures with more than 4 or 5% O2 are very explosive. So you will always need a travel gas.

...in my 10 years of commercial oilfield diving I never used a hydrogen mix, though my deepsea days ended in 94'. Where have you heard such mix being used?

DSD

 

[GDI]

While there are other gases out there which can be used within the human body. A diver needs to look at the thermal retention properties of such gas as well as the breathing considerations.

How deep would I dive just on air? We may never know.

After all it only counts if you come back and can walk away from it.