Is 130 ft too deep?
- Thread starter pediatron
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scubacoz22
Contributor
RIDIVER501:
Wow I didnt know this, then how come our DM took us to 160 feet in cozumel. We were all fine accept my high pressure hose blew down there 5 minutes into the dive and the DM gave me her octopus and we finished the dive at about 40 minutes later sharing air. First i shared air with her and then shared it with my hubby. I thought we should go up but no we finished our dive with no problems. Is that safe to do?
Kathy
pediatron:
True you did.
But as you can see this is a hot discussion topic. Even though we seem to be off your question directly. I am enjoying a lot of the information being posted. Not so much the less helpful posts.
I do believe this as a good discussion to have. Since there are a lot of divers with questions about going to those depths.
Mark Vlahos
Contributor
No, it was not safe.scubacoz22:
A 160 foot dive is a decompression dive, if you did this on air without training you were in more jeopardy than you know. Gas management is important BECAUSE you need to account for a major failure and still get out safely.
I do not have v-planner available to me at this time, so I have not run the profile. Did you head directly to shallower depths and eventually the surface after the blowout or did you continue to look at the pretty fishes at 160 feet for a while before heading up?
If you had a major equipment failure like a blown high pressure hose on this dive you should have been happy to get back to the surface even if you started back up immediately. If your dive master continued the dive (to look at the pretty fishes) with your backgas depleted and only after the long continuation of the dive did you head for the surface, you should have gone out and immediately bought a lottery ticket. I think you do not know how lucky you, and the other divers in your party were, because they were at risk too.
One important role of gas management is to have enough gas to safely get back to the surface if you have a complete failure at the most critical part of the dive. It is expected on a dive like yours with a major failure like yours the dive is over, period.
Yikes, this thread is starting to scare me.
Mark Vlahos
ShakaZulu
Contributor
scubacoz22:
You are kidding right, this is insane........nice to still have you with us. I think I will take insurance on you.
DavidPT40
Contributor
Diving past 80 feet actually can cause permanent neurological and spinal damage. I'm not talking about DCI or air embolisms. I am referring to perfectly normal dives.
Autopsys on professional divers (who died of non-diving related injuries) show significant spinal chord damage.
Autopsys on professional divers (who died of non-diving related injuries) show significant spinal chord damage.
Mark Vlahos:
No kidding.
We preach
If A: goes wrong = End dive
If B: goes wrong = End dive
scubacoz22:
Yes you should have.
Did you have a computer on? Did it put you in Deco?
Glad you made it back
ShakaZulu
Contributor
DavidPT40:
Man, that is unreal. I do at least two 100ft+ dives per wk, and I swear, sometimes my lower spine/hip joints feel weird???
DavidPT40
Contributor
The problems linked to decompression sickness can primarily be called "bubble trouble." Whenever bubbles form, they obstruct normal body function. This may prevent normal exchange of nutrients and oxygen and allows waste products to accumulate. This can, over time, create destruction of body cells. Medical evidence is beginning to accumulate that suggests there may be gradual deterioration of nervous system tissue upon repeated exposure to deep diving. It is believed that this damage can occur without ever showing gross clinical signs (i.e. joint pain, etc.) classically associated with decompression sickness hits. Although still far from complete, early studies seem to imply that there is a marked deterioration in short-term memory and reasoning skills in commercial divers aged 24-39. Autopsy studies of three deep divers who died of non-diving related causes indicated that there was a marked degradation of spinal cord tissue. It is believed that the spinal cord lesions were created from diving. Although controversial, there is some evidence that deep diving can block retinal blood flow and create vision problems due to a damaged retina. Additional studies measuring blood chemistry and urine of divers imply that the liver, as well, may be damaged in divers diving as shallow as 30 meters (98 feet).
The body is a remarkable biochemical machine with much redundancy. It can sustain some tissue damage that can be compensated for by this redundancy. However, repeated exposure to tissue-damaging conditions will ultimately result in loss of function.
Bottom line: The DAN numbers suggest that diving below 80 fsw is a significant risk factor for sport divers (more than 70% of DAN treatments involved sport dives to depths below 80 fsw). The deeper and more often this deep diving occurs, the more the risk for long-term neurological damage. It is not possible to predict the type and severity of this physiological impairment.
http://www.mindspring.com/~divegeek/deep.htm
The body is a remarkable biochemical machine with much redundancy. It can sustain some tissue damage that can be compensated for by this redundancy. However, repeated exposure to tissue-damaging conditions will ultimately result in loss of function.
Bottom line: The DAN numbers suggest that diving below 80 fsw is a significant risk factor for sport divers (more than 70% of DAN treatments involved sport dives to depths below 80 fsw). The deeper and more often this deep diving occurs, the more the risk for long-term neurological damage. It is not possible to predict the type and severity of this physiological impairment.
http://www.mindspring.com/~divegeek/deep.htm
Very interesting statement, David. Can you point me to a reference for this? Sounds important.
Bryan
Bryan
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