JeffG:
Well then. It was worth it.
Heh...it's all about the card...
Here's the skinny:
Drift Diving topics… So here are some things that might be covered in a specialty drift diving course:
* There are at least 3 satellite networks that orbit the earth and provide satellite telephone service. Two of these are Russian. There may be more that I am unaware of, not including closed military systems. Which satellite telephone would you purchase if you were going to go on a remote diving trip to the South Pacific? Which satellite network offers the most reliable coverage, and how frequently do the satellites flyover that region?
Immarsat and Gonetz are the two Russian satellite networks I was referring to (there may be others, including military networks).
http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/satellite/telephones/cell_satellite.html
http://www.outfittersatellite.com/iridium.htm
http://www.remotesatellite.com/
* There are at least 3 different types of EPIRBS. What is an EPIRB, which EPIRB would be best for use in an archepelago without a standby Coast Guard, and which would support satellite relay of the signal to regional stations in Hawaii or Japan? Why is GPS an advantage for an EPIRB carried by a drift diver, and what are the requirements for that GPS signal to be transmitted along with the EPIRB transmission? Name two easy ways that divers can carry an EPIRB along with them on a drift dive?
http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/epirb.htm
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm
http://www.equipped.org/406_beacon_test_summary.htm
One of the easiest ways for most divers to carry an EPIRB with them is to use a modified battery pack off of an older canister light. Older can lights can be found on eBay. Alternately, check around various dive shops. Have a manufacturer (or a light guy you find on ScubaBoard) put a top on it that does not include the hole for the cord. The larger diameter canisters for the older lead/acid batteries may be more useful. The “Oh ****” tube I assembled was attached to my doubles using a Pony Tamer. If you want a manufactured item, here is one option:
http://www.mcmurdo.co.uk/products/product.html?product_type=6&product_sector=5&product=37
* What is a "Pelelieu Pack" and what are its contents? Why were they selected? What incident involving six Japanese scubadivers who drifted to their deaths after a dive boat failure resulted in the creation of the "Pelelieu Pack"? How should a drift diver best carry the "Pelelieu Pack"?
http://www.tabula-international.com/DIV/SMB3.html
* How many uses are there for a jon line, given two or three drift divers who are adrift after their dive boat either missed them or suffered some sort of failure?
A useful thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=107762&highlight=Normannia
Remember that search aircraft often fly at speeds above 135 knots; it is a ratio involving time on station/fuel consumption versus how much surface of the ocean the aircraft can cover in a certain time. A diver’s head in the water is a small target. Two divers, roped together using a jon line, with assorted SMBs, rafts, and/or signaling devices (mirrors/lights), would theoretically be much easier to spot from an aircraft than one diver, to say nothing of the emotional support that a buddy on the surface could provide. Use the jon line to rope yourselves together and secure floating SMBs or other equipment.
Other signaling information here:
http://www.equipped.com/signal.htm
* A diver has been adrift in the South Pacific for 52 hours. Given the currents and weather, the diver knows that there is a small group of islands that the diver could conceivably encounter, that the diver could swim towards if the diver only knew which direction to swim. The diver has a compass. What are some things the diver can look for that might yield a clue that an island lies in a certain direction?
Sea birds need fresh water. More than one bird flying in the same direction may be noted by the diver. Other possible clues may include seaweed or vegetation in the water. Most dive resorts have a map of the region posted somewhere. Familiarize yourself with the larger location or area around the dive resort. Have some idea of the locations of the islands in the vicinity of the region around your specific resort and the directions of the currents.
* Name three advantages of a closed-circuit SMB over an open-circuit SMB, and describe what two types of SMB a drift diver should carry when going to an extremely remote diving destination in the South Pacific?
A closed circuit SMB may be used for flotation without effort being expended to keep the open end below the surface. It will bear weight for hours or days that would cause the open-circuit device to deflate (in the absence of constant effort).
A closed-circuit SMB may be removed from the water and waved overhead at a passing aircraft. An open-circuit SMB will lose its rigidity and collapse upon the open end being lifted out of the water (unless the open end is held tightly shut).
A diver may drift unconscious on an inflated closed-circuit device. An unconscious diver is less likely to be held above the surface of the water by an open-circuit device (after the diver goes unconscious).
Divers may wish to consider two types of closed-circuit SMBS if vacationing in extremely remote diving destinations in the South Pacific. The first is a raft-type device such as this one. It secures to the bottom of your plate and hangs down behind your lower back, out of the way:
http://www.halcyon.net/mc/dlr.shtml
The second is a large SMB with a SOLAS radar-reflecting panel at the top which will be more likely to be seen by FLR radar on search aircraft, such as this one:
http://www.halcyon.net/mc/dam.shtml
With respect to the organization and conduct of a search, and the problems attendant thereto: (long thread, but you get a sense of the agony of the search and the frustrations inherent to remote operations with poor communications)
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread...i+Dan+Danielle
This list is not comprehensive. There are plenty of threads in the archives about both fatal incidents as well as signalling devices, GPS/EPIRBs, and emergency response - especially in Palau, the Western Carolines, Fiji, and Micronesia. There are many more topics that could be covered, but I would think that some accident or incident review, coupled with some or all of these topics, might be of value to a prospective drift diver in a drift diving specialty course.
IMHO. FWIW. YMMV.
Doc
