Lite Nitrox at 145

[Nick_Radov]

Thanks everybody for chiming in on a lite nitrox at 145 . My main purpose is to stay a little more clear headed like when a three foot ling cod torpedos in your face then nitrogen narcosis comes into effect and the bumped up O2 may help .

Almost all gasses are narcotic to some extent so it's not just "nitrogen" narcosis. There's some evidence that oxygen might be less narcotic than nitrogen but no clear scientific consensus on the issue yet. And even if true, there's no practical difference between 21% and 26% oxygen from a narcosis standpoint.

The other factor that you seem to be neglecting is hypercapnia, including the narcotic effects of CO2. If you have to exert yourself to manage an emergency then CO2 can hit you like a ton of bricks at the worst possible moment; the effects are much stronger than nitrogen. Hence the importance of minimizing gas density to keep work of breathing within safe limits.

The fact that you would come to ScubaBoard to ask such a question indicates that you are unclear on the basics and were never trained for such dives by a competent instructor. I'm not trying to be a jerk here but you seriously need to a step back and rethink your plans before you hurt yourself. You don't even know what you don't know.

 

[rjack321]

Who said you need a buddy? What’s wrong with solo diving? Trying to find a buddy on the boat is a lottery anyway.

The charter boat you want to take you there may very well insist on it for their own "liability." And their aren't that many charters left to pick from

 

[beldridg]

I've been on the Moody a couple times and have an unfinished project to build a photogrammetry model of both sections (they are separated by a swimmable distance and there is generally a line between them).

Infamous SoCal Wreck — Photogrammetry Model Teaser

I have quite a few local wreck photogrammetry projects lined up for the end of 2022 and well into 2023. Here is a teaser for one that I started working on after a recent dive. For those who don&#82…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

A couple quick notes about the dive in case you aren't aware: it is usually relatively cold on the bottom (my last two dives were 52F and 55F) and visibility can be anywhere from 5 feet to 20-ish+ feet. My last dive on her was basically a night dive. It is also near a major shipping channel and can have some heavy currents (I know a very experienced diver that was on a scooter and got blown off the downline). Finally, there is not a permanent line on either section so it is a live drop and pickup.

My point being - if you aren't comfortable in those conditions (cold, limited vis, dark, currents), the lack of helium is not going to help. I know plenty of people that dive the USS Moody on air but they have been on that wreck probably 30+ times.

- brett

PS - Hopefully I'll finish my model this year. The conditions in SoCal are finally getting better.

 

[beldridg]

The charter boat you want to take you there may very well insist on it for their own "liability." And their aren't that many charters left to pick from

Almost guaranteed. I don't know of any boats that go to the Moody on any published schedule which means either a private charter on a commercial boat or a friend with a boat suitable for diving.

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing any commercial boat here in SoCal is going to want to know the diver before they take them to the Moody.

- brett

 

[johndiver999]

I've been on the Moody a couple times and have an unfinished project to build a photogrammetry model of both sections (they are separated by a swimmable distance and there is generally a line between them).

Infamous SoCal Wreck — Photogrammetry Model Teaser

I have quite a few local wreck photogrammetry projects lined up for the end of 2022 and well into 2023. Here is a teaser for one that I started working on after a recent dive. For those who don&#82…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

A couple quick notes about the dive in case you aren't aware: it is usually relatively cold on the bottom (my last two dives were 52F and 55F) and visibility can be anywhere from 5 feet to 20-ish+ feet. My last dive on her was basically a night dive. It is also near a major shipping channel and can have some heavy currents (I know a very experienced diver that was on a scooter and got blown off the downline). Finally, there is not a permanent line on either section so it is a live drop and pickup.

My point being - if you aren't comfortable in those conditions (cold, limited vis, dark, currents), the lack of helium is not going to help. I know plenty of people that dive the USS Moody on air but they have been on that wreck probably 30+ times.

- brett

PS - Hopefully I'll finish my model this year. The conditions in SoCal are finally getting better.

I read on scubaboard that this is a simple dive; up and down a line and requires near zero fitness.

 

[Still Kicking]

Tragically, people have died on the Moody, thinking it was no big deal to dive it on air. Underestimate it at your peril.

Diver Who Perished With Son Was an Expert in His Field : Tragedy: Officials are still probing circumstances surrounding the deaths of the scuba expedition leader and his teen-age boy off San Pedro.

By all accounts, Darren Douglass was among the most accomplished scuba divers on the West Coast: underwater photographer, editor of a dive boat magazine, leader of charter excursions to the deep.

www.latimes.com

 

[rx7diver]

He asked for Nitrox mix, not Trimix. 145 feet is 45 metres. For wrecks of that depth in Sydney, I always use 26%.

If there is a hard bottom at 145 fsw, EAN26 would work for a recreational dive. If the bottom is deeper, I would go a bit leaner, but still plan for a 145 fsw dive.

rx7diver

 

[Eastwest]

That was my first dive on the Moody one week after the Darren Douglass and son tragedy . My friend John Lynch was looking for dead and bent diver gear while I stayed close to the anchor line . Over confidence played a major role in this accident only to retrieve a junkyard anchor fouled in the wreck . God bless their souls and angels to protect us all . Rumdumb

 

[Eric802]

I'm not trying to be a jerk here…

The mind boggles at the thought of what a jerk you could be if you really applied yourself.

 

[sandiegoaes]

Tragically, people have died on the Moody, thinking it was no big deal to dive it on air. Underestimate it at your peril.

Diver Who Perished With Son Was an Expert in His Field : Tragedy: Officials are still probing circumstances surrounding the deaths of the scuba expedition leader and his teen-age boy off San Pedro.

By all accounts, Darren Douglass was among the most accomplished scuba divers on the West Coast: underwater photographer, editor of a dive boat magazine, leader of charter excursions to the deep.

www.latimes.com

I don't think this statement is fair or accurate.

Given the circumstances of Darren and Jeremiah's death, I don't believe the use of air really had anything to do with it. There were many other compelling factors that were much more egregious in the reasons they perished.