"Mount Everest" of scuba diving

[Guy Alcala]

Totally. What you'd really want to look for is the K2 of diving.... K2 is a mountaineer's mountain, such a beautiful shape. It also has a much higher level of commitment required, and the risks involved are much higher.





No, but it is the worlds highest rubbish dump. I was there about fifteen years ago, both Base Camp and Advanced Base Camp are strewn with discarded oxygen cylinders and other non-degredable crap just dumped everywhere.

It won't have got any better......

There have been several cleanup expeditions, at least on the south side (since you mention Base and Advanced Base, I take it you were on the north side, i.e. coming down the Rongbuk?) and I believe there's another one (all Sherpa) this year. I agree that K2 is unlikely to ever see hundreds of adventure tourists like those being herded up Everest as if it was the Matterhorn x 2. You need to be a real climber on any of K2's routes, and it looks like a mountain should from any angle, while Everest is kind of hidden, at least from the south.

OTOH, I do have a quibble with an earlier post that K2 is "right next door to Everest". That's only the case if by "right next door," you mean 800 miles to the west at the other end of the Himalayas (the Karakoram, actually).

Guy

 

[Guy Alcala]

Goran Kropp cycled over to Everest (from Germany) and did it on his own. Amazing story.

Göran Kropp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And before Kropp there was (of course) Reinhold Messner:

Reinhold Messner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It should be mentioned that Messner's solo climb in 1980 (his 'support' consisted of his girlfriend, who he left at base camp) was also a first ascent of a new route.

Guy

 

[Rhone Man]

Are you suggesting that topic drift isn't a factor on SB? But enough of this, let's define what the requirements are for a wreck to become the _new_ Mt. Everest of diving. Does the wreck have to be deep? Big? Hard to get to? Historic (a disaster)? Difficult conditions? Other?

Those sound like pretty good parameters to me. Deep, difficult conditions, preferably big, and historic. Not sure if 'hard to get to' is a positive or a negative.

 

[Kevrumbo]

The Battleships HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse:

51m and 63m average depths respectively;
Capsized wrecks sunk-in-action;
Strong currents, murky visibility at depth;
Significant and interesting WWII history;
In the busy shipping lanes to the one of the largest container ports in the world --Singapore (i.e. drifting deco not recommended);
Risk of piracy. . .

 

[Superlyte27]

I would say so, since US nuclear subs, Seawolf Class, has a crush depth of 730 meters. [/QUOTE


LOL, according to who? Too funny. And it only goes 40knots too right?

 

[bladephotog]

In the US, or at least North America, I'd suggest that the Edmund Fitzgerald (560 ffw) might qualify. It's pretty much got to be a rebreather dive, the water's cold, it's historic (or at least fairly well known, owing purely to the song), etc. Penetrations obviously not as convoluted as the Doria (the wreck's in two pieces), and I've never dived the Great Lakes so can't speak to conditions other than cold.

What was the name of the Strength through Joy cruise ship that was torpedoed in the Baltic while evacuating civilians out of the Courland pocket near the end of WW2? ISTR that's the single largest maritime loss of life yet. I don't know how deep or cold the Baltic is.

[Edit: Wilhelm Gustloff is the ship I was thinking of, with a loss of between 5,700-7,000 lives. Either it or the Goya (~7,000 dead) lost while on the same task and in the same general area, qualify as the worst maritime losses of life to date. Gustloff is lying at a depth of 50m/164', and looks to be in pretty good condition judging by the photos. Goya is deeper at 76m/250 ft., and I haven't found any pictures yet.] Britannic makes the list for its size, depth and reflected fame from the Titanic.

Guy

Mike Zee and Terrence Tysall dove the Fitz in 1995, the only confirmed scuba divers to do so. They did it on open circuit and you can read about it here. It has since been protected and is off limits for diving.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Princess of the Orient, outside Manila Bay, 125m deep. . .

 

[jale]

Yamashiro ?!

 

[Kevrumbo]

Yeah definitely: Battleship HIJMS Yamashiro, for Scuba Open Circuit or CCR. . .

12,500' = 379.8 ATA

From what I have read, 700 meters is today's limit for atmospheric diving suits. That equates to roughly 65 ATA.

<snip>Not ignorant at all. I think the maximum depth for the JIM IV is 2300 feet. I'm afraid we're stuck using either the MIR I & II for the Titanic. I don't think there's anthing else in the civilian inventory that can duplicate their operational depth.

I would say so, since US nuclear subs, Seawolf Class, has a crush depth of 730 meters. However, I am certainly no authority on this type of diving and am probably making someone, with knowledge on this, roll their eyes. :cool2:

Nevertheless, it appears we have now discussed our way into realizing a parameter....we can now narrow the list of "Mount Everest of Diving" candidates down to wrecks shallower than 700 meters

Okay then, here's your "Mount Everest" using an ADS:
The infamous wreck and appalling tragedy of the Doña Paz, the worst ever peacetime ferry sinking and loss of life in history. Somewhere in the Tablas Strait between the Philippine Islands of Panay and Mindoro, at a charted depth of around 545 meters. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl3ef1cambU

 

[Gilldiver]

OTOH, I do have a quibble with an earlier post that K2 is "right next door to Everest". That's only the case if by "right next door," you mean 800 miles to the west at the other end of the Himalayas (the Karakoram, actually).

That was me and I'll take the correction, after all I spend my time at or below sealevel. I was trying to remember a few talks over the years at the Explorers club in NYC with people talking about K2/Everest, maybe I had too much of the meet & greet cocktail hour before hand or I'm just getting old.