My first out of air incident!

[DandyDon]

I imagine this happens all the time there, hence the laissez-faire attitude.

Yeah, with this attitude and no SPGs, I suppose they routinely run their tanks dry. That'd give 20% more air time, huh? Can you imagine what kind of shape their regs and tanks are generally in - with all that water getting back into the systems as they do their emergency ascents. :biggrimja

Well, if Seahound is touring the world in search of diving adventures, I suppose he found another. Hope he's taking good notes and photos for the book.

:reaper: Assuming he makes it back alive.

 

[carldarl]

And there were how many brainless grunts involved? It ould appear there was a squad of SF members.......... PLUS ONE!

 

[Vayu]

Give the man a break.

-V

 

[Ayisha]

SeaHound, I'm wondering how this all fits in with your repeated and racist PM's to me around 6 months ago asking if I'm Moslem and "Paki". Is this incident even real? :06:

 

[redacted]

Knowing you have no SPG, knowing that the tank has an unknown amount of air in it, knowing (or at least limiting) your max depth to "safe" ESA limits, and knowing N2 loading is not a concern; where is the intollerable risk in this adventure? While it is not the kind of thing I'd make a habit of, I don't see this as being any more threatening that something like driving in bad weather. We are talking a depth that many divers could handle in a free dive. Wild and crazy - yes. Idiotic, suicidal, brainless - no. I still remember my first dive in the early 60's. No gauges, no idea how much air in tank, we only had one kit so it was solo, and absolutely no scuba training. Thinking back, the only thing I really wish were different is the training.

It sounds like he had it under control the whole time.

I understand the Pakistani SF are hoping to upgrade to J-valves.

 

[skybird]

just one question WHY? Why did you dive?

 

[Vayu]

we only had one kit so it was solo

There is actually a method of sharing air with only one regulator. I thought it was tought in most openwater classes. I am not picking at your training; However I am wondering whether the poster, the pakistan navy, and modern divers know how to do this?

-V

 

[LavaSurfer]

Knowing you have no SPG, knowing that the tank has an unknown amount of air in it, knowing (or at least limiting) your max depth to "safe" ESA limits, and knowing N2 loading is not a concern; where is the intollerable risk in this adventure? While it is not the kind of thing I'd make a habit of, I don't see this as being any more threatening that something like driving in bad weather. We are talking a depth that many divers could handle in a free dive. Wild and crazy - yes. Idiotic, suicidal, brainless - no. I still remember my first dive in the early 60's. No gauges, no idea how much air in tank, we only had one kit so it was solo, and absolutely no scuba training. Thinking back, the only thing I really wish were different is the training.

It sounds like he had it under control the whole time.

I understand the Pakistani SF are hoping to upgrade to J-valves.

Breathing gas under pressure at 40 feet and making an emergency ascent is a risk.
At 40 feet you are loading nitrogen into the tissue albeit a very small amount.

Free diving and holding your breath for a few seconds vs. breathing gas under pressure for 15 minutes, I am missing your point.

 

[james croft]

AWAP is on the money. Most of the folks who have been diving prior to the advent of the spg dove exactly like this. I at least had a J valve but sometimes was fooled if the reserve got bumped. When the breathing got hard we yanked the reserve and got ready to come up. Most people would have no problem making a controlled ascent from 40 feet. I would hope one would limit the depth of their dive to what they could safely ascend from an ooa situation. It is easy to point out what he did wrong but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Just remember, if you screw up do not take anybody else with you.

 

[SeaHound]

On a related note, did you ever ask them what the peacetime accident attrition rate was for their unit ?

I did come across a submarine story. Its something I would like to make a documentary on if the Pakistani military gives clearence. On Saturday 23 Sept 1995 a Pakistani Midget Submarine carrying 14 under training Navy Special forces personal began to flood at 100 feet below sea level. Within minutes it was pitch dark in the flooded compartment and the 14 guys were neck deep in water water with a lot of smoke in the compartment. They were breathing in the little air pocket that was formed on top of the compartment. They all opened the main hatch and did an emergency ascent from a depth of 100 feet with no SCUBA. All of them came out alive on the surface. One guy exploded his lungs and one broke his finger opening the hatch but other than that there were no injuries. They floated on the surface for a good ten hours before they were picked up by a missile boat. The Navy Special Forces then recovered the sunken submarine and re-fitted it and now the sunken submarine and the men are in service again. There is a book on this called "Sea Pheonix" by Admiral Zaheer Shah.