Phase I: Guinness Record

[SeaJay]

Yeah, I don't think that any of us would do much laughing at all... Until I got topside.

What a great link, LVX! I've talked to many world record holding divers, but never that guy... He tackled some things that I won't have to deal with... And some things that I didn't want to deal with yet.

Look at how badly his hands were superhydrated at the end of just 72 hours... He's lucky the skin didn't peel off. Another day or two, and he'd not be able to use them for fear of splitting them open.

...And the uncontrolled environment... Specifically, the temperature... What an ordeal.

His record will be the one I'm aiming for during Phase 6-10.

Wow... Look at all the media coverage... If there's any one thing I'd like to ask of this guy, it's how he did all of that...

If I can get that done, then sponsors would be very interested... And if they would be very interested, I could get any equipment I wanted... Which means that I'd have a better shot at success.

I'll locate this guy and get together with him... No doubt he'll want to see his record beaten... I would.

 

[SeaJay]

"Misiaszek slept, ate and even brushed his teeth underwater. He subsisted on a diet of Gatorade and a pediatric electrolyte solution. Dehydration was a problem because of the dry air he was breathing, and even more of a problem because it was hard to get him to drink enough of his liquid diet.

"He said it tasted horrible," Kathy said. "We tried flavoring it with (orange) Kool-Aid, but that didn't help much."

He had an external catheter that stayed hooked to his suit the entire time to catch his fluid waste, but Misiaszek didn't eat solid food for 24 hours before the dive because they had no way to deal with solid waste."

"Kool-Aid," hunh? So... Do you think the guy was DIR (sorry, having a little fun making light of my DIR training).

Check out the last sentence... "No way to deal with solid waste." Man... How can you dive like that over a multitude of days? Am I the only one that sees that diving this way has built-in limitations?

Then it says, "The man himself said he was mentally nourished by supporters in the Submarine Theater and the support of his team members, though he was quick to point out, "I'll never do this again." "

Hm. Well... There goes the idea of friendly competition. At least I'll know that if I break the record, previous record holders aren't going to attempt to dislodge mine.

Wait a minute... "Misiaszek." I know that name. He recently had an article written about one of his rescues in Reader's Digest...

Cool.

 

[Lead_carrier]

SeaJay once bubbled...
[B
He had an external catheter that stayed hooked to his suit the entire time to catch his fluid waste, but Misiaszek didn't eat solid food for 24 hours before the dive because they had no way to deal with solid waste."

"Kool-Aid," hunh? So... Do you think the guy was DIR (sorry, having a little fun making light of my DIR training).

Check out the last sentence... "No way to deal with solid waste." Man... How can you dive like that over a multitude of days? Am I the only one that sees that diving this way has built-in limitations? [/B]

Joking about your DIR status??? That will be 4 Hail JJ's and recite the Halcyon catalog for penance.:wacko:

Solid waste, no problem. A large round cork, some good lubricant and 4 pound weight to off set the bouyancy of the cork should take care of that problem. I can joke, I'm not DIR

 

[Raven C]

Lead_carrier once bubbled...


Joking about your DIR status??? That will be 4 Hail JJ's and recite the Halcyon catalog for penance.:wacko:

Solid waste, no problem. A large round cork, some good lubricant and 4 pound weight to off set the bouyancy of the cork should take care of that problem. I can joke, I'm not DIR

OMG No one can joke about DIR. How dare you?!!!

LOL R

 

[oscar80]

hello i am new here but if are planning a wedding in florida i know of a scuba diving minster. well good luck.
dave

 

[SeaJay]

oscar80 once bubbled...
hello i am new here but if are planning a wedding in florida i know of a scuba diving minster. well good luck.
dave

Hear that, honey?

I was once PM'd by a reputable DIR guy on this board when I was talking to someone about DIR and what it meant to me... He told me, apparently as he's told many in the past, that I "Might not be a good poster child for DIR." In essence, he told me to shut my mouth and stop talking DIR because it made DIR look bad.

Well, I was seriously offended. I tried not to be, but I was anyway. Never mind... I've got thick skin, and I took it... And ignored it.

The bottom line is that I am still DIR... And guess what? That doesn't mean that I have to lose my sense of humor. Yes, I am still going to poke fun at myself and of the organization, even if I feel that there's no better way to dive.

After all, that's only my opinion... Nothing more, nothing less.

And the "real" DIR guys I've run into in real life (not the cyberdiving kind) feel exactly the same way. They smile, joke, and have a good time. They are not zealots or N*zis or fruit loops. They don't dress in all black and they don't look down on others. They just like to dive, and feel that doing it a certain way is safer than doing it "everybody else's" way... But that ultimately, the bottom line is whether you dive or not, not whether you're DIR or not.

...So if joking about it makes me a bad representation of DIR, then so be it. I suppose that DIR's gonna have to deal with it.

You shoulda seen the unbelievable skills that my DIR-F instructors had... And I wanna have those skills, too. But their objective... And they made it clear the first night of training... Could be summed up in one, three letter word: FUN.

...Not really the "DIR" y'all know, is it? I was floored too.

Anyway, yes, I'm going to poke fun of the idea of Kool-
Aid. In fact, most DIR guys I know think that the implications of "Kool-Aid" are funny.

...And I've never met one DIR diver that dives in a black rubber speedo. :wacko:

Recently, I posted a thread about the humor in some gear that DIVEX carries on their website. Included in there was a camoflage BCD, and an air-powered grapple hook. I joked about taking it (and several other things) to my next DIR class... And you know what? I nearly got crucified for it... By non-DIR people. They thought I was making fun of them.

The reality is that I was poking fun of DIR... And the poor image here online (which is completely inaccurate, IMHO).

...And myself. I was poking fun of myself.

Y'all, not that I care... Have any opinion you want... But the DIR that I've found (by taking actual GUE classes) is very different from the reputation it has...

...And yes, I'm gonna have fun with it. After all, isn't that the objective?

That said, I still dive with a DIR style... I've just found it to be safer... And more fun.

Go figure.

...And if you think that's a poor representation of DIR, then I think you've got the wrong idea.

But hey, that's just my opinion... Take it for what it's worth.

...Anyone for some Kool-Aid?

 

[mgri]

SeaJay once bubbled...
Funny about the waste thing... I never get asked that question right off the bat... It takes people a while to think about it, and then their eyes narrow and their forehead wrinkles and they try to politely ask how I plan to deal with it...

In the past, world record holders have done what many commercial long-dive divers do... They eat very little or drink very little, or they eat something that will constipate (block) their system... So that they simply don't have to go. Others have gone ahead and embraced the idea that they're going to have to go, and prepare themselves for it (a "Depends" diaper is typically part of the plan). This guy's idea of a low fiber diet (stops him up) and then using a laxative to get "liquid in, liquid out" is a better plan, I believe. At least it doesn't require some semblance of serious destruction of your body's "normal" movements.

Obviously, if one is to utilize the constipation method, there's a limit as to how long he can stay down. Up to this point, nine days has pretty much been the limit of gastrointestinal comfort. If one is to use the diaper method, then there are obvious sanitary concerns which prevent lengthy dives... Again, limiting the dive time.

My idea is to embrace my body's movements and keep them as "normal" as possible.

Now, from a medical standpoint, the water which I am in must remain relatively bacteria-free. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what e-coli and other waterborne bacteria can do to sensitive nasal cavities, ear drums and other tender spots if I'm left in waste... Especially for days. Thus, I've developed a sort of underwater commode which will allow me to sit and "go." It's design doesn't look that much different from what you see in a "regular" bathroom... Except that instead of flushing when you get off of it, it's constantly flushing as your sitting. Simply put, it captures waste and removes it from the environment. Fresh water is then added to the facility so that over time, the depth of the facility is not affected. The facility utilizes a hose not unlike your every day pool vaccum cleaner hose... It's a 3" flexible corrogated hose. It's actually a siphon setup which utilizes a valve set by the commode... I open it when I sit, go, and then let it run another 15 seconds or so... And close it.

Now all I have to do is eat a diet which will ensure "sinkers." My experiments have shown me that a diet rich in protein and carbohydrates will produce the desired results. Yep, it's gonna be purred pizzas, speghetti, fish, beans, pasta, and the like.

...So why hasn't this been done in the past? Simple... Because they always dove dry. They wear a drysuit, which prevents the diver from being able to expose themselves. If they do expose themselves, then they "do themselves in" and subject their bodies to superhydration... The quickest way to end the dive.

My idea is to, rather than deal with the waste issue like these guys have, simply accept the "normal" movements and make accomodations for them... And instead tackle the superhydration problem.

...And that can be done using the correct isotonic solution, rather than pure water.

...And by having a backup plan.

Hey Seajay, I think logistically speaking the waste issue will be one of the hardest things to work out.

You can go quite a while without passing solid waste. Hate to say this but my record in that dept. is TWO WEEKS! When I was in the Army and we were in the field for long periods of time in tactical situations we would eat two MREs a day. One thing people don't tell you about MREs is how little fiber they have, they back you up in a hurry.

With you being underwater for so long your caloric utilization should be greatly reduced. I think you could take in a minimal amount of calories with little fiber and not have to much trouble not doing number two

Not "dropping the kids off at the pool" for that long of a time can potential lead to bowel impactment <sp>. From what I've heard from people who have had to have the blockage removed its not a fun experience

I think you might be better off not having to deal with the waste though, then trying to deal with it in the water.

What a great topic...

 

[Windwalker]

About the waste management thing. I think it was hinted at earlier.. But instead of solid food, eat liquid food. suck it through a straw. That should solve the Commode problem.

I would imagine "Americas Funniest home videos" would love footage of a scuba diver on the toilette reading a waterproofed version of the NY Times.

 

[Divesherpa]

Seajay,

I remember the e-mails that you sent me trying to convince me that solo cave exploration was an idiotic thing to do. Do you remember the super DIR days that you attempted to beat us all with?

At least surveying served some purpose. What you are hyping up is sheer idiocy. I doubt you have the cajones to make it through 3 days (if it comes to that). I see no point in your pursuit of glory, but I will wish you luck.

P.S. Enjoy the **** stains 24 hours underwater sucks. I can only imagine what it's like with no point other than being there.

 

[RichLockyer]

Divesherpa once bubbled...
At least surveying served some purpose. What you are hyping up is sheer idiocy.

Sheer idiocy is depth record attempts, and if Jay ever starts talking about that, I'll be the first to bash him.

What he's working on here, though perhaps pointless to some, is relatively low-risk, with the basic logistics being the primary hurdle. He's not likely to get hurt as long as he maintains proper hydration and temperature, and the risk for his support crew is extremely low... lower than a typical OW dive.

Ya... I think he'll go nuts before 72 hours is up