Private Boat - Emergency O2

[rhwestfall]

Wherever did you get this? I have an "adapter" that attaches to a low-pressure hose (I will post a pic later tonight). I like this more. When I have my own dive boat, I'd like a big arsed cylinder with one of these to provide O2. I already have the two-cylinder DAN kit.

Not from them, but here is one. Back when I got it, it was kind of a unicorn....

I think I got it from somewhere in Europe...

DGX Gears Adapter: DIN to CGA-870 Pin Index POST

The DGX DIN to Pin index Oxygen adapter lets you connect an emergency medical oxygen PIN Index Regulator to a common 200 BAR DIN cylinder valve.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[broncobowsher]

I've been on a handful of recreational dive boats (commercial charters) that will drop a 2nd stage at 20'. Instructions are to don't use it, don't mess with it. But if you need it, it is there for you. I don't remember the gas. Could have been a strong Nitrox, maybe straight O2. This was on boats that were doing normal recreational dives, nothing to the limit. Call it 80' give or take 20' depending on what you were after.

I don't see how doing this on a private boat is any different. Nor a valid reason to avoid doing so.
It might encourage you to push the limits a little further? How about it is encouraging another level of safety? Why would someone who owns there own gear, and there own boat, suddenly decide to take a safety measure and turn it into a risk factor? Might loose it in choppy seas, why the hell would you go diving off a small personal boat in bad seas? You own the boat, you own your gear, you can go out when the conditions are more favorable. If the conditions suck that much, you don't want to be out in a private goat anyway, much less be diving off one.

Not every reason for being on O2 is DCS. That tuna sandwich might not be agreeing with you toward the end of the dive. You don't know that it is, or why you are not feeling right. You just know something isn't right. You know you should do a safety stop. Why not do it on O2 just to be safe? Or skip the stop?

Don't think there is only one possible scenario for wanting some O2. That just shows you are not thinking completely. Focus on the one possible scenario in your head and anything else is wrong, no you are wrong. Big picture folks.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I've been out on flat, clear seas that turned to Victory At Sea during our dive.
The absolute best way to handle breathing O2 at 20 feet is to have your own bottle clipped to you. If the surface gets rough, that tank hanging will be bouncing all over the place. The last place you want to make any fast ascents is in the top 20 feet.
If the divers are making no-deco dives on 32% the odds of needing O2 are minuscule. If someone does get bent, you want to be making your way to a chamber or ambulance as soon as possible. Keep your O2 on the boat and have the stricken diver breathe it on the way in.

 

[Wibble]

To clarify the thread drift...

People who are diving in the back of beyond need to be self-sufficient. It's perfectly reasonable to end a dive but feel a little, let's say tired, after the dive. For that breathing oxygen on the surface is a good thing to do. It does no harm and it could well do a lot of good.

How about something went wrong and you had to abruptly cut the dive short with a faster ascent and missing a safety stop -- loads of circumstances could lead to that. 15 minutes on oxygen whilst relaxing would be a prudent thing to do.

Another case could be that you've "got stuck" down deep and run into unexpected decompression. Goodness knows how you'd tell the boat skipper (normally send up a small yellow SMB next to your main SMB would be the pre-arranged signal) and the skipper then grabs the emergency oxygen tank -- tests it! -- and sends it down to 6m/20ft on a rope attached to a buoy. Then you've got a faster way of unplanned decompressing on oxygen and, again, it does no harm.

Having oxygen on any dive boat is a good thing. There doesn't need to be a song and dance over it; if you think you need it, then use it (and later pay for it -- could be expensive to put the cylinder back in test!)


For where this thread's going; it is perfectly normal to decompress at 6m/20ft on pure oxygen as part of your decompression plan. Shocking though this is to "recreational" divers steeped in the "never deco!" traditions, this is absolutely normal for technical divers who use accelerated decompression on every dive.

 

[Blackcrusader]

For where this thread's going; it is perfectly normal to decompress at 6m/20ft on pure oxygen as part of your decompression plan. Shocking though this is to "recreational" divers steeped in the "never deco!" traditions, this is absolutely normal for technical divers who use accelerated decompression on every dive.

No it's not shocking but many recreational divers have not done a course like the TDI Advanced Nitrox.

 

[Wibble]

No it's not shocking but many recreational divers have not done a course like the TDI Advanced Nitrox.

Absolutely.

However, it is a common fallacy of the recreational community that deco is bad when the reality is very different.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Absolutely. However, it is a common fallacy of the recreational community that deco is bad when the reality is very different.

Not really they just know that as they are not deco trained they should avoid doing deco dives. I do deco dives but not with most recreational divers unless they are also deco trained. It's not that deco is bad it's just reminding people not to dive beyond their training.
Usually I don't mention deco dives when at PADI run vacation spots as it's not their thing most of the time. Depends on the owner / Managers some are also deco trained some not. One place I dove at the manager was no deco dives so for deco dives we just went to another dive center. Although I did find back in the late 80's and 90's when diving at PADI run dive centers they would give me very strange looks and what is that BSAC sports diving cert? When I explained deco dives on air they were no we do not do that around here lol

The issue comes from instructors that put it into students heads that they should never exceed NDL and go into deco without really explaining that for deco dives they need different training. So yes you are correct it is a common fallacy with less experienced divers.

But if I said I plan single tank deco dives some people will say that's dangerous.

 

[tbone1004]

View attachment 716442

This and a DAN kit....

I much prefer the RescuEAN unless you need a DISS port for an MTV-100 which you would only have if you are prepping for a non-breathing patient that you need to give rescue breaths. I do happen to have one, but it lives on a medical oxygen kit. I think the RescuEAN is much more valuable because you can attach it to any regulator with an LPI hose on it without messing with screwing regulators on/off on a bucking boat and gives enough constant flow to use a BVM if you want. I don't really like the pin index regulators so that may be part of it

 

[Wibble]

Not really they just know that as they are not deco trained they should avoid doing deco dives. I do deco dives but not with most recreational divers unless they are also deco trained. It's not that deco is bad it's just reminding people not to dive beyond their training.
Usually I don't mention deco dives when at PADI run vacation spots as it's not their thing most of the time. Depends on the owner / Managers some are also deco trained some not. One place I dove at the manager was no deco dives so for deco dives we just went to another dive center. Although I did find back in the late 80's and 90's when diving at PADI run dive centers they would give me very strange looks and what is that BSAC sports diving cert? When I explained deco dives on air they were no we do not do that around here lol

The issue comes from instructors that put it into students heads that they should never exceed NDL and go into deco without really explaining that for deco dives they need different training. So yes you are correct it is a common fallacy with less experienced divers.

But if I said I plan single tank deco dives some people will say that's dangerous.

The question is about carrying oxygen on a boat in remote locations.

The decompression element came up as in-water recompression (IWR) was mentioned. Some people were concerned about using 100% at 6m/20ft. This is my point: technical divers decompress with 100% at 6m/20ft all the time therefore this is a safe practice.

IWR is a valid "therapy" especially in remote locations. Sure, not good and possibly as a result of "an incident", but it's a valid protocol.

Obviously it is prudent for the divers to not go past their NDLs in such a location -- unless this is planned and they've the experience, redundant kit and appropriate gases to carry that out safely.

 

[ecp]

Absolutely.

However, it is a common fallacy of the recreational community that deco is bad when the reality is very different.

I think it depends on what you mean by "bad". Yes, deco dives are a bad idea if you're not trained. Just like entering a cave or wreck is a bad idea if you're not trained.

Its not bad in terms of "never do it". Its bad in "don't do it without training". Deco is not unsafe if you follow the rules.