CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
I have had a few discussions with deep air divers. No one believes that Helium is bad. That is one point that everyone can agree. The point of departure is at what depth should it be introduced? Should that depths be fixed or should it vary depending on the nature of the dive, the work that is being performed, individual disposition to Narcosis etc?
The first school of thought is the 100' ft mark. In other words, if you are diving U-352 AT 115' depth, which is the single most common dive in North Carolina, done repeatedly by new recreational divers, then you should be on Helium! If you are diving a deep reef in Bonaire at 112 ft then you should be doing that on Helium as well. This view is supported by scientific recommendation based on gas density but tens of thousands of divers are already diving in excess of that scientific recommendation so on one hand there is academics and then there is real world. Modern science recommends drinking eight glasses of water each day. How many of us are keeping a count? Science recommends 7-9 hours of sleep every single day. I can not recall the last time I had that much sleep in one go. Scientific recommendations give us an ideal to strive for and then reality hits us in the belly.
I have had a few discussions with old school divers who were doing technical diving before Trimix became a thing. I have been told that diver proficiency plays a large role in making certain diving related functions autonomic and ingrained. Once these functions become reflexive instead of deliberated and thought out, impact of narcosis on those specific functions is also reduced. Other factors that can aid in reducing the impact of Narcosis are reducing the exertion level and thus managing the work of breathing etc. I have never done that type of diving so I do not have much personal experience to argue for or against such methods but it is easy to see that there used to be a technique to deep air diving when that was the only option. Then Helium came and the age of Trimix began. All those methods and techniques that collectively constituted the Narcosis Management became politically incorrect. Any attempt to study those also became frowned upon and instructors who are explaining those today are not looked at favorably.
The first school of thought is the 100' ft mark. In other words, if you are diving U-352 AT 115' depth, which is the single most common dive in North Carolina, done repeatedly by new recreational divers, then you should be on Helium! If you are diving a deep reef in Bonaire at 112 ft then you should be doing that on Helium as well. This view is supported by scientific recommendation based on gas density but tens of thousands of divers are already diving in excess of that scientific recommendation so on one hand there is academics and then there is real world. Modern science recommends drinking eight glasses of water each day. How many of us are keeping a count? Science recommends 7-9 hours of sleep every single day. I can not recall the last time I had that much sleep in one go. Scientific recommendations give us an ideal to strive for and then reality hits us in the belly.
I have had a few discussions with old school divers who were doing technical diving before Trimix became a thing. I have been told that diver proficiency plays a large role in making certain diving related functions autonomic and ingrained. Once these functions become reflexive instead of deliberated and thought out, impact of narcosis on those specific functions is also reduced. Other factors that can aid in reducing the impact of Narcosis are reducing the exertion level and thus managing the work of breathing etc. I have never done that type of diving so I do not have much personal experience to argue for or against such methods but it is easy to see that there used to be a technique to deep air diving when that was the only option. Then Helium came and the age of Trimix began. All those methods and techniques that collectively constituted the Narcosis Management became politically incorrect. Any attempt to study those also became frowned upon and instructors who are explaining those today are not looked at favorably.
