scuba today?

[k ellis]

No more CO2 cartridges in BCs :dance2:

a co2 cartridge in a bcd would be interesting to watch so long as I wasnt the one wearing it. Hopefully though they would be smart enough not to use it anywhere except on the surface though.

 

[vladimir]

a co2 cartridge in a bcd would be interesting to watch so long as I wasnt the one wearing it. Hopefully though they would be smart enough not to use it anywhere except on the surface though.

I think they had 12-gram cartridges. Back to Chemistry 101 and a periodic table, 1 mole of CO2 = 44 grams (12 + 16 + 16). So the cartridge had 12/44 moles of CO2. One mole of an ideal gas = 22.4 liters (at one atmosphere, neglecting temperature), so the cartridge inflated to 12/44 * 22.4 liters, or ~6 liters, at one atmosphere. At three atmospheres, say, it would be 2 liters, or the equivalent of dropping 2 kilograms of weight. Not ideal, but not a polaris missile scenario either.

 

[k ellis]

I think they had 12-gram cartridges. Back to Chemistry 101 and a periodic table, 1 mole of CO2 = 44 grams (12 + 16 + 16). So the cartridge had 12/44 moles of CO2. One mole of an ideal gas = 22.4 liters (at one atmosphere, neglecting temperature), so the cartridge inflated to 12/44 * 22.4 liters, or ~6 liters, at one atmosphere. At three atmospheres, say, it would be 2 liters, or the equivalent of dropping 2 kilograms of weight. Not ideal, but not a polaris missile scenario either.

Ok got it. I was thinking for some reason these cartridges are traditionaly used in emergency devices such as life rafts and life vest and when they go off they do quiet an inflation. I am still not convinced I would want this type of device on my bcd though.

Thank you for the update as I had never really knew they had these types of devices on scuba gear.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

One of my earliest snorkeling memories is watching my dad (or one of his buddies) make the first trial of the cartridge ascent; in a Wisconsin/Canada border lake. That was ~ '62-'63. It seemed pretty fast to me.

Since '85; most BC's now appear to be weight integrated, wet suits are warmer &/or easier to get into, Nitrox is sort of popular and not scary at all and a bunch of uncoordinated softies got certified.

 

[knowone]

Setting off the 25g cartridges was sport.

 

[vladimir]

One of my earliest snorkeling memories is watching my dad (or one of his buddies) make the first trial of the cartridge ascent; in a Wisconsin/Canada border lake. That was ~ '62-'63. It seemed pretty fast to me.

Maybe I'm wrong about the cartridge size. Either way, if you were willing to ascend without venting you would certainly pick up speed.

Since '85; most BC's now appear to be weight integrated, wet suits are warmer &/or easier to get into, Nitrox is sort of popular and not scary at all and a bunch of uncoordinated softies got certified.

Good point on the wetsuits, that might be the most noticeable change in equipment. Great point on the softies. If the OP had been in a coma these 25 years that would be the biggest shock, but he's probably watched the population soften along the way, and probably without taking much notice, sadly. I guess the same trends that make people fat also make them less coordinated--if you don't count their joy-stick hands.

 

[knowone]

Or our mouse and keyboard prowess.

 

[diver_doug]

What is new or different in scuba equipment?

An up-and-coming brand called ScubaPro has recently released something known as the "Jet Fin"...you should definitely check it out!

 

[k ellis]

I guess the same trends that make people fat also make them less coordinated--if you don't count their joy-stick hands.

Hey I got a WII and they dont have joysticks no more. Allthough now I can only play for about a minute or so before I got to go lay out!

 

[diversteve]

And there's this forum called :sblogo:

we're hoping it catches on...