Yet, another diver dies.. Marathon, FL.

[FreeFloat]

When I took my OW course a zillion years ago (just after air embolisms were invented), I managed to get only one question wrong on the final PADI exam. It went something like this:

You have the greatest chance of getting an air embolism:
A) moving from 33' to 0'
B) moving from 66' to 33'
C) moving from 99' to 66'
D) moving from 99' to 0'

I obviously chose D figuring that logic over-rules what I read in the book but the instructor (known to be the best town) insisted that the PADI answer was A. I never agreed with it but I never forgot it either.

I remember a question almost the same off my exam. Except instead of asking about air embolisms, it merely asked "The greatest change in a volume of air occurs when moving..." and very similar choices.

Think inverted bucket. Think of inverting it on the surface and pushing it down. At the surface it contains exactly 1 bucketful of air. At 33' it contains exactly 1/2 a bucketful (by volume) of air. That's a change of -50% volume. Anything deeper than that is merely halving the volume: push the bucket down to 66' and the half-bucketful of air goes down to 1/4. 99', 1/8 of the original volume. The reverse happens on ascent, with the volume of air in the bucket expanding incrementally until reaching the original volume at surface pressure.

Now, suppose it wasn't a bucket ascending from 99', but a lung full of air...... in what portion of the water column would the volume of air/gas trapped in the lung expand the most?

 

[Ron Brandt]

Cyber Diver News reported a death in Cozumel Dec.28. I was in Coz when this happened but must of been suppressed.

Ron

 

[FIXXERVI6]

I have to agree, this IS the scariest thread I have ever seen.

I'm new, not a pro, but I know what AGE and DCS is and how they occur.... FREAKIN scary man...