Diving to 200' and Beyond

[Lorenzoid]

Technical details aside, the thing that struck me as "old school" and not in keeping with the mindset that training agencies try to instill in divers today is the idea of diving deep purely for the sake of diving deep. While it may have been cool or impressive "back in the day," diving deep without a goal of something to see down there is just not considered cool today. There's nothing to be admired about deep bounce dives. I got the impression her remark about how "magnificent" the corals and marine life are down there was intended to give lip service to today's thinking while her true mindset about what is cool or impressive is decades behind. Add to that the "you can never be too careful" remark, and the mixed messages don't sit well with me. Some of what used to be common for divers to do or think is no longer the norm. She has survived and has war stories. I'm not sure I'd want to hear war stories from Cousteau himself if he were to appear today and exhibit some of the same behavior he did back in the day.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Lol she is diving in Crystal clear warm and well lit water and YOU don't think it is a valid motivation to dive.... While we have other members diving in green, ice cold soup with huge lights so they can see 3 feet while their tallywacker is wrapped in rubber so they can pee... Seriously?????

 

[DevonDiver]

I've had a couple of experiences with narcosis which convinced me of the nefarious effect of it...

One of the most enlightening narcosis experiences you can have is to dive trimix amongst air divers. When you have a clear head, and those around you don't.... you'll see exactly how degraded their functioning becomes. They'll be oblivious to it... during and after. Just as you are, when you're narcosis compromised.

 

[Vicko]

One of the most enlightening narcosis experiences you can have is to dive trimix amongst air divers. When you have a clear head, and those around you don't.... you'll see exactly how degraded their functioning becomes. They'll be oblivious to it... during and after. Just as you are, when you're narcosis compromised.

This.
There is a B-17 wreck near Vis Island (my profile picture) at 92 meters. People dive there with air in the same group as trimix divers. It's possible, nobody has died yet. That in no way means it safe, smart or enjoyable, some of the air guys don't find the wreck eaven though the visibility is always perfect and the ancor line is tied to one of the engines.

 

[The Chairman]

Pete, didn't you just buy a SF2? Those are pretty dangerous...

Acrually, in an overhead situation, I think the properly maintained and checked CCR is a safer choice. You say it's not a "skill" issue, and in reality it's an attention issue. If you're too broke to pay attention to what you're doing, then you's too broke mentally to dive a rebreather. You have to be devoted to check lists and proactive maintenance & monitoring. You mentioned Wes Skiles. He was diving on recalled O2 sensors. I'm not about to speculate further on that, but that's like driving without checking the brakes after the brakes had been recalled.

However, you can be sure I'll be doing lots of "baby dives" and seek additional training on it before I take it into any overhead. There's nothing down there worth dying for.

The only part of the OP I have an issue with is the "baby dives" comment

Thanks Bob... that's the smoking gun for me. It's a certain "baditude" in diving that tries to elevate oneself by trashing others. It's nothing but a FIGJAM, albeit a subtle one. It's like watching the diving version of Crocodile Dundee: "That's not a dive, mate. This here's a dive..." I don't understand the attraction.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Lol she is diving in Crystal clear warm and well lit water and YOU don't think it is a valid motivation to dive.... While we have other members diving in green, ice cold soup with huge lights so they can see 3 feet while their tallywacker is wrapped in rubber so they can pee... Seriously?????

If this is in response to my comment, it doesn't matter what I personally think. My point was that the collective wisdom today--the agencies, etc.--seems to lean toward discouraging diving to any given depth unless there is something you want to see or do there, and you can't see or do much of anything on a 150-foot bounce dive. Our French woman, or at least the picture of her that's been painted for us, is not exhibiting today's mindset. Diving with an old school mindset may be a niche, like diving with vintage gear, but the original question was whether this is (still) the norm in some places.

I have always assumed that the people who talk about diving in near-zero vis do it because there is something that they see or do there, however uninteresting it may seem to the rest of us. Whatever it is, I have to believe they're not seeing or doing it in one minute at the bottom of a bounce dive to 150 feet on air. If there are people out there who dive blindly because they like the feeling of the water around them or whatever, I am glad it gives them joy, but that's a different story.

 

[The Chairman]

I have always assumed that the people who talk about diving in near-zero vis do it because there is something that they see or do there, however uninteresting it may seem to the rest of us.

Yeah, I've stopped trying to figure out why peeps do things for the most part. I take blind people diving. They dive just to dive and blow bubbles. They give no apologies for not being able to see a thing. They just enjoy it and I think that's enough. I did a dive with a black bag in my mask as part of my @DiveHeart training. I totally got it. It was a blast!

 

[packrat12]

.....

Hey Pete, it was actually me that stated most of that....

The problem is that a CCR still can kill you at any time. Recalled sensors were not recalled at one time.... Inattention may not notice the hypoxic or hyperoxic mix before it is fatal.... Channeling or breakthrough in the sorb may cause hypercapnia without warning... Flood may cause a caustic mix.... Is that sorb good or a bad batch... Was that sorb mistreated... On and on. As has been stated on the thread, it may be the start of a chain of issues. During my training, the accident list was required reading - all 270ish deaths. I read each and every one of them.

My point is that CCRs are more dangerous then OC by many times. We accept these risks. A lot of people will never dive CCRs because they do not wish to introduce these risks into their diving. What is acceptable to one person may not be to another. If we enter the water, it is more dangerous then not going into the water. If we go below 30', it is more dangerous then the surface. On an on here. I have dove air at 175'. I was narc'd a lot less then when I dove the same dive on trimix. I had a much easier dive on air, hence was less narc'd. Had I had the same dive on air as when I was on trimix, I may have been functional when using air.

 

[Bennno]

However I do personally feel that CCR is a magnificent tool in certain circumstances were

How many people buy a CCR because they 'need' it due to certain circumstances? I don't know, but I bet most get a rebreather because they want one. They are taking the higher risk for fun.
'Word on the street' is that several rebreather manufactures sold in excess of a 100 units last year... I doubt all these people are going on expeditions or into deep caves next year. At least I hope they don't.

Acrually, in an overhead situation, I think the properly maintained and checked CCR is a safer choice.

Says who? The guy who sold you the breather or the instructor who sold you the training? Have you looked at the fatality rate of breather divers?
Don't get me wrong, I would like to get a CCR too... and if I was living some place that had better diving I certainly would want one even more.
BUT you are calling it stupid to take extra risk for fun, yet you're doing it yourself.
What kind of cave dive do you do that a CCR is safer?

If you're too broke to pay attention to what you're doing, then you's too broke mentally to dive a rebreather.

So there is no chance for you to screw up...

Again, I'm not knocking CCR diving, but it is indeed hypocritical to call it stupid what the lady does and at the same time get a rebreather for dives that can easily be done on OC.
You posted your cave log here on the board; a 90min dive in Ginnie is not safer on CCR.

 

[100days-a-year]

Meh,another deep air thread now.You guys will never match the satire of GI3.

BTW,I don't drink or smoke,don't do drugs.Am exceptionally fit and when one of my buddies eats McDonald's,I keep my mouth closed.Cause nobody likes a RichardCranium.In that spirit,I would probly dive with most of you even if you insisted on diving tri-mix in doubles for a 100' dive and decoing on 80%.