Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Does anyone else seem to think these people are stupid. I'm pretty sure 8 hours at 20 feet (guessing) is deco?

The PADI air tables don't start till 35'. If you use the table according to the rules (and round up to the next depth=35), it would indicate you are past NDL.

However, I don't believe the tables were intended for long shallow dives such as this. I believe DCS becomes an issues when you have pressure change of about 2:1 (32' at sea level) or more, depending on who's theory you want to follow. They are not even close to that. Someone with a more substantial background in decompression and commercial diving might have better info than me.

As for being stupid, clearly it looks that way on the show. How much is gold fever warping their normal judgment, how much a drama added by the producers and how much is just plain stupid I don't know. Anyone living in Nome is going to be quirky though....

 

[smorneau]

The PADI air tables don't start till 35'. If you use the table according to the rules (and round up to the next depth=35), it would indicate you are past NDL.

However, I don't believe the tables were intended for long shallow dives such as this. I believe DCS becomes an issues when you have pressure change of about 2:1 (32' at sea level) or more, depending on who's theory you want to follow. They are not even close to that. Someone with a more substantial background in decompression and commercial diving might have better info than me.

As for being stupid, clearly it looks that way on the show. How much is gold fever warping their normal judgment, how much a drama added by the producers and how much is just plain stupid I don't know. Anyone living in Nome is going to be quirky though....

Being that most of these Bering Sea divers seem to not be certified, they would not own PADI tables but instead be using the free Navy Dive Manual Rev 6. It clearly states in section 9-7 that "At depths of 20 fsw and shallower, there is no limit on the amount of time that can be spent at depth"

 

[Akimbo]

Does anyone else seem to think these people are stupid. I'm pretty sure 8 hours at 20 feet (guessing) is deco?

The only decompression tables I am aware of that deal with shallow dives of this duration is the US Navy’s Table 9‑9 Air Decompression Table. This table indicates a 380 minute/6.3 hour dive at 30' requires a 1 minute stop at 20'. Anything shallower is no-decompression. Divers have made saturation dives shallower than 30' for weeks and surfaced without stops or O2.

A 480 minute/8 hour dive to 30' has a 42 minute stop at 20'. See page 9-64, of the US Navy Diving Manual, 15 April 2008, Revision 6. That drops to 9 minutes of decompression on O2. Older Navy Manuals called the table Extreme Exposure and was primarily intended for emergency entrapment situations.

Of course these guys don’t spend every minute of an 8 hour shift at 30'. From what I can see they can’t go that long without the compressor or hot water heater running out of fuel or a hose blowing.

I agree with you, they are stupid even if it is an act. Hope they never need insurance or Workers Comp. OSHA (Federal workplace safety agency in the US) may be having a few words with them soon. They should get a video of that. Talk about entertainment value!

 

[GAdiver]

The thing I enjoy is watching non-certified divers dive under ice! Funnier than anything I've seen U/W

 

[OldNSalty]

Who said they were non-certified or did you mean not certified to dive in ice? I assume they are certified, just haven't done the ice thing...or, moer likely, an act and part of the show...regardless, for a scuba show it is OK.

 

[BeckyKagan]

Who said they were non-certified or did you mean not certified to dive in ice? I assume they are certified, just haven't done the ice thing...or, moer likely, an act and part of the show...regardless, for a scuba show it is OK.

You gotta be certified to dive?

Just to correct someone else, they are not spending 8 hours underwater. Usually 4 hours per person and around 2 hours they come up for a short break

 

[GAdiver]

Who said they were non-certified or did you mean not certified to dive in ice? I assume they are certified, just haven't done the ice thing...or, moer likely, an act and part of the show...regardless, for a scuba show it is OK.

I watched the summer season and the girl and her father aren't certified period (so they say). it is better than diamond divers was.

 

[Mike]

I just want to know-the father /daughter team, where did they get them? An answer to a Craigslist posting asking if anyone wanted to learn diving and gold mining? I joke but really, they act as if they have never dove in ice (disclosure - I have not myself-not even cold). Are they just divers that volunteered?

This is the 2nd season or spin off of last season which was about dredging in the summer up there. The father/daughter were on that season and if you have access to that seasons episodes you'll find a lot of drama and entertainment, especially with her fathers time spent as crew on a different drege without her.

If you do a web search about the shows you'll find forums specifically about them, with a lot of locals who post. The locals have the real poop on most of the people on the show and there is a lot of drama.

---------- Post Merged at 07:29 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 07:27 PM ----------

Becky - there are what? 4 or 5 dredge teams on the show? Do you guys have a camera crew with each one, filming all the time, or do you have fewer crews and are jumping around filming in rotations with each dredge?

By the way, how many Go Pros are in the kit up there?

 

[manni-yunk]

I am I left Florida a few years ago and live near Philadelphia now. Although if we are lucky and working we're not here. In fact heading to Dutch tomorrow to play and tweak some things!

---------- Post Merged at 04:07 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:06 PM ----------

Florida to Philly!!! Nice....Are you converted Philly sports fan yet!

I live 20 min from Dutch, but, havent been there in over a year.....people around here turn into dive snobs quick. Its NJ on a boat, or nothing!!!

Might head there soon to play with a few new gear tweaks.

Congrats on the shows success!

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

The thing I enjoy is watching non-certified divers dive under ice! Funnier than anything I've seen U/W

One thing you will find out if you spend some time in Alaska is that a huge proportion of the population does not give a rats ass about certifications, rules and procedures specified by private organizations (like dive certs) and the government in the lower 48. They tend to be very independent by nature and thrive on learning on-the-job. One of the reasons they live someplace that is so hostile is that to an extent its out of reach of the enforcement agencies and they can do what they want.

My guess is some of the divers are pretty competent in what they do, but a diver doing his job properly, sucking up dirt at 20' is boring to watch and ends up edited out. The screw ups and personal confrontations are more "exciting" to watch. The producers focus on the eccentric entertainers. It's not a documentary, its entertainment with a small dose of reality sprinkled in.