Curious. Current max caisson depth?

[twatto]

Just out of curiosity. What is the current maximum depth that sat. divers work at?

For how long? and what limits the duration of time at that depth?

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello twatto:

Saturation Diving

If memory serves me correctly, the deepest saturation work regarded a salvage operation in the North Sea. During WW II, a British ship loaded with gold bullion was bound for the USSR when it was intercepted by a German warship. Rather the have the gold fall into the hands of the Nazis, the ship was scuttled in about 850 feet of water. About two decades ago, a joint operation of British, American and German divers salvaged about 95% of the gold with saturation diving.

The divers were held in a saturation chamber on the ship at about 800 fsw for a period of about 25 days. During the day, they would be lowered in a bell to the ship. Eventually bad weather fort the curtailment of the program, but most of the gold was recovered.

That is the deepest and longest saturation dive of which I am aware. To my knowledge, there is no physiological limitation yet exerienced.

Dr Deco :doctor:

Readers, please note the next class in Decompression Physiology :1book:
http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm