Narc Panic at depth

[Doc Intrepid]

Mechanics weren't an issue...

Surly,

Just in the FWIW department, no criticism of you or anyone else (Getting really scared sucks...) But...

I own three Sherwood Magnum Blizzards. Great workhorse regs. Had'em since 1987, regular maintenance, no worries, depths to mostly 80-90 fsw, max 140' or so, etc.

Took an IANTD Deep Diving and Advanced Nitrox sequence. Borrowed a set of my buddies top shelf ScubaPro regs for backgas, used one of my Sherwood Blizzards on my "70' bottle". (My first time doing gas switches...)

The first time I switched gas from backgas to the sling tank, I took about 6 breaths and thought I was going to die.

It felt like I had to suck hard on the Sherwood to get a full breath, I thought something was wrong with the regulator. I thumbed the exercise and put the SP reg back in my mouth. (My instructor was annoyed as hell until we discussed it later...) Having no experience with a lot of different regs, I had no idea that the difference could be so extreme.

I like Sherwood's fine for shallow recreational diving, but there can be a HUGE difference in perceived WOB - "Work of Breathing" measurement (an actual engineering value) between a top-of-the-line premium regulator and a mid-range regulator.

This difference is somewhat less with helium mixes, which breath easier through any regulator, but with nitrox (etc.) there is a distinct, perceptible, and at significant depths potentially extremely important difference between a good regulator and a great regulator.

I don't dive my Sherwoods anymore. (Not for the dives I'm doing.)

SP, Atomics, Apeks, Aqualung, Poseidon; they all make top-of-the-line regulators. I'm not pushing any specific manufacturer, simply saying that at 165' you will likely be able to perceive a distinct difference between a premium product and a mid-range product. And sometimes, especially if you're having issues, that difference can make quite a difference in how difficult you perceive your breathing to be.

I'm not saying much about the narcosis, except to say that whatever its effects are, having them much below 130' is much worse than having them at 80' or so.

But in mechanical terms, if you're planning on deep diving, owning a premium reg could save you quite a bit of anxiety if the same thing ever happens again...

Just FWIW. YMMV.

Doc

 

[surlytart]

Good to know. Cheers, doc.

BTW, I just talked to my buddy about what ya'll have said. Right after we surfaced he reported having trouble regulating the airflow from his reg at depth. Wish I knew what brand he was renting.

 

[paolov]

NAUI, has come out with a video to be shown on the first night of every OW class. It's funny, but I learned about it almost by accident! I am still waiting for it and had no clue that this was now a part of standards!

i know an agency that requires video as part of the program :05:


.

 

[surlytart]

i know an agency that requires video as part of the program :05:


.

PADI vids make me want to claw my eyes out. I can read.

 

[drbill]

Doc Intrepid-

Your experience is one of the reasons I dive with Mk10/G250's. Even they are older technology, they always breathe fine for me at any depth within my limits. I've had lower end regs that became harder to draw on with increasing depth. One of my buddies swears by the Atomics as well and if I were in the market for yet another reg I'd consider one.

 

[DandyDon]

BTW, I just talked to my buddy about what ya'll have said. Right after we surfaced he reported having trouble regulating the airflow from his reg at depth. Wish I knew what brand he was renting.

Rental regs at 130 feet.

 

[The Chairman]

i know an agency that requires video as part of the program :05:

The whole point of the 10-15 minute video is to WARN divers of potential dangers, something which gets sloughed off too easily by some instructors. It's about the only "MANDATORY" thing in the NAUI class and the only video produced by them FOR the classroom.

 

[vkalia]

Rental regs at 130 feet.

Out of curiosity, what's wrong with that? Is there something about the word "rental" that makes them crappy? Most dive shops take better care of their rentals than a lot of reg owners that I know (atleast based on the % of diver-owned regs I have to fix on the dive boat vs the % of problems we have with our own regs) - they have to worry about safety, liability, insurance and customer satisfaction: all excellent reasons to keep gear in top-notch condition.

Unless I am going for a specialized dive holiday, I rarely travel with my own gear these days.

Vandit

 

[dherbman]

The whole point of the 10-15 minute video is to WARN divers of potential dangers, something which gets sloughed off too easily by some instructors. It's about the only "MANDATORY" thing in the NAUI class and the only video produced by them FOR the classroom.

I'm thinking that Paolov is referring to the use of video to record the students for critique.

 

[DandyDon]

Perhaps my reaction was inappropriate. I like to know my reg well, dive it often, have it service by a man I know & trust - even know his wife, kids, parents.

As an experienced Inst, you'd be better prepared to deal with a bad reg at 130 ft, of course.