Nitrox problem, is it normal?

[DandyDon]

Ok, my bad on the cheap word. I'll go back and edit that post if I can. But I did upgrade to the MK25 when I decided to train for a 200 ft dive. Haven't done it yet, may not - but I wouldn't do it on anything less. My Oceanic Reg is one of their better ones, and I used it to 160 ft before I upgraded - but that was pushing it.

...breathing issues were due to overexertion...

If your reg can't keep up, it can't keep up CO2 retention is certainly not good, especially at depth. Have you read the David Shaw death dive story? Raising The Dead: here

You really have no business at 165 ft! I don't mean to be rude, but feel I should state that opinion. I'm also worried about this post - thot about it more after I logged off...

I will also say this, you really notice just how different everything is once you start going deeper. We were wearing only 10pds of weight and by the time we reached around 140 with BC's fully inflated we would still have been dropping like rocks if we did not have a down line. I was a bit light towards the surface. And VERY cold, I felt like my face was going to freeze even though my temp guage only said around 51 degrees, and I have dove in those conditions before I don't think it felt quite that cold.

I dive a 40# lift BC, what do you dive? I know you could always dump weights, but that's really a last resort thing I want to save for the surface. If your BC won't lift you, it's not enough for your diving.

And I didn't see TDI or any other tech agency on your profile. I suggest that this 165 ft dive should also have only been done with a tech Instructor as your buddy - like I had for my 160 ft dive mentioned above. (No, my 180 ft Ooops was not with one; I certainly screw up, too - trying not to again.)

Oh, the face sting is normal when you hit thermoclines. It takes a minute for the vessels in your face to adjust to the cold.

 

[kalidor's8]

this always seems to bring out some of the worst in ppl it seems. Dandy, I am also diving a diverite 40pd wing, and if for whatever reason we did lose our down line we do know enough to use our lift bags and lines for our deco stop.

There does seem to be a little bit of confussion about my training, I am a commercial diver where 200+ on air is a very normal thing go by Navy tables which are a lot less conservative than recreational tables. The computers we were using were Aeris and they did not seem to have a problem with our depth either.

The reason for the post that seemed to upset you a little was just my observation to the difference from diving with a helmet verses a mask.

To the other guy that went off on me... look at Tech rigs again and then ask me where the second rig is for doubles. The only addition is another 1st stage and a manifold, everything else is switched around.

Once again I am sorry if this thread upsets ppl I was just wanting to share some of my experience. I think most of the information I recieved when I first posted this was great and I thank everyone for their help. It just reminded me toward the end of how many ppl there are out there that think their way is the only right way.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok, all you have in your profile is :newbie:

Certification Agencies: NAUI, PADI
Certification Level: PADI Adventure Diver until may then will be NAUI Master Diver
Dive History: So far I have only been to Galveston and a few lakes here in Tx
Dive Classification: New To Diving
# of Logged Dives: 25 - 49
Years Certified: Less Than One Year

I don't think it's "the worst in people" when we care about you living in spite of your diving, but if you feel you're beyond my remarks - I can find something else to do.

 

[pickens_46929]

Ok, so I'll chime in here...

1) on the regulator / breathing issue of the original post

Some of the regulators come factory set and for some reason they don't breath well below 100' feet or so. This includes more expensive ones and cheap ones. You just never know. A good practices is to get them bench tested for IP and set correctly for deep dives even if they are brand new.

2) deep diving and commercial training

Sounds like you know theory and practice of tables, are more capable than your average recreational newbie diver (eg. safety bottle @ 15'), however, recreation diving, technical diving and commercial diving are 3 separate areas and skill sets. Many recreational divers have been killed trying to do technical or commercial diving... many technical divers have been killed trying to do recreational diving or commercial diving... and *many* commercial divers have been killed trying to do recreational or technical diving.

Sometimes it's because a person is so used to diving a specific way (eg. overweighted, with full face mask, tender, topside chamber, etc.) that they shrug off the risks of trying to do a normal recreational or an extended range dive.

So I'll just say be careful out there and pretty much leave it at that.

 

[muddiver]

Deep certified by who to 165 ft? With less than 50 dives? Certainly not any of the recreational agencies. If they did then standards have been seriously violated as far as I'm aware.

Did you call the SCUBA police yet and turn them in?!?!?



Dude, what type of commercial rig are you used to diving (Superlite, Miller, DESCO)?

 

[saltydawg]

I dove a 17a and a 300

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Did you call the SCUBA police yet and turn them in?!?!?



Dude, what type of commercial rig are you used to diving (Superlite, Miller, DESCO)?

It would not have been them but based on the profile info the instructor would have violated standards.

 

[donooo]

this always seems to bring out some of the worst in ppl ,,,

There does seem to be a little bit of confussion about my training, I am a commercial diver where 200+ on air is a very normal thing ,,,,[/I]

The reason that some people came un glued is because you started out asking question that sounded like in experience then followed up with "have been diving for 6 months." Smells like bait.

don O

 

[Superlim9]

Deep certified by who to 165 ft? With less than 50 dives? Certainly not any of the recreational agencies. If they did then standards have been seriously violated as far as I'm aware. Also some training was seriously lacking if you discovered on that dive how seriously over weighted you were at 165. What would have happened if you lost the line? There are ways to counteract the lightness at the end that should have been covered in this "deep cert". Like hanging extra weights on the line for those who do not dive a balanced rig. A bounce dive to 165 ft in cold water with no real preparation? Darwin was seriously being courted here. That kind of dive, just to do it is not a plan. It is a stunt that could get someone killed. And what do you mean by dual tank air? Were you diving doubles with air and what size tanks? And when did you pick up your second reg to dive doubles with? And what tables because you were beyond recreational depths and what computer? What deco profile did you come up with before this dive and how did you generate it? And oh yeah you were narced! You just have no idea to what degree. And your temp guage most likely did not have time to react to the change at that depth. I'd say the narcosis set in some time around when the decision was made to go to 165 ft with what experience you have and with the equipment issues you were having. It never ceases to amaze me when I hear things like this and wonder what kind of instructor implies, teaches, or oks by omission of teaching that these kind of things are ok to do. I guess mine was just too thorough. I'm missing alot of fun by diving in ways that don't take me to the edge of getting killed.

For one.... you can only get killed diving if your an idiot except for when murphy's law takes over... two... I was Kevin's dive buddy on this dive to 165. We have both been trained in deep air and mixed gas (nitrox/heliox/helitrox)....Three... Neither one of us were narced.. and there is no way for you to tell that he was unless you were there with us... all you can do is assume and you know what they say about that. There are ways to tell if your buddy is narced and if you've had any technical training you would know what it is so i'm not going there. SOP's stipulate that you carry two 50lb lift bags of different colors and thats what you use in the case of losing a down line. Our bottom Profile was 165 for 5 min with a stop at 20ft for 5 min and then 10ft for 6 minutes. The required deco was only 10ft for 3 min. I had planned the stops prior to the dive, I decided to do them anyways to be safe and allow for a longer repet. We usually go by and follow RGBM tables... and follow the rules to the "T". And if you know your own tables.. you would know that the MOD for air is 195 feet and after a few physics calculations.. we only had a PPo2 of 1.05. We in no way went outside our training or limits so the people who's stories you were amazed by probably shouldnt have been diving to begin with.

So... If everybody would just ask some simple questions to get all the facts before they start typing instead of making comments they probably shouldn't be making due to assumptions. We could save ourselves from reading posts that dont help and just rag on other people... If any of you guys have any questions of me, that are worth answering.. please send me a message and I'll be glad to send an answer back.

~Superlim9

Have a nice day!

 

[kalidor's8]

Dude, what type of commercial rig are you used to diving (Superlite, Miller, DESCO)?[/quote]

I normaly dive a Gorski (love it LOVE IT!!!!) I have dove all 3 of those though.