O2 on board

[Tortuga James]

What is your policy about when you administer O2 on your charters when no visible DCS or expansion injury symptoms are present?

Ascent violation?
Missed safety stop?
Missed deco stop?
When someone asks for it?

I have heard of dive operators who adopt a pay for the O2 if you need it policy, but that seems like it would open up a whole can of liability worms.

 

[boydski]

Hi James,

So far this summer I've had to hook up the Oxygen twice:

#1 was a rapid ascent from 40' with several missed deco stops.
#2 was a pair of divers running out of air at 65' and corking to the surface.

If someone asks for O2, I always give it to them (it's cheap). If they missed deco stops or corked from a deep/long dive, I usually insist they breath down a small bottle. I tell them it's better to be safe.

While we have threatened to charge for oxygen if someone is just using it to "feel better from a hard night of drinking", we never actually have.

 

[Tortuga James]

#1 was a rapid ascent from 40' with several missed deco stops.
#2 was a pair of divers running out of air at 65' and corking to the surface.

I had a rapid ascent from 30' with an instructor doing a AOW class. He immediately requested O2 for him and his student (the instructor came to the surface holding the student's ankle.) There were no symptoms, and they were well below any NDL's. It cost me $45 to refill the 3 24cf bottles they sucked down. Not a big deal, I was just wondering how quickly the O2 comes out. I certainly can handle 4-5 times a year.

 

[captndale]

I have two 125 CF bottles of O2 and two "E" bottles on board. The E bottles are for medical use with a DAN kit. I keep one 125 CF bottle in reserve. The other 125 CF bottle has a welding regulator connected with a long hose that has a TEE with two scuba regulators on the end. I put the hose and regulators in the water at the 20 foot level whenever divers are in water deeper than 40 feet. It is available to any divers who want it, in water or out.

 

[boydski]

It cost me $45 to refill the 3 24cf bottles they sucked down. Not a big deal, I was just wondering how quickly the O2 comes out. I certainly can handle 4-5 times a year.

Ouch! If it cost $45 every time I had to refill an O2 cylinder, I might have to re-think things.

Fortunately, two of our Captains are EMT/firefighters and I have a MasterLine oxygen booster in the shop, so refills are generally only a dollar or two.

On my personal boat, I do something similar to CaptnDale and have a couple of deco bottles of Oxygen available on the surface.

 

[RRDAVE]

I have only had to put someone on O2 one time in three years, but if we put someone on O2 they will be seeing the paramedics. This is the instructions that we follow from the U.S.C.G and it makes sense to me. I carry a 40 Qf bottle but all of our diving is done within 30min of the dock.

 

[DiveBee]

We carry DAN Extended Range twin-jumbo-D-cyl kit, but have not used it as of yet.

 

[scubaskipper]

I look at O2 administration the same way a doctor looks at a patient that takes over the counter medicines before they come in. It can mask the signs and symptoms I'm looking for to properly diagnose the problem. Deco dives are a whole different ball game and anyone that wants a cure for a hangover would be charged. 45 seems like allot for a fill. Try getting them filled with aviation grade instead of medical grade O2. Any industrial gas place should have it.

 

[SkipperJohn]

shouldn't your dive shop be able to fill these?

 

[DevonDiver]

O2 is cheap here in the Philippines and we have our own blending/filling facilities.

It has always been my policy to provide O2 any time that I, or the diver, felt that they may need it.

I strongly believe in the administration of O2 are a precautionary measure, pre-DCI symptom presentation. I know it can mask symptoms... but it can also resolve a hit before it can develop. If symptoms are to manifest, then I would generally prefer it to be when we are back on dry land.