Review: The Last Dive

[Don Burke]

What were the misconceptions?

My copy is out on loan right now, so this is from memory.

The big one that sticks out the most was Bernie ascending into DCS because none of the gasses available were deemed suitable for decompression.

Leaving deco gasses at the anchor line and depending on getting back to them was another.

 

[H2Andy]

The big one that sticks out the most was Bernie ascending into DCS because none of the gasses available were deemed suitable for decompression.

that's not as i remember it.

bernie was over-breathing his reg, and could not find the ascent line. he
was running low on gas, and rather than try to find the ascent line or
shoot a bag, he decided to simply ascend. he swam about 1500 feet
at 150 feet looking for the line.

at that point, he was probably suffering from tunnel vision and WANTED OUT NOW,
in addition to being physically and mentally exhausted.

logic sort of goes out the window. he figured: i don't have enough gas to
do full deco anyway, might as well bail now and get to the surface.

a more logical plan would have been: i'll do deco for as long as gas lasts and
then ascend.

but again, he was probably suffering from tunnel vision. i've been there
under much less stresfull conditions, and it's hard to fight that urge
to-get-out-NOW

 

[almitywife]

nice avatar Andy! you a mod again????

sorry - back to thread, nothing to see here......

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I'll have to check out shadow diver.

Thanks

I'm reading it now. So far, it's very very good. I especially like the bit about the fact that Chatterton was an Army medic. An experience near and dear to my heart...

 

[H2Andy]

ok, ban HER

she's the one who said it, guys, NOT ME

 

[Don Burke]

that's not as i remember it.

Check page 318 in the hardcover.

The paragraph starts with "Wolfgang".

 

[H2Andy]

ok, i don't have the hardcover book... what's the chapter? and what's going on?

that will help me find it

i was talking about the portion of the book where he gets bent real
bad and has to go to the hospital after he ran low on gas and
ascended without doing any deco.

 

[Don Burke]

ok, i don't have the hardcover book... what's the chapter? and what's going on?

"Ever Deeper" is the chapter.

He is in the process of getting bent the second time.

 

[H2Andy]

you mean when he ascends to 20 feet so he can breathe 100% O2 instead
of staying at 40 feet on pure O2?

i thought that was a good call

now how he got there... oy vey...

 

[Scuba_Steve]

"Ever Deeper" is the chapter.

He is in the process of getting bent the second time.

I always thought a better name for that chapter as per your description above was

"Maybe I should hang up my fins"

OR

"There's got to be a better way"

would also work