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FWIW, if we had what amounts to multiple solo divers diving with single tanks and no redundancy, I would definitely have a free diver. Scratch that... I actually would never leave the dock. We dive it on trimix in teams with redundancy and conservative gas management practices.
You mean you'd let someone else take out the solo divers on singles, and you would start a new "Recovery Service". :-)
You mean you'd let someone else take out the solo divers on singles, and you would start a new "Recovery Service". :-)
I'm not trying to rag on diving like that, I mean serious spearos, that's what they do. I'm just pointing out the fact that we're talking about two completely different animals. If I had guys diving like that I'd be nervous too.
I do think that its a bit ironic to have someone who supervises dives like this imply that what we do is unsafe. I also take exception to the statement that we provide zero surface support for decompression emergencies. We have equipment and personnel available should the need arise, but we keep them on the boat unless they're needed. We don't routinely throw them overboard.
I prefer to not depend on surface support unless it's part of the plan to have support divers. Relying on the boat to be hanging a bottle is not a good plan. IMO, it's like relying on sea tow if you have a crappy engine in your boat. Shouldn't you be self sufficient? I mean after all... This isn't a recreational dive. It's a tech dive. The divers should be well trained.
What if the rigged bottle doesn't come free from the boat, and then the boat has to move to pick up some other divers who are on the surface? Now you have a guy attached to the boat doing deco, and divers drifting away on the surface. What now? If the boat is anchored, and runs a granny line or a hang bar, that's one thing... But in a drifting situation, relying on the boat doesn't seem prudent.
Howard:
You are not reading what i am writing. I tried twice before (I think) to explain that I prefer to have the oxygen bottle to be tossable from the dive boat.. throw it in the water and you can leave the divers to attend to others. The tank can not, NOT come free from the dive boat... You have a hard float attached to a 20ft line (for oxygen) or a 30 ft line for 80% and it is clipped to the bottle which was already assembled with a reg. The line wraps around the float. I am almost hesitant to say this but... it is pretty much an infallible configuration...especially if the safety diver swims it to the divers on their stop..
Trying to deco under a boat that is towing a tank in the wind in waves is not fun, I've done it MANY times...
As for planning, I totally agree with you, when i do those dives i do NOT expect a buddy to be there to help me and with a drifting deco, it is quite likely that the boat may not find you until after you come up and call them on the radio.. I tried to explain that too.. HOWEVER, I prefer to have a safety diver on the boat who can swim down 30 feet and check on the divers and give them an oxygen bottle.. should that be necessary and should they be able to locate the diver...It is just MY preference.
BTW the accusation that the operator (Kevin) has a sloppy attitude toward safety is not something I would support at all. Doing these dives is NOT "safe", we can confirm that fact simply by the frequency of "lost" divers at the surface. However, in all honesty having a safety diver and a throwable oxygen can improve safety and is in my mind, the most minor of inconveniences...
I would never argue that solo divers using single tanks with no redundancy are safer than good teams of divers with redundant technical gear. I didn't really think that was the topic of discussion anyway....
Last edited by dumpsterDiver; February 8th, 2012 at 10:46 PM.
Cool! You can be the guy that unhooks the 43" buoy in a 3kt current!
Hi Mike, the new book is great!
Couple quick questions for Reck...
Since you're grappling the wreck, I expect it's pretty hard to catch it near the down current end. How do you manage this? Also, how do you know where or what you're tied into?
Since a 43" ball in a three knot current pulls like a freight train by itself, do you ever worry about tearing the wreck apart with the load of the ball and six divers in doubles with stages? I'm a bit concerned about that aspect of your method. God forbid it rips off with a diver nearby. Also, how do they even get down the line? I'm thinking that for a 200 ft dive, that suckers gotta be close toto 300' long. Do you worry about your divers working that hard at depth? It really concerns me.
No problem at all, It is simple to pull down a thin line in 3 kts while wearing 4 tanks....
I'm 98% sure you are joking by even entertaining this discussion, right?
and.. the current does look a lot faster up and off the wreck..
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