The pursuit of Records in Diving (depth, etc)

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Dhboner

Contributor
Messages
1,178
Reaction score
598
Location
Toronto
# of dives
I just don't log dives


A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

This thread is split from a thread in the Accidents & Incidents forum as these posts are of the more general question "Are record setting dives worth it?"

I feel nothing but heartfelt sympathy for his family but this just underscores my contempt for "record" or "trophy" dives. Scuba is a means to an end...it is the life support system that allows us to explore reefs and wrecks and caves. If there is a scientific need to go deep to learn more about the effects of pressure on the body or the effects of breathing compressed gasses then those dives should be done by teams with the experience and support to deal with as many contingencies as can be predicted. A recreational dive, and by that I mean a dive with no scientific purpose, to that depth is narcissistic and perilous. I understand the human need to explore and push boundaries but that need should be tempered by the risk/reward equation. A husband and father has been taken because he wanted to go deeper than anyone else. In my opinion that is a senseless loss. Dive safely, hug your family and may God rest this man's soul.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's my estimation that this was nothing but a suicide. He was killed by his own lust to be the best, the deepest. Some will find my words blunt or even brutal, but I want to put this attempt into perspective, lest others try to set that record. Of course people trying to set records, for whatever reason, tend to be unreasonable and it's impossible to reason with an unreasonable person. In any event, to paraphrase a movie quote: "Stupid is as stupid dives."

In the seventies and eighties, the Central Florida area was constantly bombarded by deaths from such attempts to be the deepest. One of the instructors in the area was even known as "Bring 'em back dead or alive ____" because of how many of his former students perished trying to outdo their teacher. A little bit later we have the death of Sheck Exley in 1994. Schek had given us the 'Blueprint for Survival', a guide that has saved countless divers from dying in caves and yet he succumbed to that Siren's call. It should be pointed out that Schek had vastly more experience than Doc Deep ever contemplated.

I really have no clue as to Doc Deep's motivation, and for this discussion, it really doesn't matter. Egomaniac or intrepid explorer: there's a fine line between the two and only the individual can honestly answer that question and even that's a crap shoot. We often see denial and delusion accompanied with attempts to set such records. I never met, spoke or corresponded with Doc Deep, but his death is proof enough that he overstepped his limits with deadly results.

That should be the real takeaway here: A diver's got to know their limitations. Again, another paraphrased movie quote, but something every diver is faced with on each and every dive. I ingrain them into all of my students: Time, depth & gas. Then there are the other limits: certs, skills, physical, mental, buddy, gear and so on. You push and exceed these limits at your own peril. It's no question that Doc Deep exceeded his limits. Only a fool would contest otherwise. There's simply no plausible good reason to turn this non-competitive sport into a competition. Such is the quest to be the deepest. Such is an attempt to commit suicide, whether that's your goal or not. I and I alone are responsible for the dives I do. I and I alone are responsible for my safety in the water. I and I alone are responsible for evaluating and honoring my limits. In the event that I die or am otherwise injured under water, please, please, please point out my stupidity to the world. Others should learn from my untimely death if only to prevent their own.

'Nuff said.
 
It seems in every sport, there is the desire for man ( or women ) to go higher, steeper & deeper. I just wonder what went wrong so fast. Was he wearing a personal video camera ( like a GoPro ) that may give us clues? Was he over tasked?
 
Last edited:
If people didn't push the limits of human endurance we would never know where the limits were. You can be sure Sheck Exley had his critics who thought he was pushing too hard. Same can be said for many others who surpassed his records.
I will argue the point whether doc deep was the most knowledgable deep diver on the planet but I will still applaud his courage.
Condolenses to his family.
Please understand the one good that can come out of this is if we were to see his dive plan as there are many deep dive experts on this forum who may offer some insight as to what might have gone wrong.
 
It seems in every sport, there is the desire for man ( or women ) to go higher, steeper & deeper. I just wonder what went wrong so fast. Was he wearing a personal video camera ( like a GoPro ) that my give us clues? Was he over tasked?

He was wearing a camera during this recent 550 foot dive:
https://youtu.be/pKL1h4BIdC4
 
If people didn't push the limits of human endurance we would never know where the limits were. You can be sure Sheck Exley had his critics who thought he was pushing too hard. Same can be said for many others who surpassed his records..

I personally don't agree with depth records, that said I don't wish to see those concerned perish in their attempt. However, is this trully about man(kind)'s endurance or rather, hubris?



Condolenses to his family.
.

Agreed
 
Billions of people around the planet are spending their days chasing after "likes" on Facebook and ScubaBoard, and none considers themselves an idiot. Some chase after an inflated balloon, kicking it back and forth on a grassy field for no apparent purpose, with millions of spectators glued to the TV cheering and calling them a national hero. I'd say, chasing after a deep dive record is still more noble than any of the above...
 
Billions of people around the planet are spending their days chasing after "likes" on Facebook and ScubaBoard, and none considers themselves an idiot. Some chase after an inflated balloon, kicking it back and forth on a grassy field for no apparent purpose, with millions of spectators glued to the TV cheering and calling them a national hero. I'd say, chasing after a deep dive record is still more noble than any of the above...

gonna have to disagree with you on that one... read what Duke Dive posted above, let that sink in. Mixed Gas OC tech diving has been around a long time, the depth record has hardly moved...think about that. There is nothing new to learn here unless you are looking for the outflier that can take it better than the norm...but eventually they die too playing this game of Russian Roulette. Bounce dives to 800 fsw+ is like having 5 rounds in a six gun...over 1000 and it is like pulling the trigger twice with 5 rounds in the 6 shooter.
 
On the other hand, you could be the first person discovered in human history who is be immune to both maladies, providing you don’t die from the bends, oxygen poisoning, hypothermia, or gas management problems first. Like NetDoc wrote, what’s the point?
As I said in my first post in this thread: Denial and delusion are often a part of such attempts. A medical doctor, versed in deep diving, should have been aware of these probabilities. Either his research was lacking, he believed that that the physiologists were wrong or that he was immune to it all. Of course, it was probably a combination of all three.

Caveat: I am not a medical doctor. I used to fix sick Networks but now I simply do ScubaBoard.
 
… It is just a shame that someone had to die to generate this discussion.

It is a shame that so many people have died discovering what is now well-known and documented information. It is hard to fathom that so many people are still dying from these discoveries, all of which have been understood for more than half a century!

I am not implying that recreational divers would know all this stuff, but technical divers should. It is all pretty basic and is widely available to anyone who is interested.

The great majority of the cumulative knowledge presented in diving classes at all levels resulted from accidents that scared the hell out of, injured, or killed someone. Thanks to all the pioneers the preceded me, living or not.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

Back
Top Bottom