Dive Cylinder Explodes - Sydney

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Here in Libya, commercial spearfisherman who spearfish on scuba in depth of 50 - 60 meters use 100% O2 for deco in bottles that were NEVER O2 cleaned at all! These tanks are very old and were never prepared for O2 service at all. No incidents so far with these tanks.

Not everyone is so lucky. Your anecdote shouldn't be used to justify throwing out safety procedures. In my case, a VIP would have caught the issues in the cylinder. It happens once in a while, and can be dealt with. I was unlucky with the cylinder had some issues. Lucky that it didn't ignite

 

[Shotmaster]

It's a worry that your friend doesn't understand things.

If the tank sprung a leak on fill, post eddy current test. I'd stop using that place because they'd failed to spot the defect of the eddy current test and the visual inspection ( assuming it wasn't a cylinder wall defect)

These defects don't just suddenly happen, they become critical only because they haven't been found on the regular inspections.

These old tanks if properly inspected should be okay, the fact is that the industry doesn't have the expertise and is unwilling to make the investment in testing procedures. It's cheaper and easier to get the individual to replace their tanks

It didn't spring a leak, a surface Crack appeared and they stopped the fill. They went through a thorough analysis of the handling procedures and logs, the tank was hydro'd and eddy checked. They were trying make sure they hadn't missed anything. I was there when they were verifying everything they had done.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Just drove past driving the local community bus, Police tape across back entrance.

I have also now been told that it was a young male who was injured (I know at least his first name). He lost his right leg above the knee, the left leg is smashed but surgery should be able to repair. He has a fractured skull and swollen brain which is normal in this situation. All other vital orders are reported to be good. He is unconscious, but stable. Very lucky to be alive.

In Sydney, virtually all privately owned tanks are now steel, but most dive shop course/hire tanks appear to be old aluminium. I see very few people using aluminium tanks (I got rid of all of ours - 12 - and replaced with new steel as well as three aluminium for our yacht). I have been told that the tank was privately owned, but I have no idea if it was old or new.

 

[kelemvor]

Has it been confirmed to be an alu tank yet?

 

[clownfishsydney]

Has it been confirmed to be an alu tank yet?

That is what I have been told, but not what age.

 

[nadwidny]

Whoa! I simply shared what was relayed to me while I was at my LDS .

Rule 8 of diving- If you heard it from an LDS, it's wrong.

 

[Wookie]

It didn't spring a leak, a surface Crack appeared and they stopped the fill. They went through a thorough analysis of the handling procedures and logs, the tank was hydro'd and eddy checked. They were trying make sure they hadn't missed anything. I was there when they were verifying everything they had done.

Again, I'm trying not to be an ass, but it's hard. So hard, as most anyone on ScubaBoard will attest. I'm socially regressive.

Repeating what you hear in the dive shop is how stories like this get spread. Almost nothing that gets said in a dive shop is true. It's like sailors on the midwatch, everyone tries to out-story the next guy. Problem is, in the dive shop, there is no one to call BS on the story teller, especially if the story teller is the owner or manager, it becomes from God's Lips to the manager's ear. Then, all of the newbie divers run around and tell the story because if the dive shop said it was true, it must be gospel. I've heard in the dive shop whoppers like "It's illegal to fill a cylinder unless you see a certification card" and other favorites like "It's illegal to put nitrox in a tank unless it's O2 clean", and "It's illegal to cave fill a cylinder". Now, those may be against industry standards, and even against some federal regulations, although that's a bit of a stretch, and it certainly goes against manufacturers recommendations, but illegal? I have a feeling that the scuba police will not be at Dutch Springs targeting cave fills this weekend. Just remember, there are no scuba laws. Best management practices are just that, and no one will come beat you up for not following them, unless you have a scuba insurance company. Industry standards are made up by people like myself to prevent you from having fun.

 

[kelemvor]

Rule 8 of diving- If you heard it from an LDS, it's wrong.

So much for my dive training

Seriously though, most divers come to trust the shops who train and service their gear right? Where do you draw the line on trusting the LDS who has had your life in their hands many times before? I'm not saying he's right, but I can certainly understand why he'd trust something his LDS told him.

Not trusting your lds is a slippery slope indeed. Mine taught me not to go into caves without training, not to exceed 1.6ppo2, and a few other things.

 

[dfx]

Rule 8 of diving- If you heard it from an LDS, it's wrong.

That's what I heard from my dive shop.

 

[Wookie]

So much for my dive training

Seriously though, most divers come to trust the shops who train and service their gear right? Where do you draw the line on trusting the LDS who has had your life in their hands many times before? I'm not saying he's right, but I can certainly understand why he'd trust something his LDS told him.

Not trusting your lds is a slippery slope indeed. Mine taught me not to go into caves without training, not to exceed 1.6ppo2, and a few other things.

Interesting. I learned about not going into caves on the caver's list. That will give some indication of how long ago that was. I learned about ppo2 right here on ScubaBoard, and take 1.6 with a grain of salt. I learned about ratio deco here, rebreathers on rebreatherworld, and deco on the Deco Stop. Why? Because when someone says "You'll die if you exceed a 1.6 ppo2" someone else will come along and say "Well, maybe you won't" and you can get both sides or all sides or more of the story or the real story so that you can make an informed decision about what ppo2 you want to dive. For instance, my wife feels the wah-wahs coming on at 1.6 working. I have no problem with 2.0 working. My problem is with nitrogen. At 100 feet on air I'm the happiest diver on the planet. My darling bride is just as happy at 160 on air as she is at 20 feet. We wouldn't know that if we did what the dive shop said.