For all divers, especially cavers

[Scubaguy62]

Yesterday I saw a program on the National Geographic's "Expeditions to the Edge" series... it was a very interesting account of a serious cave diving accident in New Zealand...here's the description of the program, which will air again tomorrow at 4pm (edt)

"New Zealand's Pearse Cave system is one of the deepest in the world-just right for explorers Kieran McKay, Pete Hobson, Sean Macey, and Dave Weaver. In May 1995, they expected to reach depths of around 260 feet (80 meters), farther than anyone has ever dared to go in this cave. When complications prove disastrous, will team members make it out alive?"

Ok ok, I'll give you a little kicker; they dove to those depths ON 21% (AIR)! But the lesson learned was terribly expensive.

 

[H2Andy]

they dove to those depth ON 21% (AIR)!

can you say "ouch"?

i want to say "i hope no one got hurt" but i know better =(

here's an account from one of the participants:

http://nzcaver.org/htg/articles/pearse.htm

 

[Scubaguy62]

Seriously dude, you'd want to catch that show!!

 

[gerardnealon]

i dont understand, why not just use trimix? Makes no sense. Does anyone know what kind of deco obligation would arise from such a dive?

 

[H2Andy]

i dont understand, why not just use trimix? Makes no sense. Does anyone know what kind of deco obligation would arise from such a dive?

per the NAVY tables for a 260-foot dive on air:

5 min. = 11:40 min. deco
10 min. = 23:40 min. deco
15 min. = 46:40 min. deco
20 min. = 71:40 min. deco

but doing this dive on air (i.e. narced out of your mind) is the real danger here, as you
point out.

 

[gerardnealon]

wow, they had to have been using rebreathers w/ 21% right? I mean, that is some serious gas needed for that dive. Maybe their back gas was 21% but that had 50 and 100 for deco. Unless it was a very short dive, which i doubt, that is some serious deco time.

 

[H2Andy]

nope, they were diving regular scuba, with lots of stage bottles

 

[simbrooks]

They were seriously underfunded - hence no sophisticated equipment. There is another thread on here also about this show, but i read most of the info from TDS.

 

[Curt Bowen]

Yesterday I saw a program on the National Geographic's "Expeditions to the Edge" series... it was a very interesting account of a serious cave diving accident in New Zealand...here's the description of the program, which will air again tomorrow at 4pm (edt)

"New Zealand's Pearse Cave system is one of the deepest in the world-just right for explorers Kieran McKay, Pete Hobson, Sean Macey, and Dave Weaver. In May 1995, they expected to reach depths of around 260 feet (80 meters), farther than anyone has ever dared to go in this cave. When complications prove disastrous, will team members make it out alive?"

Ok ok, I'll give you a little kicker; they dove to those depths ON 21% (AIR)! But the lesson learned was terribly expensive.

Probably, like most of us explorers in the early 90's we all used air. I remember doing 300 Ft plus dives on air, with only air for deco. (VERY LONG DIVES) Trimix was not available or known about as much then for the extended range diver, plus maybe in New Zealand they could not have gotten helium?

Not all countries, even today can you get helium, and if you can it costs hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Deep air is not dead yet, even though it would be nice if it was. If helium is not available, I will still do 200-240 on air if needed.

Remember they shot the show in 1995, not 2005.

 

[Rookie_J]

is this the show where the one fella was recovering from a cold?


if so, i saw it and could'nt help but think, why?