Russian diver dead; Brit diver injured

[DandyDon]

From ИТАР-ТАСС / PDA Версия

NALCHIK, January 21 (Itar-Tass) —— British diver Martin Robson, who developed health problems after Russia’s record-deep submersion to a depth of 209 meters in Blue Lake, in Kabardino-Balkaria, has been airlifted to the resort city of Sochi by an Emergency Ministry plane, the director of the project for Blue Lake’s exploration, Bogdana Vashchenko, told Itar-Tass. “An Il-76 plane with physiologists and a mobile pressure chamber on board arrived at the Mineralnyie Vody airport on Friday, from where Robson was brought to a hospital in Sochi, where there is the necessary equipment and unique methodology,” Vashchenko said, adding that Professor Gennady Sokolov, of the Moscow Institute of Medical-Biological Problems was providing medical assistance to the British diver. Other participants in the international research project for exploring Blue Lake in Kabardino-Balkaria (258 meters deep) say that Robson was making very complicated and risky dive. “It lasted for about nine hours. Robson surfaced in accordance with the schedule, but he had symptoms of the decompression disease and felt unwell,” other divers said. The rescuers on duty took him to a pressure chamber at the republican hospital in Nalchik, where he underwent several treatment sessions. During one of Robson’s first dives on January 13 a member of the support team, diver from Moscow Andrei Rodionov died due to an accidental equipment failure. Robson went to depths of 160-200 meters to take samples of water and soil. He was also looking for a cave or caves on the steep wall of the depression that forms the lake. Specialists from the Perm Institute of Natural Studies under Nikolai Maksimovich and karstologist Giovanni Badino, of the University of Verona, have identified several areas where at depths of 100 meters to 200 meters a system of caves is likely to be found. Blue lake is a unique natural site. It never freezes. There are no storms and the transparency of the water is amazing – 40 meters in sunny weather. The lake owes its color – from light-blue to turquoise (depending on the weather) - to the high content of hydrogen sulfide. A diving center has operated on the lake since 2002.

 

[DevonDiver]

I was always under the impression that super-deep/expedition dives had to be insured individually. Sure I read that somewhere..


Probably of interest to DAN anyway from an academic perspective.

As for records.. what's the fresh water depth record? Or maybe a regional max?

 

[TSandM]

You know, the tables/algorithms we dive for recreational diving are well tested, because tons of people do those dives.

The stuff we're using for tech diving has a lot less empiric testing.

The tables they use for dives like that are almost pure theory, because the number of people who have actually DONE dives at this depth is measured in very small numbers.

It would not surprise me to find that the models intersect the bell-shaped curve of individual physiologic response somewhere other than in the middle.

I hope Mr. Robson recovers quickly and fully.

 

[Tigerman]

Kouras Im well aware that Russia is European although not in the EU, the same goes for Norway. However Russia is also partly asian and I was just not sure if the lake was in the european or asian part. As its in the european part, the fact that DAN is not very highly represented in europe in general is just that much more "relevant" to the "DAN insurance" topic..

 

[kouras]

Oh, right, I always forget that Norway is not in EU officially Apparently the asian part of the country starts from Ural region going to the east.

 

[DandyDon]

It's an understandable mistake since so few of us have ever been anywhere close to the area and we know little about it. Searching from here, this map seems to imply that it is considered in Asia: File:Map of Russia - Kabardino-Balkar Republic (2008-03).svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A comparison to this map suggests Europe: File:Europe orthographic Caucasus Urals boundary.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting the Black and Aegean Seas.

Yet the borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are somewhat arbitrary, as the primarily physiographic term "continent" can incorporate cultural and political elements.

 

[Bombay High]

You know, the tables/algorithms we dive for recreational diving are well tested, because tons of people do those dives.

The stuff we're using for tech diving has a lot less empiric testing.

The tables they use for dives like that are almost pure theory, because the number of people who have actually DONE dives at this depth is measured in very small numbers.

It would not surprise me to find that the models intersect the bell-shaped curve of individual physiologic response somewhere other than in the middle.

I hope Mr. Robson recovers quickly and fully.

Hi Lynne,
The deco curve for a dive like that has been well tested and safely executed time and again in the commercial diving world.
I have personally been to those depths and deeper several times.
As saturation divers we have a few advantages. A very important advantage is we do no in-water deco. This allows a very safe schedule to decompress.
I am no expert in the planning of this kind of an expedition on rebreathers, but if I was involved, a portable recompression chamber topside would be the very least I would insist upon.

 

[ianr33]

As for records.. what's the fresh water depth record?

Jim Bowden in Zacaton? (925') WETMEMBER

 

[kouras]

It's an understandable mistake since so few of us have ever been anywhere close to the area and we know little about it. Searching from here, this map seems to imply that it is considered in Asia: File:Map of Russia - Kabardino-Balkar Republic (2008-03).svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A comparison to this map suggests Europe: File:Europe orthographic Caucasus Urals boundary.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If this mointain is considered as the highest in Europe: Mount Elbrus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

While there are differing authorities on how the Caucasus are distributed between Europe and Asia, many sources agree that Elbrus is also the highest mountain in all of Europe

Then the blue lake is defo in Europe too, since it's like 100 miles away from mountains. But I agree people say different things, especially europeans do not like that mount (envy maybe)

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

Finally found it. As a UK resident Mr Robson would have been subject to the European DAN restrictions (assuming he chose to insure with DAN). This includes the following clause (requiring a dive plan in order for the dive to be covered);

DAN Europe - depth limits

Technical Diving

Technical Diving means dives conducted with the use of variable gas mixtures (Nitrogen-Helium-Oxygen otherwise called Trimix or Helium – Oxygen otherwise called Heliox) up to depths not exceeding 130 metres and/or gas partial pressures of 1,4 ATA Oxygen or up to a maximum of 1,6ATA Oxygen and 3,95ATA Nitrogen in the breathing mixture, and provided that any other relevant local laws and regulations are respected. On written submission of a full dive profile and proposed safety and support measures insurers may consider providing specific per dive insurance for any dive exceeding 130 metres.



I admit that the guys I dove with did this from 100m, though the policy only states 130m.