Info What is Saturation Diving?

[kelemvor]

It occurred to me that everyone reading this might not know how large volumes of industrial HP gas is delivered. Here is a Helium tube trailer:

Here is a 12-pack of "K" bottles:

Packs and trailers like these are typically delivered to pierside, loaded on a supply boat, and offloaded to the DSV by crane.

The images aren't showing up for me.

 

[loady]

Are injuries or health problems common during or after saturation diving? I've heard that it ages the diver quickly, ie a 40 year old will have the health or body of a 60 year old. Is that true?

 

[Heliumthief]

Not really.
In the ‘70’s and ‘80’s when practices were more experimental, then some diving could take it’s toll, way more bends, extreme surface decompression diving, surface mixed gas, fast blowdowns and deco’s long sat exposures...
Nowadays where the money allows then sat is very controlled. Average age of sat divers in North sea is way into the mid 50’s and beyond now with no health issues. I recently worked with a 66 year old that looked and dived like a 40 year old!

 

[Akimbo]

Are injuries or health problems common during or after saturation diving? I've heard that it ages the diver quickly, ie a 40 year old will have the health or body of a 60 year old. Is that true?

Saturation diving, not so much. Young single men, big pay checks, at least a month off at a time, coupled with excessive partying... yeah that can pile the age on you before your time. I don't think that particular health problem is specific to diving.

 

[dberry]

Are stories of accelerated osteoporosis or other bone issues in saturation divers just urban legends?

 

[Akimbo]

Are stories of accelerated osteoporosis or other bone issues in saturation divers just urban legends?

That was a lot of concern in the early 1970s because aseptic bone necrosis was showing up in the early sat divers. It turns out that virtually all divers chosen for sat had years of HeO2 surface-supplied diving, often on experimental tables. I was one of the first sat divers certified in the Navy without that kind of experience. Our whole team endured hours of bone scans after being shot up with radioactive contrast. All us younger divers were fine and, as far as I know, still are today.

What is Saturation Diving?, Post #42

I often wondered if the old crippled divers of the past, before Haldane, were also suffering from bone deterioration in addition to the effects of repeated DCS before they knew what DCS was.