Tech diving gear and gas mixes

[berin]

I gave up tech diving a few years ago, and finally got around to sorting the gear out to sell or give to some one that might use it.

Amongst the apparently dozens of cylinders, I found a couple marked up as 9% O2, and then one with 5% O2.

I can’t for the life of me think what I was diving with a 5% mix, I’m going to have to see if I can find some log books to give me a clue.

Amongst the gear I found pretty much a complete set of Aquacorps magazines (I know that will mean something to at least one person on here), discs with Pro planner and Sheck Exley’s deco programmes, my tool belt with lump hammer, chisel and a pair of Stilsons, our homemade laminated tables, an Otter and an OThree suit with pee valves, an Inspiration rebreather, about a dozen Poseidon cyklons and jetstreams and a portable gas mixing kit.

Those were the days!

[Skier]

I gave up tech diving a few years ago, and finally got around to sorting the gear out to sell or give to some one that might use it.

Amongst the apparently dozens of cylinders, I found a couple marked up as 9% O2, and then one with 5% O2.

I can’t for the life of me think what I was diving with a 5% mix, I’m going to have to see if I can find some log books to give me a clue.

Amongst the gear I found pretty much a complete set of Aquacorps magazines (I know that will mean something to at least one person on here), discs with Pro planner and Sheck Exley’s deco programmes, my tool belt with lump hammer, chisel and a pair of Stilsons, our homemade laminated tables, an Otter and an OThree suit with pee valves, an Inspiration rebreather, about a dozen Poseidon cyklons and jetstreams and a portable gas mixing kit.

Those were the days!

I can only imagine that your 5% mix was you on a 100m plus dive using your CCR with a wish to get the PPO2 down rapidly should you need to. I still have loads of old regulators and other kit in crates in the garage that I must get around to getting rid of at some point.

[MCFastybloke]

I gave up tech diving a few years ago, and finally got around to sorting the gear out to sell or give to some one that might use it.

Amongst the apparently dozens of cylinders, I found a couple marked up as 9% O2, and then one with 5% O2.

I can’t for the life of me think what I was diving with a 5% mix, I’m going to have to see if I can find some log books to give me a clue.

Amongst the gear I found pretty much a complete set of Aquacorps magazines (I know that will mean something to at least one person on here), discs with Pro planner and Sheck Exley’s deco programmes, my tool belt with lump hammer, chisel and a pair of Stilsons, our homemade laminated tables, an Otter and an OThree suit with pee valves, an Inspiration rebreather, about a dozen Poseidon cyklons and jetstreams and a portable gas mixing kit.

Those were the days!

You found a unit "among" lol. I still have the fins mask and a backplate left, dont miss it at all. The only thing that would tempt me back would be TRUK

[ralphy]

I’ve no idea what you’d use a 5% mix for either!

Would be interested in find out the answer.

R

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Those were the days matey!!

What is the diluent in the cyls? He I presume?

May be just to store the He for a trip and keep the contents a bit safer than neat He to be subsequently used later by adding some more o2 via booster?

[berin]

Those were the days matey!!

What is the diluent in the cyls? He I presume?

May be just to store the He for a trip and keep the contents a bit safer than neat He to be subsequently used later by adding some more o2 via booster?

They were indeed the days!

It was helium, mostly, but it was a trimix. It was in a 3 for the Boris marked up for diving, and I think it must have been for the Egypt which is about 130m-140m to the seabed. Must have been a reason cos even at that it’s only .7bar or so ppo2. Long bottom times and hours or deco so maybe just keeping ppo2 down.

I’ll see if I can find some tables which correspond, out of interest.


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

[berin]

Also found Sheck Exley’s pamphlet, “A blueprint for survival”!

Glad I never read it


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

[Chris_in_the_UK]

They were indeed the days!

It was helium, mostly, but it was a trimix. It was in a 3 for the Boris marked up for diving, and I think it must have been for the Egypt which is about 130m-140m to the seabed. Must have been a reason cos even at that it’s only .7bar or so ppo2. Long bottom times and hours or deco so maybe just keeping ppo2 down.

I’ll see if I can find some tables which correspond, out of interest.

Odd one for sure, .7bar is very low (as you say).

[Skier]

They were indeed the days!

It was helium, mostly, but it was a trimix. It was in a 3 for the Boris marked up for diving, and I think it must have been for the Egypt which is about 130m-140m to the seabed. Must have been a reason cos even at that it’s only .7bar or so ppo2. Long bottom times and hours or deco so maybe just keeping ppo2 down.

I’ll see if I can find some tables which correspond, out of interest.


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

Hi Martin. Following our discussions during the Bremont visit I'm now wondering if we met previously whilst diving the Egypt. I'd have to check my logbooks for dates and I don't have them available right now. That said I didn't record mixes used in my logbook though I do recall advice to use a diluent that could bring down the PPO2 rapidly which would make sense. The tables/profiles were generated by DERA/QinetiQ though I largely used Z-Planner (now V-Planner) and a couple of Hydrospace Explorer computers.

[BadgerUK]

Also found Sheck Exley’s pamphlet, “A blueprint for survival”!

Glad I never read it


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

If only he had followed his own rule 3 given how he died doing something utterly pointless down a dark hole.

I would add a Rule 11, never dive in caves beyond being able to see with natural day light, so limit yourself to cavern diving.
All cave divers will die in a cave at some point, it is just a matter of timing.

'At the back of the booklet is Exley’s Blueprint for Survival. Ten recommenda*tions for safe cave diving that are as relevant today as the day that Sheck wrote them.

1) Always use a single, continuous guideline from the entrance of the cave throughout the dive.

2) Always use the ‘third rule’ in planning your air supply.

3) Avoid deep diving in caves.

4) Avoid panic by building up experience slowly and being prepared for emergencies.

5) Always use at least three lights per diver.

6) Always carry the safest possible scuba.

7) Avoid stirring up the silt.

8) Practice emergency procedures with your partner before going diving, and review them often.

9) Always carry the equipment necessary for handling emergencies, and review them often.

10) Never permit overconfidence to allow you to rationalise violating safety procedures.'

[berin]

I think this solves it, it was heliair, not trimix.

rough kit inventory so far:

21 cylinders
2 dive rite wings, 1 Halcyon wing, 1 OMS wing
10 Poseidon and Apeks regs in various configurations
6 pairs of fins including cave fins and the big Force fins
10 cave reels
1 pink snorkel
some kind of high pressure manifold thing, that I can’t work out what it’s for
1 positive pressure O2 kit
1 set of portable mixing gear
A number of big lift bags
a Dacor Viper 2nd stage, that fits onto an LP hose, for some reason I can’t recall
Mrs Berins Inspo
2 wetsuits for some skinny bloke


next up for opening is the box of lights, and analysers and stuff.

[berin]

I fibbed, actually, I did read it. Luckily, I also mostly did what it said (apart from the deep diving part) and so didn’t die, unlike, as you say, most cave divers.

If only he had followed his own rule 3 given how he died doing something utterly pointless down a dark hole.

I would add a Rule 11, never dive in caves beyond being able to see with natural day light, so limit yourself to cavern diving.
All cave divers will die in a cave at some point, it is just a matter of timing.

'At the back of the booklet is Exley’s Blueprint for Survival. Ten recommenda*tions for safe cave diving that are as relevant today as the day that Sheck wrote them.

1) Always use a single, continuous guideline from the entrance of the cave throughout the dive.

2) Always use the ‘third rule’ in planning your air supply.

3) Avoid deep diving in caves.

4) Avoid panic by building up experience slowly and being prepared for emergencies.

5) Always use at least three lights per diver.

6) Always carry the safest possible scuba.

7) Avoid stirring up the silt.

8) Practice emergency procedures with your partner before going diving, and review them often.

9) Always carry the equipment necessary for handling emergencies, and review them often.

10) Never permit overconfidence to allow you to rationalise violating safety procedures.'

[ralphy]

I fibbed, actually, I did read it. Luckily, I also mostly did what it said (apart from the deep diving part) and so didn’t die, unlike, as you say, most cave divers.

He said all cave divers, but I think we’ve established his somewhat loose grasp of facts, truth and reality.

R

[JasonM]

I have a shorty for some skinny bloke in my kit too!
I miss him.