Calling A Wah A Wah
Editorial by Michael Menduno
Definition: "Technical diving is a discipline that uses special tools and methods to improve underwater safety and performance enabling a diver to conduct operations in a wide range of environments and perform tasks beyond the scope of recreational diving." technicalDIVER 3.2, OCT92
Scuba diving to 400+ f/123 m+ on air without a back-up is NOT technical diving. Regardless of whether or not the divers could handle the narcosis, regardless of whether or not they could tolerate excessive oxygen levels for brief periods (PO2=2.8+), and regardless of whether or not they were within the thirds rule (I argue that they were outside the intent of thirds based on the absolute volume of gas&endash;80 cf&endash;that they carried for their 440 f/135 m dive), the defining factor of these dives was the decision to dive without a back-up system, without first-stage redundancy. Because of this, the divers put their lives at risk for no good reason.
Without a first stage back-up, a burst O-ring or a regulator failure would have most likely resulted in the death of one or more divers. In the event of equipment failure, it is also unlikely that one diver would have been able to bail out another at depth. Even if they had a long hose. No one did. The divers were not self-sufficient&endash;a fundamental tenet of tech diving.
I asked Gilliam, after his then-record-setting air dive to 4XX f/yy m in 19XX, what his reasoning was behind making a deep air dive without first-stage redundancy. He responded, "How often does a regulator fail?" Talking tekkie? How often does it need to beyond 400 f/123 m? Gilliam argued that the drag of an additional regulator [with dual valve&endash;ed.] increased risks. I disagree. That's not tech diving. It's gene-pool math.
I am concerned that people will associate this kind of diving/dangerous underwater behavior with technical diving, and give the community a bad name. Worse, it will get divers killed.
Aren’t these the people&endash;owners and instructor/trainers&endash;who are setting the training standards? What kind of example do these dives set? The kind that led the 27-year-old Florida deep air diver who recently died during a 475 f/146 m world-record practice run to believe that he had something to gain? Or that conveys the message that operational standards really don't mean anything? Not if you are really experienced. Guru stuff. Worse. What does it say about their agencies’ commitment to quality training and safety? Hello. You don't sell used rebreathers, do you? Are you selling used rebreathers?
The wah-wah dives were conducted as a private affair among industry insiders, but there are no secrets in the diving business anymore. NSS-CDS chairman Odom argues that "Do as I say, don't do as I do" has been the rule, not the exception, since day one. Maybe in the old days when diving beyond 130 f/42 m on scuba was taboo. Wasn't that one of the reasons that technical diving came out of the closet to begin with? You can't have it both ways.
My personal advice? Just say Nah to the Wah. It won't make your weenie any bigger, and if things go wrong, it could ruin your whole day. It's your call. Mind them PN2s. M2
aquaCORPS supports the consensus standards that we published as "Blueprint For Survival Revisited," N7/COMPUTING, in JUN93. It is important to note that these are operational, not simply training standards. Here are some of the relevant sections covering the wah.
Gas Supply:
Always dive an appropriately redundant breathing system&endash;minimally first- and second-stage redundancy&endash;in an overhead environment, or when diving in open water beyond about 60 f/18 m.
Gas Mix:
Maintain your PO2s below 1.5 atm (about 200 f/61 m) during the working phase of the dive and anytime more than light work is being done, boosting oxygen levels to a maximum of 1.6 atm with care during resting decompression.
"Just say NO to nitrox" mixes ("air") beyond about 180-200 f/55-61 m or less, depending on the operation and environment. In particular, keep equivalent narcotic depths (END) as shallow as operationally and economically feasible, preferably 150 f/46 m or less. [ENDs are being run as high as 300 f/92 m on extreme deep self-contained dives to ameliorate HPNS. See "Absolutely Risky Business," p64&endash;ed.]
Note that the US NAVY and ADC Consensus Standards operational limits for air diving are 200 f/61 m.
For a free copy of "Blueprint For Survival Revisited," contact aquaCORPS, POB 4243, Key West, FL 33041, f: 305.293.0729, email: 73204.542@compuserve.com.