Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] a 1atm dry sub or a potential coffin?

[Dewey Mason <drmason2001@yahoo.com>]

Hey All,
 I just had to jump in here. I do so love these types
of discourses. I agree with Robert about a one atm
sub. The homework is super critical. However, an
ambient boat is no less dangerous. I work day to day
as a diver. I train divers to do work underwater, and
in extreme circumstances. As such, I feel qualified to
say, "If you are not an experienced, well trained and
certified diver, keep your backside OUT of the seat of
an ambient pressure sub. PERIOD. Even as a passenger".
All of the hazards of diving apply in a sub, but the
hard work of diving is mostly absent. Too easy to
forget the time-depth factor, or more accurately,
death factor. I've seen men bend, it is horrible to
watch. I have recovered the bodies of several men who
failed to heed the warnings of wiser men and done
STUPID underwater. STUPID is FATAL in ANY hyperbaric
environment. And the more comfortable the environment,
the easier it is to go over your no-deco limits. At
which time, if you are not prepared, both with the
requisite knowledge and sufficient equipment to
decompress, you risk an utterly vile death. This does
not touch on the ares of oxygen toxicity, narcosis,
CO2 poisoning, O2 deficiency, or a host of other
potential ouches that one can find at depth. Get
trained. WELL trained. Dive first, a lot. Learn,
learn, learn. Then you will stay safer. Training and
experience are the best life insurance. Anyway, enough
doom and gloom. I just wanted to chime in on the
wet-dry debate to point out that a wet sub is as easy
to die in as a dry one. 1 atm or ambi-sub, homework is
the only way to not wake up dead.
Dewey Mason
Abyss Marine Technologies



--- maxxx1@comcast.net wrote:
> Hello All,
> In my opinion,designing and building wet subs or
> ambient dry subs from the seat of the pants could be
> a very rewarding accomplishment.However,building a
> 1atm dry sub is another matter,especially one which
> decends in excess of 150 feet.Now your dealing with
> life support in your self contained environment even
> if its just a bounce dive.Are the O2 and CO2 levels
> monitered correctly?
> Do you have and use a Dragger tube periodically to
> confirm the gas meters are working correctly?.If
> only one person is in the sub and he blacks out
> because of incorrect gas ratios,then what? Should we
> carry enough O2 and Soda Zorb to allow for a
> possible rescue from above in case we are hung up on
> something protruding from the wreck we are observing
> and we can't release ourself, mabee if we could see
> what we were caught on we know what direction or
> angle to move the sub to release ourselves.Could the
> rope on the wreck be wound around our propeller,no
> way, because we remembered to totally encase the
> prop and shaft in a wire housing.Do we have enough
> reserve buoyancy to lift the object we are caught
> on? Can we evacuate the sub after equalizing the
> pressure from 150 feet? 300 feet?,600 feet? Do we
> need 2 pony bottles to take with us during out
> ascent to the surface,one air,one a tri-mix with a
> lable DEEP? What is the record depth anyone ever
> sucessfully evacuated from a sub?
> If you go really deep say for example over 600
> feet,you may as well be on the moon, will you have
> enough life support for a rescue allowing time for a
> submersible to be flown in,mabee they can spot our
> bouy which floated to the surface and is attached to
> the sub because we decided to build one on our sub.
> Did we decide to spend the $600+ for the underwater
> phone so we can keep in contact with someone on
> shore.Did we remember to dress with static resistant
> clothing in a potentially O2 enriched
> environment,and are the lead acid battery gasses
> kept out of the potentially O2 enriched environment
> cabin? Did we try  to eliminate all gear outside the
> sub which can snag things and hang us up.How many
> volts is that switch we are touching while our knees
> are immersed in water?.
> Did we remember to build an emergency drop weight
> because we didn't take enough scuba air with us to
> make up for the extra 70lbs we brought aboard,will
> the drop weight work when it is burried in mud? over
> one cubic foot at say 1000 feet depth is how much at
>  sea level? Did we incorporate any trim weights
> rather than soft ballast tanks? What will happen
> when the acrylic window hits a submerged log while
> we are decending?
> In other words did we remember everything?Do we have
> prelaunch checklists?
> I hope nobody out there is performing manned test
> dives,in anything but very shallow water.Do we have
> a system for sending the sub down unmanned in excess
> of our maximum dive depth for our test dives? I know
> we can't think of every eventuality, but lets do our
> homework and find out whats what before we put a man
> inside his potential coffin ie: a 1atm dry sub.
> Take Great Care All! 
> Robert Rogala
>

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