Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Another nutcase here.

[Paul Kreemer <paulkreemer@gmail.com>]

So treat an ambient dry sub like a dive with a big scooter.  I
haven't thought much about ambient subs but this has prompted some
rules I might set for myself:

* Be a certified diver.  The education on dive physiology and just general comfort underwater is crucial.

* Assume you'll be exiting in an emergency.  I'd think
entanglement is one of the more likely accidents, particularly for
those of us interested in shipwrecks. :-)  In cold water wear some
kind of exposure suit - I can't see myself wearing my drysuit but at
least a thicker wetsuit would help.  Weight belt, mask, survival
gear, personal bail out bottle, maybe a 40cf pony?  That could be
a lot of gear...  but still less than you'd wear on any normal
cold water dive.  Store an ascent line/spool in an exterior
compartment.  Think what you'll do on the surface, minus your
diesel/electric boat.  :-(

* Have partial droppable ballast - as Rick describes.  And it
sounds dangerous to have fully droppable ballast.  Right?

* Carry your dive computers and dive a plan.  I've done
recreational diving with tables and with just one computer but would
probably spring for a backup computer of a different model than my
primary computer.  Yes, in a dry ambient you'd have to trick them
into thinking they were submerged.


It seems like this being out of the water, even in a small sub may keep
you warmer, and make it easier to manage gear, particularly
breakdowns.  You can easily talk to your dive partner because he's
sitting right there behind you.  I like it.  I have some of
the slowest ears ever for diving and have the hope that equalizing in
air may be easier for me than in water.  Also need to try the
ProEar2000 mask or some kind of helmet, which would be much easier than
building a sub to test this idea.  :-)

Great discussions on this list!  

Paul