|
Mark, If you were to review the safety record of tech divers,
you would find that for hours on the bottom, a PSUB is much safer. There
actually are a lot fewer things to go wrong and if something does, you are in a
safer position in a sub. In addition, if you add up the cost of all of the
equipment and supplies necessary to be a successful tech diver (high powered
scooter, one or more rebreathers, mixed gas deco computer, CF200 DUI drysuit,
gases, scrubber material, etc.), a PSUB is actually more economical…especially
when you consider the amount of time you can spend on the bottom (with no
lengthy deco). And with tech diving, you don’t get the pleasure of
building the equipment yourself. I look at a PSUB as a means to conduct a lengthy reconnoiter
safely for a later, very directed tech dive to accomplish my objective. R/Jay Respectfully, Jay K. Jeffries Andros Is., Bahamas A skimmer afloat is but
a submarine, so poorly built it will not plunge. -----Original Message----- Surely you don't think that using a homemade psub is
going to have a better safety record than scuba? Perhaps there haven't
been enough psub's about to glean statistically significant data (i.e. # of dives, #
of hours submerged), but there certainly is more to go wrong. I agree with you though, that diving isn't as easy as it
used to be when I was 20 years younger, but then, we aren't exactly going
to having a picnic with a psub in several knots of current either
:) Walking into the surf with 65 lbs of gear (yeah, pacific northwest) is a heck
of a lot simpler than launching a whale from the beach. I still don't think that putting years of ones life and
earnings into a scuba depth vehicle can be rationalized from a 'rational'
perspective. That doesn't mean I don't crave the time, money, and shop
space to make one myself! until then, I'm dreaming I'll find a
deep-worker sitting at a garage sale someday :) m * |