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On Mon, 21 Dec 1998, H2Ocaver wrote: > I wanted no bailout OC anywhere, except as a short transition > gas while switching rebreathers or working out problems. > > There might be a way of designing the complete system and actually > getting the thing to breathe in a pool, but the minute you start to swim > with it you will see that it doesn't belong in a cave. The first thing I see > as being a problem is the number of bottles needed to supply each unit-or- > the complicated plumbing wrapped around the diver to allow for multiple > feeds. > OK, that one's not so bad. For the bag-type units, the thing is actually wrapped around an AL13, with only a single LP hose (maybe 6") that goes into the unit. That's pretty self-contained. The mouthpiece sticks out the top of the "bed roll". (BTW, the soft bag idea was Tracy Ribinette's - and he's working on a unit like that now). The TP3000 uses an AL13 tucked under each arm - hoses are pretty much out of the way, as they are short, and go directly into the unit. But the more I think about, the more tempted I am to drop the TP3000 idea, and just go with two identical small SC units. The MK15.5 has all on-board gas, so it's not an issue there. > If there was a way of compacting the units and making the breathing > hoses deployable in a neat and quick way, then you would find the buoyancy a > big problem for caving. I'm sure you would dive dry, so now you have four > expanding air spaces that you would have to dump or leave full and counter > weight them. For caving this would be a clusterfuck. That is a good point. I think it's fairly safe to assume that you would only have two sets of counterlungs deployed at a time, so counterweighting for one additional set wouldn't be too bad, although you would have to dump some gas out of your wings at the switchover. I imagine a switchover going like this: you grab the OC reg on the necklace and start breathing that immediately. Then you deploy one of the bag rebreathers and start to inflate it, dumping gas from your wings at the same time. When you've got about the right volume in the bag counterlung, you drop the OC and switch to the bailout RB. Not too bad, on the task-loading front. Why don't you pull out your rig and give it a try in the pool with a set of doubles on? That should give a rough idea of what we're dealing with. > Now try this with a scooter, dude, it ain't gonna happen. I am thinking > of Manatee Springs and the way you can fly through there with a dry suit and > bc inflator in constant operation. I'm assuming you'd stop scootering while you were switching over. > I am sure Ted busted your balls during the cave class, but nothing > really prepares you for the crap that can happen in a real Murphy > experience. This system would have to be an ingenious display of the art of > gear configuration in order to make self rescue a viable option. Maybe. I made the comparison to Jeff Bentley to diving with a set of doubles and a stage bottle. If you've got a temporary OOA emergency, and your stage bottle reg is readily available, are you going to swim for your buddy's long hose, or go for self-rescue? > Keep trying to make this a reality. You will probably come up with a few > tricks that I can use to get my breathers in a better position to be used in > a cave. I am still working on getting these ready,but I will definitely keep > things as simple as possible. I believe OC is as simple as it gets-EZ > Yeah, I definitely agree that it's the kind of thing that will take a lot of trial-and-error to get down right - not to mention some new skills. Regards, -Will
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