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Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 11:32:29 -1000 (HST)
From: Richard Pyle <deepreef@bi*.or*>
To: kirvine@sa*.ne*
cc: Wrolf Courtney <wrolf@wr*.ne*>, halcyon@ha*.ne*,
     Bill Mee , Tom Mount ,
     bdi@wh*.ne*, techdiver@aq*.co*,
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     =?X-UNKNOWN?Q?Vebj=F8rn_Karlsen?= ,
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     "\"\\\" Chris Werner\\\"\""
Subject: Re: DEEP AIR VOTE, was: (RE: Re:IANTD vs 70 m air instruction and
     158 m air dives You gotta be kidding)

> Richard, the answer is , as you point out, a function of what we have to
> work with. I disagree with you on the deco worries with helium, as we
> have in fact found that decompressing on helium based gases works better
> than on nitrox, and is generally easier and has a better result the
> higher the helium percentages that we use. 
> 
> I do use the highest possible helium percentage I can muster in my
> bottom gas, no matter what depth I am diving at, shallow reef to deep
> cave.

So, do I take that to mean that you use heliox on all your dives to, say,
60 feet?  Do you just follow air computers/tables when you do this?

> BTW, your concerns with the KISS priciple are based on not having
> confidence in the fact that you can dive helium with any percent oxygen
> that you please, and this only requires a special series of deco gasses
> depending on depth and exposure, not because it is helium. 

My reference to "KISS" had nothing to do with helium per se, and
everything to do with humans blending different gas constituents into a
single mixture; as opposed to just pumping ambient atmospheric air through
a compressor.

So...can you answer the question I posed to you (and others)?:

> > Now, a question for the people in favor of eliminating air as a diving
> > breathing gas (Bill, George, Rober, etc).  For each of the depths listed
> > below, can you tell me what gas you would breathe, and explain why you
> > feel such a gas would be better than air at each of the depths:
> > 
> > 20 fsw
> > 40 fsw
> > 60 fsw
> > 80 fsw
> > 100 fsw
> > 120 fsw
> > 
> > Looking forward to the replies.
> > 
> > Aloha,
> > Rich
> > 
> > O
> 
> 
> 

Richard Pyle
Ichthyology, Bishop Museum                deepreef@bi*.or*
1525 Bernice St.                          PH: (808) 848-4115
Honolulu, HI 96817-2704                   FAX: (808) 847-8252

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