On 10 Jul 1996, Chris A Crumley (VaBchVA) wrote:

You don't have to breathe 100%O2 during descent to tox. You could do
something incredibly stupid at 400 feet like breathe air out of either of
two bottles of air you say he was carrying- by mistake. Let's see. By your
description he has at least six second stages. What if he switched to the
wrong regulator at 200 feet because on this particular day he was narced
when on other days at that depth he wasn't. I'd also be curious how would
the expert Summerhill have dealt with the problem of losing the ascent
line after exploring the wreck and being forced to do his deco in open
water with no O2 hoses waiting for him. It is surprising that the expert
didn't carry any 100%O2 for this contingency. If that's the case and they
weren't tethered to the descent line what was the goal of the dive? To
hang onto the descent line, touch the wreck without ever letting go of the
line and then ascend into been there, done that glory? Call Ken again and 
get your next techdiver reply. BTW, you evaded the question of number of 
diver deaths in the past two years on Clayton dives.  
 

> 
> Doug Summerhill told me what gases he was using; 100% O2 was not included in
the
> list except for the surface supplied O2 hanging at 20fsw.
> The double 120s on his back contained 7/67 O2/Helium.
> The yellow side mounted bottle on his left contained Nitrox50 and was marked
> with a Nitrox sticker clearly visable in the film taken during the descent.
> The black side mounted bottle on his right contained air.
> The white bottle mounted between his back-mounted 120s contained air. It was a
> plain white bottle with no stickers, tape or tags and is clearly visable in
the
> film taken during the descent.
> A small bottle of Argon was for drysuit inflation.
> 
> Based on descriptions of Summerhill I've received from other mixed gas
divers, I
> don't believe he would put 100% O2 in an unmarked bottle. You're an
experienced
> gas diver, would you?
> 
> As Summerhill began his descent, he was breathing from a regulator having a
hose
> coming from his left. I can't tell from the film where the hose went, but
using
> a process of elimination, it is NOT likely it was his bottom mix, NOT likely
> that it went to the right sidemount with air (left side/right side proximity)
> and NOT likely it went to the left sidemount with Nitrox50. That leaves the
> white bottle on his back between the double 120s.
> 
> Clayton's plan was to descent to 200fsw on air and switch to his trimix; how
> likely do you think it would be for Summerhill to do his initial descent on
100%
> O2? Everything points to the center back bottle being air, don't you think?
> 
> As for the "death count" question, I don't know the answer. Like the dives
Bill
> Stone and others are/have been doing in overhead environments, Clayton and
> Summerhill's missions were deep and dangerous dives. There are going to be
some
> deaths.
> 

If you really don't know the death count number why don't you ask Ken-
then tell us. All he has to do is use his thumb and forefinger to come up
with the number. What is Clayton's mission? Is it to enhance his stature
in the diving community and inflate his self-worth? or is it to explore
the unvisited wrecks and bring back knowledge of them to the great
unwashed. And, if it is the latter, is it a self-appointed mission or did
he receive orders from mission control to proceed. The problem with the
Explorers Club is that once a hack gets admitted, then it is pretty easy
to get other hacks enshrined.  


> I'm telling you about this dive because the story that started on
> techdiver@terra.net was frought with inaccuracies. I'm the only one who had a
> relatively complete sets of facts and maybe someone might learn something (I'm
> not teaching; I'm just sharing facts might keep someone else from dying).
> 
> Importantly, while I have a good relationship with Clayton, what I'm telling
you
> is factual and objective. If I didn't have a good relationship with Clayton, I
> would still try to be factual and objective.
> 
> Chris
> 
> Chris Crumley
> Virginia Beach, VA
> 72570.717@co*.co*
> www.earthwater.com
> *************************************************************
> 
> On 10 Jul 1996, Rod Farb wrote:
> 
> >>Also check out the rumor (it is more than a rumor) that he was wearing 
> 100%O2 between his twin tanks.  Be honest and tell us how many deaths 
> does this make in the past two years on Clayton dives.<<
> 
> --
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