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> IANTD UK CONFERENCE 1997
>
> Coventry - 26/27 April : Hilton Hotel
>
> Report on Technical Sessions
> -------------------------------------
>
> The following is a personal report on Talks, Workshops and Trade Exhibitions
> seen at the IANTD UK Conference this weekend. I will try & present a
synopsis
> of what I heard & saw. If you disagree with any of the content or views
> presented then by all means post your alternative views but please don't
flame
> me. I am simply recording what was seen & said and make no comment here on
any statements made by others.
>
I have taken a number of photographs from the conference of items such as the
AP Valves Inspiration & Cis-Lunar Mk.5 rebreathers. I can scan these pictures
in to my computer but as yet I haven't gotten around to making up a web page
for myself. If anyone is willing to put a few of these pictures up on their
own web page so that anyone can view them then please let me know.
>
>
>
> SUNDAY APRIL 27TH
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
> BILL STONE CIS-LUNAR MK.5
>
> For his 2nd formal presentation Bill Stone began by announcing WAKULLA 2 -
Oct.
> 1 1997 to Jan 30 1998. The U S Deep Cave Team (USDCT) is looking for divers
to
> assist with this expedition with a range of skill levels, including
rebreather
> diver, support diver, programmers and chamber operators.
>
> An overview was first given of the Wakulla Springs cave and the 1987 WAKULLA
1
> expedition. The development of a decompression habitat was reviewed which
> would
> enable up to 6 divers to decompress for 10 to 15 hours in warm dry conditions
> from depths between 70' and the surface. Some of the early sport dives in
the
> USA using mixed gases were shown where divers wore 4 or 5 tanks on their body
> and had a further 4 to 5 tanks strapped to their scooters. A short 3 minute
> video clip was shown of Rob Parker, Wes Skyles and Brad Solomon penetrating
> Wakulla against a 1+1/2 knot current & returning to the habitat.
>
> Bill then spent some time reviewing the theory of failure analysis and
> reliability as applied to existing closed circuit systems (USN Mk15 & Mk16),
> independent quad tanks, manifolded twin tanks and redundant closed circuit
> systems (the Cis-Lunar Mk.1 to Mk.5).
>
> An overview of the principal features of the Mk.5 was then given (for those
who
> missed the workshop). Additional features which were covered were :
>
> Head up display
>
> Deco LED - has 3 states.Green = no problem,
> Flashing green = deco stop reached,
> Red = too shallow
>
> Oxygen LED - has 5 states Green = OK
> Yellow = too high ppO2
> Flashing yellow = too low ppO2
> Red = above 1.6 ppO2
> Flashing red = hypoxic within 5 mins
>
> System LED has 2 states Green = OK
> Red = Check primary display to
identify
> system problem
>
> The Mk.5 is said to have a 6 hour capability at any depth for a typical diver
> swimming at 20m/min. At rest a duration of 10 hours would be expected. It
has
> a weight of 55 lb. and a volume less than twin 80s. It can be fully
integrated
> with a Morgan full face mask incorporating comms. The gas efficiency against
an
> open circuit set is typically 56:1. On board cylinders were 400 cu.ft
> (oxygen)and 240 cu.ft.(diluent) in size. The total number of hours spent of
> Cis-Lunar rebreathers is in excess of 2500 hours.
>
> Bill discussed the original plans to include a CO2 sensor & alarm feature &
> concluded that with existing technology it was not possible to include an
> effective CO2 detection capability into the Mk.5 and that this feature had
> therefore been dropped. The Mk.5 does however not only record the total time
> spent using the scrubber since it was last refreshed, it calculates the CO2
that
> should have been produced from the O2 consumption (assuming no gas loss
> through
> leakage, mask clearing etc.) and incorporates a warning if the scrubber is
> reaching the limit of its expected duration.
>
> The final part of the talk focused on the plans for 'Wakulla 2', Bill Stone's
> next planned expedition into Wakulla Springs cave system some 10 years after
the
> original 'Wakulla 1' expedition.
>
> No mention was made of the on-going Woodville Karst Plains Project (WKPP)
> explorations over the past 10 years, headed by George Irvine and his team of
> lead divers & support crew. WKPP are presently exploring Wakulla Springs
using
> radically different techniques, philosophy and rebreather to that proposed by
> Bill Stone.
>
> The Wakulla 2 expedition is expected to cost around 1.3 million $US with the
> funding all coming from private sponsors. The stated objectives are :
>
> To explore up to 6 km from the entrance,
>
> To produce a 3D map of the cave system, integrated to surface
features
> with an accuracy of 5cm
>
> To leave no impact on the park at the end of the expedition
>
> The expedition has developed DPVs (scooters) with a 15 km range which are
about
> 2 x the size of an Aquazepp. The DPVs use NiMH batteries and the diver will
> effectively be diving with 3 Mk.5 rebreathers (one on their back and 2
attached
> to the DPV), giving a possible 18 hour capability. No staging of open
circuit
> tanks is planned. One type of DPV incorporates a backup DPV with a 6 km
range.
> Another model incorporates an automated digital wall mapper in the DPV nose.
> The mapping system works by using some 64 sonar sensors arrayed in a helical
> pattern around the nose linked to a 3D inertial guidance system which
> automatically gives the x,y,z position co-ordinates of the DPV together with
the
> pitch, roll and yaw aspects. Scanning position data at a rate of 50 times a
> second, the entire tunnel cross-section will be automatically mapped to a 5
cm
> accuracy. As a backup to correct some known drift problems associated with
> inertial guidance systems (at worst a drift of 1m in 200m-300m might occur),
a
> sequence of 'drop pods' with flashing LED's will be positioned at regular
> intervals along the tunnel system. The light from the LED's will
automatically
> be detected by the DPV system & any inertial drift corrected. Up to 8 Gb of
data
> can be stored by each DPV.
>
> The expedition divers are not planning to carry out their dives as in
previous
> 'bounce dives' excursions from the surface with in-water or habitat
> decompression at the end of each dive. Instead it is planned that lead
divers
4
> of 2x2 man teams will remain in saturation in a surface hyperbaric habitat
> maintained at a pressure of 55m-65m. The habitat weighs some 100,000 lb. and
> will be transported into the entrance region in sections. The habitat will
be
> located on a floating barge and divers will be transferred to a depth of 55m
in
> a transfer bell.
>
> One of the principal planned objectives of the expedition is to produce a
> virtual environment theatre so that the public can experience what it is like
to
> explore Wakulla Springs. Visitors will wear 'crystal eyes' LCD shutter
glasses
> and will be able to experience a full 3D virtual reality show. In addition
the
> 3D map will be available for scientific aquifer studies to enable tracking of
> pollutants through the cave system to be modelled. In fact Bill stated that
> although he hoped that the known limits of the Wakulla Springs system would
be
> significantly extended, even if no new cave were actually reached but the 3D
> mapping system worked as planned on the existing known cave then the whole
> expedition would be considered a 100% success.
>
> The talk concluded with a short computer animation showing a visualisation of
> the cave system explored in the original 1987 Wakulla 1 expedition. A 3D
model
> was shown which could be rotated, panned and zoomed to display features of
the
> cave system. The Wakulla 2 expedition was expected to involve between 75-100
> people for periods of 2 weeks or more and an invitation was extended for
those
> interested to contact the project.
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
>
> WORKSHOP SESSIONS
>
> CUSTOM DIVERS - NEW PRODUCTS
>
> ORCA DIVE COMPUTERS
>
> REBREATHER POOL SESSIONS
>
> The next session comprised 3 parallel sessions as listed above. I attended
the
> pool session and was fortunate to be able to try both the AP Valves
Inspiration
> and the Cis-Lunar Mk.5 rebreathers, one immediately after the other. Both
units
> felt very compact and comfortable underwater but a direct comparison would be
> unfair on both units, which are each aimed at entirely different diver
markets.
> The following comments represent my personal opinions from these practical
> 'hands-on' sessions.
>
> The Mk.5 is a very complex unit and during such a short tryout session there
was
> a lot to take in and appreciate. The automatic injection of both diluent and
> oxygen led to effortless operation. Each time I tried to upset the Mk.5 by
> manually adding an excess of diluent or oxygen to make the ppO2 deviate from
the
> setpoint then the unit smoothly came into action and corrected the ppO2 back
to
> the required level. The flashing red LED in the head up display certainly
got
> my attention when I forced the ppO2 to deviate from the 0.7 setpoint down to
> 0.21 by flushing the counterlung with diluent (air). The primary display
> certainly contained a lot of information in the 'small font' display mode,
but
> the most important information (ppO2 & deco details) was quite large & clear.
> The cylinder pressures of both oxygen and diluent was displayed quite
cleverly
> in both digital and analogue mode. From a first look the display appeared
quite
> complex, with a lot of information to take in. However I'm sure that with
> training and experience a quick glance would be all that is needed to assess
the
> rebreather & dive parameters. The reverse side of the display unit showed
the
> secondary ppO2 sensor display. This comprised three columns of LED's going
> from
> 0.2 to 2.0 (I think). The ppO2 of each sensor was lit up by the appropriate
LED
> and was extremely clear to read.
>
> The split counterlung of the Mk.5 gave a very easy breathing resistance which
> did not vary as I rolled onto my side or back or went inverted. The combined
> open/closed circuit mouthpiece was very light and comfortable and represented
a
> significant improvement from the Mk.4 that I had tried out a couple of years
> ago. A switch from closed to open circuit proved to be quite a simple
> operation.
>
> One feature that I personally didn't like very much was the armoured impact
> guards that protected the breathing hoses and water traps from accidental
> damage. Although these guards looked very solid & strong, the attachment
> brackets appeared very flimsy and looked like they might bend or break with
very
> little effort. However, for such an impressive unit this is a very small
> criticism to make.
>
> For such a complex unit I would also be somewhat concerned about what I would
> be
> able to do to fix it if anything went wrong and what sort of speedy support I
> could expect in England to remedy any problems that might arise. When
Cis-Lunar
> develop a sales, training and support facility on this side of the Atlantic
then
> the Mk.5 might then become a much more attractive proposition for those
divers
> who can afford the $15,000 price tag and have the operational needs to
justify
> this expense.
>
> The Inspiration on the other hand had much less to look at and distract me.
To
> be fair to the Mk.5, I had already been on a 4-day training course for the
> Inspiration earlier this year and so all the controls and displays were
familiar
> to me. The unit has the same split counterlung configuration as the Mk.5 and
> proved to have an equally low breathing resistance. It may have been my
> imagination, but I think that the Inspiration may have been marginally easier
to
> breath from...but both units were excellent and a comparison is probably just
> 'nit-picking'. The diluent on the unit has to be manually added when the
> counterlung volume becomes too small but this is easy to do and soon becomes
> as
> automatic as feeding air into the buoyancy compensator when necessary.
>
> I think that Cis-Lunar has a USA patent on the concept of a split counterlung
> positioned over the shoulders & if so it is unlikely that the Inspiration
will
> ever be sold by AP Valves in the USA. The Biomarine CCR500 rebreather would
> appear to be the closest unit to the Inspiration available in the USA.
>
> The production version of the Inspiration has several changes new to me. The
> unit now has two independent computer control/display units. Whichever one
is
> turned on first becomes the 'master' unit & drives the rebreather. The other
> unit is a 'slave' unit & simply provides a passive display of the ppO2
sensors,
> scrubber lifetime etc. However, if the master unit is then turned off then
the
> slave unit takes control and transforms itself into the master unit..
>
> The Inspiration now has an audible alarm warning if the ppO2 deviates too
much
> from the set point. This wasn't as loud as I would have liked, but I didn't
> have the opportunity to hear it underwater I so I cannot say if it really
would
> grab my attention as it should. It is also now possible to alter the two
> surface and bottom setpoints to any chosen value (the prototypes I had seen
> earlier simply used 0.75 and 1.4 ). The display unit now also displays the
> total time used on the CO2 scrubber.
>
> A small modification that I immediately noticed is that the top of the
> Inspiration cover plate is chamfered at 45 degrees over 1.2 of its depth.
This
> provides a significant streamlining effect which I noticed when I swam hard
for
> 2 lengths of the pool (it was a small pool ..!!)
>
> With a price tag of 2000 UK pounds ($3000), the Inspiration is aimed at the
more
> normal technical diver with a firm grip on the financial realities of life
>
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
>
> TEKKING IN THE PHILIPPINES ALEX SANTOS
>
> Following the practical sessions, a 1 hour presentation was given by Alex
Santos
> on the diving opportunities available to technical divers wishing to visit
the
> Philippine Islands. With typical water temperatures of 26 to 30 degrees
Celsius
> at depths of 60m to 100m, hypothermia is not going to be the normal problem
that
> many technical divers are used to...! Three sorts of dives were presented by
> Alex, i.e. deep sea diving, wreck diving and cave diving (both inland
limestone
> solution caves and larva tube sea caves).
>
> The wrecks that are discovered include galleon sites from the 16th century,
many
> with cargoes of Chinese silks, porcelain and gold (!), and WW2 war wrecks.
Two
> of the galleons described were the 'San Diego' located in 55m off Fortune
Island
> and the 'Panadanan wreck', an unknown Chinese junk with a cargo of porcelain.
> Both wrecks have been well salvaged by a team of French divers and the
artefacts
> are now in a museum in Paris. However there are many more suspected galleon
> wrecks that would have made for the Port of Galera in a storm, but would have
> not made the safe haven in time. Of the WW2 wrecks, over 100 lie in Lingayen
> Gulf which at 200m to 1200m is beyond the reach of today's technical divers.
> However there are 12 Japanese WW2 wrecks, of which 8 have been found, in
> Caron
> Bay. These lie at depths between 10 and 42 metres and are all pretty much
> intact. Artefacts recently discovered on these wrecks include a complete
30's
> car with white walled tyres.
>
> Diving in the Philippines can be done all year round but the typhoon season
> (July-October) holds the greatest risk of being weathered out. Technical
dive
> gear is available for rent together with both Nitrox & Trimix. 4
recompression
> chambers are located on the Philippines, but in-water recompression is
normally
> used as a first resort if decompression problems occur.
>
> In addition to the sea diving, Alex reviewed some of the cave diving
potential
> in the Philippines. There are presently just 4 active cave divers on the
> islands willing to assist with expeditions.
>
> Cave sites include :
> Palavan Caves /Barracuda Lake Cave - an inland
> limestone cave that has been explored to 30-40m depth. this cave must
connect
> through to the sea, due to the existence of marine sea life found in the cave.
> Batangas Caves / Mapating Cave - a larva tube cave with the
> entrance in the open sea. This cave has been partially explored in the 45 to
60
> m depth and contains coral growth, luminous Flashlight Fish and giant
stingrays
> with wingspans of up to 6 feet.
>
> Cagayan Caves / Jun's Promise - a well decorated
> limestone cave in the northern jungle region, accessed using '4 x 4'
transport.
> In this part of the world 4 x 4 refers to oxen & sled transport...!
>
> Contact Alex Santos by email at philtech@tr*.co*.ph* for more information.
>
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
>
> FRENCH CAVE / TECHNICAL DIVING JEAN-PIERRE IMBERT
>
> This talk focused on technical diving from a French perspective. A review of
> some developments in French cave diving was given and some excellent shots
of
> prehistoric art in caves near Marseilles found by Frech cave dives included a
> picture of a penguin that must once have lived nearby (?)
>
> Some of the skills of professional diving with Comex were applied to caves
> calles 'Les Etapes'. One diver went down to a depth of 100m on an umbilical
> line and then switched to open circuit to push to 120m. However the
experience
> was not reported to be a pleasant one. The following push was done entirely
on
> an umbilical line with surface supplied gas and a depth of 155m was reached.
> However the support team & resources for this style of diving was tremendous
&
> was shown the way shortly afterwards when a German cave diver (Hasenmayer ?)
> supported only by his wife went to 220m using just open circuit equipment.
>
> Thje talk then focused on the 'Port Miou' cave pushed in 1993. Mining
equipment
> was used to drill a vertical shaft some 30m to ease access problems to the
main
> cave system. A horizontal dive at a depth of 35m for a length of 1.5 km was
> followed by a vertical shaft that was dived to a depth of 147m. Extensive
use
> of Aquazepps were used for this expedition.
>
> A third cave saga was recounted at the 'Fontainne Vacluse' site. This diving
> again made high use of the existing technology, including the availability of
a
> 1-man decompression chamber to be used as a 'hyperbaric stretcher' if
required,
> and a decompression habitat that could be moved between 12m and 6m. Use was
> also made of a tethered remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for exploration.
> Unfortunately the 1st ROV became entangled in existing line & became stuck.
A
> 2nd ROV with a cutting disk at the nose was sent in to rescue the 1st ROV.
This
> also became entangled & stuck...! Two divers were then sent in to a depth of
> 165m & managed to rescue one of the ROVs. This ROVwas then sent back in to
> recover the 1st ROV but it got stuck again !! Eventually both ROVs were
> recovered & a lesson was learned......
>
> Jean-Pierre then reported on a new spirit emerging in the French cave diving
> scene of cooperation with cave divers working together with less secrecy and
> greater efficiency. Some recent developments included :
>
> - Development of P-valves to replace the use of diapers on long cold
> decompressions
>
> - Use of Argon to improve thermal efficiency of drysuits
>
> - Development of electrically heated suits. These had many problems
> with connection & cable failures but was eventually solved by using 12V
electric
> blankets used to keep car engines warm overnight in winter.
>
> - Use of drinks and food in the water during decompression.
>
> - Development of a new regulator, the Connex 'Tekstar'. This is
rated
> to 360m and is replacing the Posiedon as the technical diver's choice.
>
> Finally, Jean-Pierre reviewed decompression theory & stated that the
traditional
> 'Compartment Tissue Theory' seems to break down for dives in excess of 120m.
> Few tables are reliable at depths below this and many bends within existing
> tables are being experienced. Some dives are being conducted by the French
> Navy
> in the 160m - 170m range. The problem seems to be 'vestibular hits' caused
by
> microbubbles & resulting in nausea & vertigo during the ascent period. The
> solution is to slow down the deep ascent part of the dive and to include a
> mid-depth deep stop of 5-10mins. This is in agreement with the personal
> findings of Rich Pyle in Hawaii, who recommends a deep stop of a few minutes,
> even where the conventional tables do not indicate that this is necessary.
> Jean-Pierre then outlined a new method of tracking dive profiles by plotting
the
> logarithm of the stop times against depth to produce a smooth curve, that
> resulted in slower ascents during the deeper part of the ascent and deep
stops.
>
> Ther are currently 4 French working below 150m and the details of their
> respective current projects was reviewed. Olivier Isler had planned a dive
to
> 165m some 2 weeks ago using two semi-closed rebreathers but was stopped by
> technical problems on the surface. Another push is planned in 2 weeks time &
he
> may eventually exceed the 200m limit.
>
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
>
> WORKSHOP SESSIONS
>
> AP VALVES / BUDDY 'INSPIRATION'
>
> SCOOTERS
>
> Two parallel workshop sessions were held & I attended the one on Scooters
held
> by Dave Wilkins and Alan Wright. Two scooters were available for inspection,
> i.e. an Aquazepp LS1224 and an AUL Predator 2000.
>
> The 1st point made by Dave was that the talks were centred on wreck diving
from
> hardboats in the UK in rough seas, conditions very different from the warm
clear
> waters of Florida caves. Hence equipment weighing over 100 lbs that might be
> suitable in some sites in the USA would be entirely unsuitable for the sort
of
> diving & conditions over here. Getting the sccoter in & out of the water
was
> the principal problem. You have to be able to carry the scooter as well as
quad
> steel cylinders to the edge of the boat & jump unaided into the sea. A 50 lb
> scooter was the maximum practical weight.
>
> BENEFITS
>
> Speed - Approx 5 times as fast as finning with quad cylinders.
The
> sccoter is used principally to gain access to the dive site. For a typical
20
> min bottom time, 2 mins may typically used to get to & from the shotline to
the
> required site. The scooter is then not used again until the return 2 mins.
> However the same dive done with finning would spend 10 mins getting to the
site
> & then spend 10 mins getting back again. Hence total time spent on the site
=
> 16 mins (scooter) vs 0 mins (finning). A more efficient use of bottom time.
>
> Range - For undived sites a quick overview can be made by
scootering
> over the entire wreck. Excursions off the wreck site for artifacts can be
made.
> More effective searches can be made.
>
> Towing - Moving the hardboat grapnel to the wreck (if missed) or to
a
> better part of the wreck is possible
>
> Gas consumption - This is reduced to around 50% of the gas used by
> finning.
>
> DRAWBACKS
>
> Getting lost
>
> Task loading
>
> Solo diving
>
> Stranding - from scooter failure or getting lost. The diver must be
> prepared to ascend off the shotline. Staging of cylinder is not possible.
The
> dive boat must not be anchored.
>
> Bad vis / Rough weather - 5m vis is a minimum. Rough seas make entry
&
> recovery difficult
>
> High cost
>
> RIGGING + MODS
>
> Ropes - Holding : A thick rope is needed on the boat to
> recover the scooter (a 2 man
operation).
> A secure, foolproof clip is needed.
>
> Tethering : A rope is needed to hang the scooter
from
> the shoulder D-ring to allow entry
into
> the water
>
> Towing : A short rope to clip to the wings
scooter
> ring is needed
>
> Trimming - Rubber inner tube is needed to prevent excessive
> scuffing of the scooter body
>
> Reinforcement - The Predator 2000 has a weak fibreglass tail
> around the prop. This must be reinforced with a
brass
> or aluminium tail ring to allow the scooter to be stored
> upright without eventual damage
>
> REVIEW OF SCOOTER MODELS
>
> American Underwater Lighting : Predator 2000. AUL are a small USA
> firm who reportedly show a pretty 'laid-back' approach to sales outside the
USA.
> The 2000 range scooters have two 12V lead-acid batteries with approx 1 hour
> duration. All the fitting holes go right through the scooter body, with
> associated potential leakage problems (invest in lots of bath sealant was the
> recommendation given ! ). The quoted depth rating is 1000 feet. The 3000
> range has 3 12V batteries. The 4000 range has 4 12V batteries but both units
> are said to be too bulky & heavy for wreck diving in the UK. Each additional
> battery unit costs $500, is 10" long and weighs about 25 lb. Cost of the
2000
=
> approx $2500. This works out at about 2800 UK pounds with shipping & taxes
> included. The Predator 2000 has speed cotrolled by a variable rheostat but
has
> no 'dead man's handle'. Some problems with leakage down the propshaft gland
> reported. The main bearing had to be replaced but this could not be done by
the
> owner. Cost of shipping back to USA for repair = 300 - 400 UK pounds
>
> Farallon : Made & sold a lot of scooters but then went bust,
leaving
> its customers without support.
>
> Apollo : A small plastic scooter, but looks well engineered. Cost
> between 700 - 1300 UK pounds. Ocean Leasure are importers to the UK. Max
> depth
> rating is 50m. One unit was taken to 70m & came back OK. Another looked
very
> stressed at 75m but survived the experience (!). Not a very powerful scooter
&
> does not work well with quad cylinders. The prop wash comes out adjacent to
the
> sidemounted cylinders, severely limiting the power.
>
> Mako : Similar to Apollo. Imported by Oceanic (?). Cost 1000 UK
> pounds (?)
>
> Torpedo : Small, delicate, fibreglass.
>
> Aquazepp : Costs 1700 UK pounds. Switchable from 12V to 24V. 2
> speeds for each voltage gives 4 speeds in total. The model seen had
lead-acid
> batteries. NiCd and NiMH batteries now available. The duration of the model
> seen was 4+1/2 hours on speed #1, 3 +1/2 hours on #2, 100 mins on #3, 45
mins
> on #4. The nose light was 250 watts at 24V but would reduce the duration by
> about 10%. The Aquazepp is depth rated to 95m, but can be upgraded to 200m.
> This scooter looked more rubust than the Predator. The propguard was sturdy
&
> all holes drilled into the scooter body were 'blind' holes & hence couldn't
> cause leakage problems.
>
> (Neither of the speakers seemed to know anything about the first class
scooters
> made & sold by WKPP in Florida. A pity ! One member of the audience
suggestd
> that a price of around $3500 would be about right but that availability &
> delivery times could be a problem. I contacted George Irvine following this
> presentation to enquire about the WKPP scooters. He replied that he is
making
> and selling WKPP scooters. )
>
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
>
> TECHNICAL EXPEDITIONS BERNIE CHOWDHURY
>
> The final talk of the conference was given by Bernie Chowdhury, editor of
> Immersed magazine. The talk concentrated on the planning stages needed to
> organize two expeditions : the 1991 Andria Doria Expedition and a more recent
> Icelandic Cave Dive Expedition.
>
> For both expeditions bernie emphasized the importance of the expedition
leader
> to go himself and carry out a reconaissance of the dive site before planning
an
> expedition involving others.
>
>
> A reconnaisance of the Andria Doria was carried out by Bernie in 1990 and was
> novel in bringing traditional cave diving techniques to a wreck diving
> environment. The Andria Doria expedition in 1991 was the first trip to the
> Andrea Doria where the use of mixed gas was included in the planning. Some
> divers, such as Billy Deans, brought their own mixed gases. Others such as
> Bernie himself chose to dive on air.
>
> A reconnaisance to Iceland was carried out to assess the potential of two
caves
> formed by tektonic plate movement. Typical water temperatures were 3 degrees
> Celsius and hypothermia was a real problem impossible to avoid.
>
> The 'Karlaga is locatated in Thingvellir National Park and is subject to
> constant geological activity within the timespan of a few years rather than
> 1000s of years. A solo dive was conducted to see if an expedition would be
> worth organising. The dive pushed forward the 'end of the line' by 50m and
> managed to recover an exploration reel left my the previous team there.
>
> In the Silfur Hellir Rift a cave was explored to a depth of 59m using air. 3
> restrictions were passed but problems of both cold and narcosis were
> experienced. The final restriction at 59m proved to be too tight for a diver
> wearing back mounted cylinder. In the next expedition side mount or 'no
mount'
> cylinders would be preferable.
>
> In Iceland one can now buy Nitrox, Trimix and Argon over the counter. For
the
> next expedition, use will be made of the skills of one German team member.
He
> has already designed & built a portable 2-man decompression habitat and has
also
> designed & built his own scooter and his own semi-closed rebreather.
>
> Bernie concluded his talk by discussing sponsorship and the use of a
> professionally produced press kit to attract potential sponsors. This should
> contain details of the planned expedition, contact business cards,
expedition
> stationary,, a list of sponsor benefits, a project overview, expedition
> objectives and a build up of the team and their biographies.
>
> A new book 'Into the field : Strategies for funding exploration' was
introduced
> and discusses many lessons learned on how to raise support for diving
> expeditions. The book costs $50.
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
>
>
> TRADE EXHIBITION
>
>
> In between talks, workshops and pool sessions delegates found time to wander
> around the trade exhibition. Some notable new items that I saw were :
>
> A new reel designed by Kevin Gurr/Custom Divers. This was small &
> compact but held 100m of line. The reel is almost impossible to get jammed &
> can run free or on a ratchet for rewinding. A velcro strap handle looked
very
> comfortable and allowed the hand to be freed for other actions without
letting
> go of the reel. Cost = 130 UK pounds
>
> A new double set of wings, again designed by Kevin Gurr and Custom
> Divers. These wings looked very well thought out & very rugged. I didn't
ask
> the target price.
>
> Stuart Clough's UT4000 closed circuit rebreather. No information of
> this unit was given, but this was thge 1st time I had seen 'it in the flesh'.
>
> A 'De-Nitrogenated Air' unit. This allows air from an ordinary
> compressor (not oil free) to be pumped through a special membrane filtering
> system and the nitrogen differentially separated off. Up to 40% Nitrox can
be
> obtained in this way without the need for oxygen decanting, with all the
> attendant costs and risks that this entails.
>
>
********************************************************************************
>
>
> CONFERENCE CLOSURE KEVIN GURR
>
> Kevin then formally wound up the conference & wished all delegate divers a
good
> & safe years diving.
Regards, Steve M.
**************************************************************************
* * *
* Dr. S. G. Millard, * E-Mail : ec96@li*.ac*.uk* *
* Senior Lecturer, * *
* Department of Civil Engineering * Tel : 0151 794 5224 (UK) *
* University of Liverpool, * 44 151 794 5224 *
* PO Box 147, * (International) *
* Liverpool L69 3BX, * *
* UK. * Fax : 0151 794 5218 (UK) *
* * 44 151 794 5218 *
* * (International) *
* * *
**************************************************************************
--
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