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What a horrifying story. I had a similar experience except with a pony bottle. Scared the beegeezus out of me, one of several experiences which lead me to the hogarthian system. Jim On 8/20/97 10:03 AM Wrolf.Courtney@do*.co* wrote: > > >andrew@ce*.co*.jp* wrote: > >>So, my question remains. Does diving an isolation manifold over >independent doubles _actually_ increase my chances >off survival? If the >answer is yes, then the isolation manifold would be hogarthian. If the >answer is no, then >despite all its advantages, a manifold would not be >hogarthian. >> >>NOTE: I am not disputing wether or not an isolation manifold should be >used. The answer to that is clear. My >question/dispute is wether it is >hogarthian. > >OK Andrew, I'll bite. And Tony gets his story too... > >So there we were on a Saturday off diving on the John Jack. The day had >been designated a crew day, >but Zero let me come along. For these days the idea is generally to find >new wrecks, so the procedure >is to throw in a lead weight with a buoy right on the target. One guy >checks it out - if it is worth diving, >then he ties in, and we can all get in. > >First dive was great - an apparently unknown or at least very little known >site. Great dive, 140', good vis, >everything goes well, although for me my computer (a Suunto Solution) >refuses to get out of LOG mode. >Yes I have a table dive plan, and I wind up completing it. The Suunto >turns out to have been working the whole >time, just refusing to display... > >Currently I am diving with: > >* DUI CF200X dry suit; >* two UK1200 lights; >* independent twin 80s with yoke valves (when I get rich I will upgrade, of >course, to DIN with isolation manifold, 100 or 120s, etc. etc.) with air; >* Jersey up line with 200 ' of 1/4 " sisal >* Mares Navy reg >* Suunto Solution dive computer >* Suunto SPG >* Oceanic Alpha reg >* (backup) Depth Gauge >* (backup) Bottom Timer >* Navy and DCIEM air tables >* Dive Alert horn, Safety Sausage >* DiveRite penetration reel >* Backpack with Sherwood bands, various D rings. >* Bugbag >* Small knife on computer >* EMT shears in belly pocket >* Weight belt, ankle weights, Harvey hood, gloves, Mares fins > >Zero also has O2 to throw over the side, but we really do not have any way >to transfer from the buoy to hang under the boat, so >it is moot. > >Environment is typical North East wreck diving, running out of Staten >Island, off the New Jersey coast. > >A loooooong time later, I get my second dive. It was 6:15pm when we threw >the lead in, and I go in. 180', destination adventure! > >Down at the bottom, it is so silty I wonder whether Zero got the lead >inside a hold. It is *very* dark, and really no vis. I clip the >penetration >reel to the chain, try to make my way around a bit. > >I meet Mr. Lobster. I get my hand on him, and then I think to myself - >gee, remember when Gary Gentile said not >to take lobsters inside wrecks? I would need both hands to get him in the >bag - do I want to drop my reel? So I put him down... >whereupon he wants to fight! > >Which of course kicks up silt. > >I go around him, swim a little further, and decide maybe it is time to >cross back to the anchor line. No wreck so far. > >Back at the anchor line, I realize that I have used up my air much faster >than usual (what a surprise!). My first tank is nearly dry. >I kneel on the bottom, with the up line right in front of me, and switch >regs. My light is tied to me, I have the reel in my left hand, >spit out the Mares, start putting in the Oceanic, when I start coughing. > >I drop the reel. > >I can't see the line in the silt. Vis is litterally zero. > >I reach for the line - no dice. > >I scrabble around - bring up some wood chips. I can only see it when I >press it against my mask. >Well, at least I know there is a wreck. > >I have nothing to tie onto, no upline, can't even see my gauges, have half >my air gone and >lost redundancy, and I am out of time. I am appropriately concerned, but >that is a good thing. > >I have to decide between free ascent, and blowing the bag with nothing to >tie onto. I go for the latter - >after all, maybe it will catch on something, maybe I will run into the >upline, even if not, they will figure >out that I am under the bag and stay with me. > >On the way up, I see the line, and grab onto it. On my first stop (1 min >at 50') I tie them together. My >Suunto shows time to surface of 72 minutes. No way do I have enough air to >do this - hey, maybe I >could in ideal circumstances, but of course my breathing rate is somewhat >accelerated. > >But that's OK, because John always free dives down to the guy hanging to >see if he is OK. > >After a while at the 30', down comes John. I flash him 6 - 2, he gets the >idea. He comes back later with some >60/40, though he does breathe off it while I am securing it as a stage >tank. > >We get home very late that night. > >Punchlines: > >a) Would not have happened if I had a manifold. >b) Would have happened if I had a lanyard on the reel. > >Safe Diving, > >Wrolf > > >-- >Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. >Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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