George, unfortunately it looks like it's time to update the dead list.

   Jim


On 11/11/97 8:16 PM G. Irvine wrote:

>Jeff Bentley wrote:
>> 
>> Convert this for us chief...
>> 
>>
>> ******Fontaine de Vaucluse : l'exploit et le drame
>>
>       The exploit and the drama
> 
>> Dans la nuit du samedi 27 au dimanche 28 septembre 1997, la c=E9l=E8bre
>> r=E9surgence de Fontaine de Vaucluse a v=E9cu deux =E9v=E9nements =
simultan=E9s :
>
>   on the night of saturday the 27 to sunday the 28 of september, the
>well known spring of the fopuntaine de valcluse witnessed two
>simlatoeous events.
>> 
>> un
>> exploit et un drame. L'exploit, c'est Pascal BERNAB=C9 qui a atteint la
>> profondeur de 240 m=E8tres en plong=E9e autonome ; le drame, c'est Denis
>> SIRVEN, plongeur profond, qui n'est pas remont=E9 de sa plong=E9e.
>
> an exploit and a drama. teh exploit was pascal bernabe who reached a
>depth of 240 meters in one dive, the drama is dennis sirven, deep diver
>, who did not return from his dive.
>
>
>> L'analyse
>> de la plong=E9e de Pascal BERNAB=C9 sera faite ult=E9rieurement. Nous
>> rendons
>> ici un dernier hommage =E0 la m=E9moire de Denis Sirven.
>
>      the analsyis of the dive by pascal was made afterwards. We pay our
>last respects here to the memory of dennis ( I am using the english
>idiom , not the littereal frogified  translation)
>> 
>> Les deux derniers week-ends de septembre ont eu lieu =E0 Fontaine de
>> Vaucluse des op=E9rations de plong=E9es profondes dans la r=E9surgence. =
Ces
>> op=E9rations, ex=E9cut=E9es en collaboration avec l'association =
d'=E9tude de
>> 
>  The two last weekends in spetember deep diving oprationis took place
>in the sping. These were executed in cooperation with the asscoiation
>for the study of the spring
>
>la r=E9surgence (Soci=E9t=E9 Sp=E9l=E9o de Fontaine de Vaucluse), avaient =
re=E7u
>> l'agr=E9ment des autorit=E9s locales. Les plongeurs, tous tr=E8s =
confirm=E9s
>> et sp=E9cialistes de plong=E9e sp=E9l=E9o profonde, avaient pour but
>
>having received a poermit from the local authorities. The divers, all
>well versed and specialists in deep diving , had teh objective of 
>
>> d'inspecter
>> la cavit=E9 et de r=E9p=E9rer les obstacles =E9ventuels, en vue d'y =
envoyer
>> ult=E9rieurement un robot t=E9l=E9guid=E9. On se rapelle qu'il y a tout =
juste
>> un
>
> inpecting the cavern and identifying the possible obstacles , with an
>eye towards eventually retreiving a remote operated vehicle. On a
>retreival attempt jsut a year ago
>
>> an, deux robots s'=E9taient coinc=E9s dans de vieux c=E2bles et l'on =
avait
>> d=FB
>> envoyer un plongeur, Pascal Bernab=E9, les d=E9gager par -174 m=E8tres =
de
>> profondeur.
>
>  two robots were taingled in old cables and they had to send a diver,
>pascal, to untangle them at 174 meters
> 
>> Cette fois-ci, Pascal Bernab=E9 =E9tait de nouveau pr=E9sent et devait
>> effectuer une plong=E9e =E0 plus de 200 m=E8tres de profondeur, =E0 la
>> recherche
>
>    this time, [pascal wa again on hand and made a dive to more than 200
>meters in search of
>
>> d'un c=E2ble coinc=E9 dans une faille. Durant le week-end des 20 et 21
>> septembre, de nobreuses plong=E9es ont =E9t=E9 effectu=E9es afin de =
mettre en
>> place toutes les bouteilles qui devaient servir =E0 la d=E9compresion
>> de Pascal Bernab=E9. La plong=E9e devait durer une dizaine d'heures. Le
>> premier palier pr=E9vu =E9tait =E0 -110 m m=E8tres. Pour les derniers =
paliers,
>> les plus longs, une cloche =E9tait install=E9 =E0 -6 m=E8tres.
>
> a cable jammed in a crack. During the weekend, a number of divers had
>placed the deco bottles for pascal. The dive was to last 12 hours. The
>first staging level was to be at 110 meters. For the other longer stops,
>a bell was installed at 20 feet. ( the litteral translation is a
>"clock", and that would bring the house down, but I know that means a
>deco habitat).
> 
>> 
>> Le samedi 27 septembre 1997, les pr=E9paratifs de la plong=E9es de =
Pascal
>> Bernab=E9 ont dur=E9 une bonne partie de la journ=E9e. Chacun des =
plongeurs
>> avait un r=F4le bien pr=E9cis =E0 jouer. Parmi les assistants, Patrick
>> Mugnier
>> =E9tait charg=E9 du premier rendez-vous au retour de Pascal, =E0 -70 =
m=E8tres.
>
>   This is getting to be a pain in the ass, but we continue with:
>
>  Sat 27 of septm, the preparations for the dive of pascal lasted the
>better part of the day. Each of the divers had a precise role to play.
>Among the asistnas, patrick's duty was to meet pacal as he returned at
>70 meters.
>> 
>> Il devait ensuite lui tenir compagnie et l'aider dans le changement de
>> ses bouteilles. Une plong=E9e de pr=E8s d'une heure pour Patrick. Denis
>> Sirven, sp=E9cialiste de plong=E9e profonde aux m=E9langes, devait =
ensuite
>> descendre =E0 -110 m=E8tres chercher les premi=E8res bouteilles (2
>> bouteilles
>
>      he wanted him to keep him company and help change his bottles.
>Denis, specialist in deep mix diving wa then going to decend to 110
>meters to to look for the first bottles, 2 20 litres and one 7 litre
>
>> de 20 litres et une de 7 litres), laiss=E9s l=E0 au retour de Pascal.
>> 
>> Pascal Bernab=E9 s'est mis =E0 l'eau =E0 20 heures. Je l'ai accompagn=E9
>> jusqu'=E0 -50 m=E8tres de profondeur, puis je l'ai vu dispara=EEtre =
dans les
>> 
>> t=E9n=E8bres de cette immense cath=E9drale souterraine. Au retour de =
Pascal,
>
>   pascal started his 20 hour in water stay. ( this is a weird usqage,
>and I am not sure. normally I would think it meant he was prepared and
>geared up to stay 20 houres in the water, but I think it meqasn he was
>setting in for  long deco.) I astyed with him until 50 meters where I
>saw him dissappear into the shadows of thus immense underground
>ctherdral ( talking about dennis now). Upon returning to Pascal,
>
>> 
>> le rendez-vous avec Patrick, =E0 -70 m=E8tres, a eu lieu normalement. =
Tout
>> s'=E9tait bien pass=E9, Pascal =E9tait descendu =E0 plus de 240 =
m=E8tres de
>> profondeur.
>> 
> at his shcedueld redevous with Patrick, at 70 meters, went as planned.
>Everything went well, and Pascal had dropped to 240 meters.
>
> > Quand Pascal est remont=E9 dans la zone des -50 m=E8tres, je l'ai =
rejoint
>> pour le deuxi=E8me rendez-vous. Patrick Mugnier venait de le quitter et
>> se trouvait =E0 son palier =E0 24 m=E8tres. Apr=E8s une s=E9rie de =
clich=E9s,
>> j'ai entam=E9 ma remont=E9e. Alors que je me trouvait au palier de 9
>> m=E8tres,
>
> When pascal retruned to 50 meters, I met him for the seond time.
>paterick went to leave and worked townds his stagbe at 20 meters.After a
>series of deco stops, I copmpeted my ascent. When I hit my 30 foot stop,
>I 
>
>> j'ai vu passer =E0 c=F4t=E9 de moi la silhouette de Denis Sirven qui =
partait
>> 
>> pour sa plong=E9e =E0 -110 m=E8tres. Il =E9tait 23 heures. C'=E9tait la =
derni=E8re
>> 
>> fois que je le voyais.
>
> caught a glimpse of the silohette of Sirven who had begun his dive to
>110 meters. It was 11 o clok, that was the last time I saw him.
>
>
>> 
>> Denis Sirven n'est pas remont=E9 de sa plong=E9e. Il avait pr=E9par=E9
>> lui-m=EAme sa configuration, comme =E0 son habitude : air pour la
>> descente,
>> trimix pour le fond, nitrox pour la d=E9compression. Il a bien =
d=E9pos=E9
>> 
> Denis did not return from his dive. he had prepared the same
>configuration , as was his practice: AIR for the decent, trimix for the
>bottom, nitrox for deco. he had dropped the two nitrox bottles during
>his decent , as before.
>
>les
>> deux bouteilles de nitrox au cours de sa descente, comme pr=E9vu. Un
>> plongeur d'assistance avait rendez-vous avec lui =E0 -50 m=E8tres, =E0 =
sa
>> remont=E9e. Mais il n'=E9tait pas au rendez-vous. D'autres plongeurs
>> d'assitance sont partis successivement =E0 sa recherche, en vain.
>
>  A safety diver waited for him at 50 meters on his return. But he did
>not make that meeting . The other safety divers took turns looking for
>him , but in vain.
>
>> Il fallut bien se rendre =E0 l'=E9vidence : Denis avait disparu. Alors
>> s'est mis en branle la proc=E9dure d'urgence : gendarmerie,
>> sp=E9l=E9o-secours, sapeurs-pompiers... Mais il n'y avait plus rien =E0
>> faire.
>
>  It was time to face the facts: Deenis was gone. Now it was time to
>call 911, cops, cave rescue, etc, but there was nothing that could be
>done.
>
>> Denis =E9tait arriv=E9 au bout de son autonomie et nous =E9tionstous =
trop
>> satur=E9s pour continuer les recherches en profondeur. Les
>> investigations
>> se sont poursuivies les jours suivants, avec l'aide du =
Sp=E9l=E9o-Secours.
>
>   Denis had reached the end of his gas supply time ( litterally his
>cruising range, a great expression inm French) , and we were to loaded
>with gas to continue searching deep. the search was conitnued the
>folowing days with the help of Speleo-Secours.
>
>> Les bouteilles que devait r=E9cup=E9rer Denis =E0 -110 m=E8tres n'y =
etaient
>> plus, preuve qu'il avait bien atteint la profondeur. Mais une de ces
>> trois bouteillesfut retrouv=E9e =E0 -95 m=E8tres, non loin de trois =
plombs.
>> C'est vraiesemblablement =E0 cet endroitque s'est jou=E9 le drame, lors
>> de la remont=E9 de Denis. Dans cette zone, la grotte est immense. 40
>> m=E8tres plus haut, le plafond est form=E9 de plusieurs vo=FBtes, =
s=E9par=E9es
>
> The bottles that denis recovered from 110 meters were not extinguised
>more, prrof that he had rached that depth ( I am not sure about this
>translation - the "etaienet is either a misspelling of extinguish, or an
>idiom I have never seen). But one of the three bottles was discoverdd at
>95 meters, not far fromt he three lines. It is plausible that this was
>where the drama was played out, upon Denis return to it. In this spot,
>the cavern is immense. 40 meters high, and the ceiling is fromed with
>many arches, separated 
>
>> par
>> de grandes lames rocheuses qui s'enfoncent jusqu`=E0 plus de 80 =
m=E8tres.
>> C'est dans l'une des ces vo=FBtes que fut retrouv=E9, mercredi 1er =
octobre
>> 
>> le corps de Denis Sirven.
>
>   by the great leaves of rock whicih plunge to more than 80 meters. It
>is in one of those arches that his body was found saturday ocotbre
>whatever .
>> 
>> Que s'est-il pass=E9 ? Une enqu=EAte est en cours, qui permettra
>> peut-=EAtre de d=E9terminer les causes r=E9elles de cet accident. =
Certaines
>> questions se posent. Pourquoi Denis est-il parti seul ? En plong=E9e
>> sp=E9l=E9o profonde, il est de coutume de partir seul car il est
>> pratiquement
>
>  What happened? An inquirry is in progress, which wil perhaps determine
>the casue of this accidnet. Certain questions present themselves. Why
>was Dennis diving solo? In deep cave diving, is it  the custom to dive
>solo if it is prctically impossible to render asistence? 
>
>  > impossible, =E0 telles profondeurs, de porter assitance. Un
>> tel geste aurait pour seule cons=E9quence de faire une deuxi=E8me =
victime.
>
> Ijn such case it ould be beter to jsut have one victim ( translator's
>note - this is the stroke thinking coming out, but if he ws deep air
>dving, it is very true)
>> 
>> En outre, dans les tunnels, deux plongeurs pourraient se g=EAner,
>> brouiller rapidement la visibilit=E9, voire s'emm=EAler dans le fil
>> d'Ariane.
>
>  Otherwise, in the tunnels, two divers can get in each others way,
>uining the vis ( sounds like Rennaker students) causing them to get
>tangled in the guidline
> 
>> Denis Sirven =E9tait-il d'un niveau suffisant pour une telle plong=E9e ?
>> Oui, Denis avait l'habitude d'effectuer de telles plong=E9es, tant en
>> mer
>> qu'en milieu souterrain. Il =E9tait tout =E0 fait apte =E0 g=E9rer ce =
genre de
>>
>  Was denis qulified for this dive? Yes, he did these dives routinely 
>both int he ocean and in this environment. He was completely capable of
>managing a dive of this extreme nature.
>
>> plong=E9e extr=EAme. La semaine pr=E9c=E9dente, c'est Denis lui-m=EAme =
qui =E9tait
>> 
>> all=E9 accrocher les boutielles relais =E0 -110 m=E8tres. Tout =
s'=E9tait bien
>> pass=E9. Il connaissait donc parfaitement la configuration des lieux, la
>> 
> the week before , Denis himself placed thes bottles at 110 meters.
>everything went well. He knew perfectly the configuration of the place
>
>> position des bouteilles et la plannification =E0 adopter pour cette
>> plong=E9e.
>
> the position of the bottles and the dive plan
> 
>> Denis avait-il les bons m=E9langes respiratoires ? Il avait pr=E9par=E9
>> lui-m=EAme sa configuration : air pour la descente, trimix pour le fond,
>
>  Did denis have the best breathing mixtures? ( translators note - NO)
>he had prepared the saem brew - air for the decent, trimix for the
>bottom, and
>  
>> nitrox pour la remont=E9e. Il =E9tait sp=E9cialiste de la fabrication =
des
>> m=E9langes et avait une longue exp=E9rience dans ce domaine. Mais =
apr=E8s
>> tout,
>> nul n'est =E0 l'abri d'une erreur.
>
> nitrox fro the trip back up. he was a specailist in making mixes hand
>had a long experience with it. But after alol, anyone can make a
>mistake.
>
>
>> On suppose plut=F4t un probl=E8me m=E9canique. Lors des pr=E9paratifs, =
Denis
>> a durci l'un de ses d=E9tendeurs car il craignait une fuite. Cette fuite
>
> Or rather there coudl have been mechanical failure. During the dive
>preparations, Dennis presssurinzed oen of his regs becasue he feared a
>leak. This could have occrued at depth rapidly emptying one of his
>bottles.
>> s'est-elle d=E9clar=E9 au fond, vidant rapidement l'une de ses =
bouteilles
>> ?
>> En tout cas, quand il a =E9t=E9 retrouv=E9, les bouteilles =E9taient =
toutes
>> vides. Ses ordinateurs de plong=E9e indiquaient 122 m=E8tres. Il est
>> possible que lors de la r=E9cup=E9ration des bouteilles, Denis soit
>> 
> in any case, when he was recoverd, his tanks were empty ( trans note;
>this is turning into a horror story, I am sorry I translated it, when
>two words expalin it all - strokery and air)) His dive insturmentts
>indicated a dive to 122 meters. It is possible that when he recovered
>his bottles, Dennis was
> 
>descendu
>> accidentiellement, puis ait fourni un effort suppl=E9mentaire pour
>> remonter. Ensuite, essoufflement ? Fuite importante ? Certainement une
>
> decending uncontrolably, and he had to stuggle to try to get back up.
>Was he out of air ( the litteral is out of breath)?
> 
>> accumulation qui a conduit Denis =E0 la panne de trimix, l'obligeant
>> alors =E0 repasser sur sa r=E9serve d'air =E0 une profondeur trop
>> importante.
>> La suite se devine ais=E9ment : essouflement, narcose, perte de
>> contr=F4le...
>
>     Certainly a failure of his mix could have caused denis to have to
>go to air at too deep a depth( trans note - when are these peoople going
>to learn ???? What was the air doing at this depth? how many strokes
>have to die before they at least attempt to learn to do this right. this
>guy was the local TDI guy, so how could he help it with the great
>leadership coming from that strokefest?) 
>
> what followed was breathlessness, nacosis, loss of control.
>
>> Denis =E9tait un professionnel. Sp=E9cialiste de plong=E9e extr=EAme, il
>> avait mont=E9 une =E9cole =E0 La Teste (33) o=F9 il enseignait les =
techniques
>
>  denis was a professional. Speacialist in extreme diving, he 
>had started a diving school where he taught nitrox, extended range
>diving ( there is the TDI bullshit) with mulitlevel deco, and deep
>diving on trimix.
>
>> de
>> plong=E9e aux nitrox, de plong=E9e dans l'espace lointaint avec
>> d=E9compression multim=E9langes, et aussi plong=E9e profonde au trimix.
>> Passionn=E9 de ces disciplines, il =E9tait devenu l'un des meilleurs
>> sp=E9cialistes du genre. Il avait tout =E0 fait conscience des risques
>> qu'il
>> prenait et il les avait accept=E9s. Il savait qu'un jour, il risquait de
>
> pasionat3e about this sport, he he had become one of the best
>specialists in his class, He was well aware of the risks and he accepted
>them. he knew that one day
>
>> 
>> ne pas remonter de l'une de ses plong=E9es extr=EAmes et il avait =
coutume
>> de dire qu'il pr=E9f=E9rait mourir au fond de l'eau qu'=E9cras=E9 dans =
un amas
>> 
>
>
> he would not return from an extreme diveand he always prefered that he
>die at the bottlm of the water that in  
>
>> de t=F4les sur le bord d'une route... Le ciel l'a entendu et il a fini
>> sa courte existence dans cette immense cath=E9drale naturelle,
>> engloutie,
>> qu'est Fontaine de Vaucluse.
>>  
>   a car accident ( I think that is the reference, not sure. It could be
>"than as a spectator" - this is not one of my better languages). Heaven
>knows he has finished his short existence in this immense natural
>cathedral, swallowed by the Valceuse ( more like duped by the slob)
> 
>> Les cendre de Denis ont =E9t=E9 jet=E9es =E0 la mer, au pied de la dune =
du
>> Pyla, pr=E8s d'Arcachon. Un endroit o=F9 il aimait beaucoup plonger. Il
>> =E9tait un collaboratuer appr=E9ci=E9 du magazine Octopus, ainsi que
>> d'autres
>> confr=E8res. Il laissera un grand vide parmi nous.
>> 
>> Salut, Denis !
> 
> The ashes of denis are going to be throewn int he sea, at the fot of
>the Pyla, near Arcachon. A spot where he loved to dive. He was an
>appreciated contribvutor to the magazine Ocoppus, and other
>publications. he left a big hole among us
>
>   Trans note - this is a deep air death. - G
>


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