From David Skoumal to Lawrence Orchard

My answer and my own commentary about dive to depth lll meters=20
/ Blue Hole Dahab Sinai Egypt /.
At first who were actress of this dive.First- my friend Ammar Keylani
- Instructor TDI, ANDI a Extended range Instructor and Trimix diver
 and me- David Skoumal- I am not tourist from Russia ,but from Czech
 republic two StarsCMAS Instructor, Cave diver with about 10 years
 experiences in cave diving/ explorations in caves in Cuba and Sardegna =
,
with long distances explorations-more than 2 kilometers , also with=20
many deep dives to 100 m with air also in caves with extremely=20
conditions ,diving under ice in air temperature to minus 20 deg.Celsius,
 solo diving in the caves, diving like supporter with Michael Pauwels in =

his deepest dive 155 m in Hranicka abyss in Czech republic etc.
Me and Ammar we are general practice medical doctors, for our diving
 we use last knowledges from medicine/ for example hydratations with=20
special antioxydant solutions ,drugs after diving.
This deep dive wasn"t first to deep arround 100 m.For me is it about=20
10 years of training against nitrogen narcosis in the dark in the caves =
..=20
I think, that I have more experiences than you my dear Lawrence I dont
 know exactly ,what did you see- contact eye to  eye, but I think that =
you
 must be really stupid. If you want to write some article, please before =
is
 necessary during diving see with clear brain. Is it true that I use =
Zeagle=20
buoyancy , twin 12 l Luxfer div. cylinders, 2 separate Poseidon =
Jetstream
 Regulators.If I looked really uncomfortable during my hanging to Ammar
 and his safety deco bag- thats your opinion not my.
Also I use new model of Aladin Pro Uwatec-one on my hand, but also=20
spare second on console.Also this snorkeller broughts for us spare=20
deco tank with octopus reg. and hot tea for hydratation during long
 decompression.and I knew very well what to do with it.
Thats all of my explanation  for you . =20

Best regards
David Skoumal, Czech republic.


----------
Od:  Lawrence Orchard[SMTP:DiveBase@cl*.ms*.co*]
Odesl=E1no:   6. XII 1997 19:04
Komu:  gmirvine@sa*.ne*
Kopie:  TechDiver List
P=F8edm=ECt:  RE: Deep air kills two more

I was on holiday just north of Dahab, staying at The Canyon dive site =
near the=20
Blue Hole, the week after the incident.

As I understood it the two divers were British PADI Divemasters just =
about to=20
start their IDC. As it happens the IDC was cancelled on account of their =

deaths at the Blue Hole.

They were on single Aluminium 12 ltr set ups and had been down to 110m. =
The=20
bottom of the hole slopes out seaward through a massive arch starting at =
60m=20
to 130m before finally dropping off into the Abyss.

The Blue Hole must have one of the highest death rates in the world as =
far as=20
dive sites go. I stay in the area on average every six months for a =
week, and=20
it seems everytime I go there, people have just died either at the Blue =
Hole=20
or The Canyon sites.

Why?

The reasons are endless, but overall there is a sick culture there, =
evolved=20
from Dahab's drug reputation. Young back packers have for years taken in =
Dahab=20
on their route round the Middle East to chill out as such. Many of them =
end up=20
staying there for months, some never leave... alive.

Mix in a little SCUBA diving with this and you have the perfect =
nightmare. I=20
can only imagine they learn a little diving, experience narcosis and =
think=20
this is the way to go once they're board of just smoking pot or =
whatever.

There is most definitely a focus on "how deep did you go?".

After a dive out there everyone always asks us "how deep did you go?" =20
probably on account of my using twin independent Ali's Hogarth rig AUL =
light=20
etc. When I reply with something like 35m they look back at me =
incredulously=20
convinced that we must have been further, they just don't get it.

Now the best bit. Every time we go to stay there we visit the Blue Hole =
for=20
one morning only, once you've dived in it the once its pretty boring. =
However=20
there is a prettier site just round the corner called "Bells" on account =
of=20
some rock formations. Whilst kitting up for the dive one of the PADI=20
Instructors I know there came over all excited. He proceeded to tell us =
that=20
two divers kitting up near us were going to dive to 110m in the Blue =
Hole.=20
This is just one week after the two aforementioned deaths! Business as =
usual I=20
guess. My friend went on to explain that one of them is a TDI Extended =
Range=20
instructor and Trimix diver, the guy he's taking down is a tourist from=20
Russia. I commented that I assumed they would be using Trimix and had =
support=20
plans in place etc. "Oh no, they're doing it on air." I was horrified, =
but=20
what could we have done?

Oh I should mention there is no helicopter service to the pot in this =
region,=20
and it takes 2.5 hours from the Blue Hole to the chamber in Sharm El =
Sheikh by=20
knackered taxi.

My diving companion and I went off and made our dive, coming back over =
the=20
hole with a little decompression commitment, and encountered these two=20
carrying out decompression. I've never seen anything like it. The =
instructor=20
was hanging at about 9m on his deco bag, the other guy was hanging on to =
him=20
looking really uncomfortable, the twin set he had on his back looked =
like some=20
cobbled together Zeagle arrangement, his buoyancy didn't look at all =
right. We=20
both passed near them and checked they were OK, I remember making eye to =
eye=20
contact with the instructor, peoples eyes can look funny through diving =
masks,=20
his were glazed as if he where on another planet, something haunts me =
about=20
this as I feel like I've looked in the eyes of the grim reaper.  My =
diving=20
companion was a little closer than me, and later told me he had managed =
to=20
read 111m on the Russians old style Aladdin computer. Then to top it all =
off,=20
down came a snorkeller with a cylinder and regs flayling everywhere and =
handed=20
it to the Russian who looked like he didn't know what to do with it. Ah =
that's=20
the support set up then I remember thinking.

Our computers cleared and we elected to get out the water. We were =
stunned and=20
didn't want to be around any more to watch.

I made some enquiries about this guy, and guess what, apparently he was =
on the=20
boat when Rob Palmer died! His name is something like "Amah", apparently =
he is=20
Syrian. He has been in Dahab for some months trying to make money buy =
taking=20
people deep on air. Most of the responsible dive centre managers have =
told him=20
to sling his hook. Shame he couldn't take the initiative and start =
getting mix=20
up there as the place needs it.

Later I spoke to my instructor friend, and he related a conversation he =
had=20
had some time ago with this Amah guy. Apparently he talks in riddles as =
if he=20
is some kind of monk/guru, about going deep and breaking a theoretical=20
umbilical cord between yourself and the rest of the world, if you're =
meant to=20
come back you will, if you're not you wont!

Well that's all I know, sorry to go on a bit, but I'm getting fucked off =
with=20
people like him ruining it for the likes of me out there and killing =
those who=20
maybe don't know any better.

Best regards
Lawrence

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