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> Okay... so maybe I'm just getting bored with the latest threads on > converting the US to metric units... or not. > What unexplainable stupid behavior have you seen from your > dive partners diving between 80 and 170 feet (on air) that would > indicate that they were seriously f____ed and didn't know it? I'm not giving in -- metric is the only way. Anyway, after a loooong spell of doing mixes with 22m narcs I tried an experiment. I did a dive on a wreck, zero vis, ripping currents, cold, hard work, with a 22m narc as usual in 57m of water. I loved it, it was one of the most enjoyable dives I have done. Following weekend I topped off the mix, ending up with 40m narc at 57m. I dived this time in a quarry. Same depth but crystal clear water, totally still, no currents, no effort. I felt like shit. I doubt if I performed any worse than normal but I just felt terrible, like when you are just on the edge of a hangover, not quite any symptoms, but not feeling good either? I looked in a tunnel at 56m that in the past I swam through on air with no effort. Now, I looked in it, grimaced, and swam back to the ascent line. There was no pleasure in the dive. I used to regularly dive 70m+ on air, even in caves. On one at 66m my light went out. It isn't any hassle to reach for a back-up and switch it on, even at that depth. The difference is on air you think FUCKIAMGOINGTODIEOHHHSHITOHHHHSHITWHATHAVEIDONE!!!! as you are doing it, but on mix you think "so what?". On my last deep air dive I looked at my computer and it read 76m. I got to my deco stops and looked again -- it was reading 84m. Either I misread it or there is a whole chunk of the dive I have no memory of. Speaking of which -- on a 46m in Norway (on air) I signalled my partner it was time to head back to the line. It was a ten minute swim away. I have no more memory of it. The next I was aware I was at 3m having just completed "safely" 12m, 9m and 6m stops, as well as a gas switch at 9m (yep, EAN80 in those days). I don't know about any professional studies, but I use mix, helium rich mixes at that, because of my own experience. One of the scariest things which happened to me was an experienced diver who lost it completely at 33m and tried to drag me to the surface. I broke his grip. It's only now it scares me, back then I thought I was "good on air". I once completely emptied a twinset after I got wrapped in the anchor line at 48m (on air) -- I was helping an instructor running an Adv Deep Air course. I dive on low narc mixes because I suddenly realised that deep dives could actually be enjoyable. I never questioned safety because, yeah "I was good on air", but it's now that enjoyable and safe seem to be equating with each other. I can now relax on a dive. It's been a long time since I thought I was going to die just because something trivial went wrong. Going from high-narc gases to low-narc gases doesn't add that much to the cost or to the deco, but it adds a lot more pleasure to the dive. I don't dive for money, so enjoyment is a big motivation. Regards, S -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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