Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Message Display

>Given these considerations I do not feel that a pressure gauge adds any
Let us look at two, generic, situations in which a gauge may or may not 
add any benefit.

The scenario:  Wreck or cave diving, complete loss of primary gas supply, 
diver still within the enclosed environment (i.e. within the cave or 
within the wreck).

Assumptions:

1) Planning was done such that the pony bottle gas supply is sufficient 
for egress and ascent at nominal consumption rate (i.e. normal 
consumption rate + stress- and exertion- related increase in consumption rates).

2) Pony bottle contents can be safely breathed at bottom and all 
intermediate depths until staged bottles are available (or surface is achieved).

In this scenario, it is immaterial whether or not there is a gauge on the 
pony bottle - you will breathe the air on the pony bottle until a new 
source of gas is available (stage bottles or atmosphere).  What will the 
gauge tell you that is actually useful?

Now let's take away assumption one.  You do not have enough gas to 
achieve an alternate gas supply (i.e. barring a miracle, you're going to 
drown).  Again, what does the gauge tell you that's actually useful?  Are 
you going to swim faster/harder?  You know the square law about trying to 
go faster and energy consumption, right?  Gas consumption is related to 
the amount of energy you put ou...

I have to say that I don't find a submersible gauge useful under these 
circumstances.

Let's look at another scenario.  You've successfully egressed the 
environment and now you're doing your decompression.  Under these 
circumstances, the gauge would tell you how much decompression time you 
have (more or less).  However, what are you doing decompression on your 
pony bottle for?  Why didn't you go up and grab another bottle from the 
surface first?

I don't feel that a gauge on a pony bottle is a good thing.  it's an 
unnecessary piece of equipment to monitor with very little, if any, 
benefit to the diver.  Do a pressure check at the surface.

There is one argument a friend used, though, for pressure gauges that I 
find hard to refute.  Monitoring the pressure gauge of his pony, should 
it ever decrease during a dive (assuming that he's not using the bottle), 
he knows there's an incipient problem and either solves the "leaking gas" 
problem or turns the dive.



        -- Kevin --
        kevink@ap*.co*

It is hard to disagree with a pro-survival decision,
     It is even harder to engage in prolonged arguments
          with someone who consistently makes anti-survival decisions.

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]