I definately need a booster

[Phoenix]

Today saw a planned dive to 60m for 40mins, due to the low pressure fills we get here I ended up with 85bar of O2 at the start of the dive after analyisis and calibration had been done. I new I'd need more O2 but not a problem, I had an offboard S30 that I could plug in.

The dive didn't go swimmingly well, mainly due to the crew dropping the shot in the wrong location leading to us enjoying a very dull sandy bottom playing hunt the rusty metal. Due to poor viz I stayed on the onboard O2 supply for the bottom time and decided I'd use the offboard during deco, all was well right up until I cracked the valve on the O2 bottle and the 2nd stage started freeflowing. Unfortunately this is a Sorasub unit and you can't remove the front plate underwater and no amount of "persuasion" was going to stop the f/flow.

I resorted to closing the valve and only opening it to add some gas then shutting it again, unfortunately I still lost too much gas and had to bail out onto EAN60 for the last 13 minutes of the dive.

All in all it was a useful experience but I wish I could afford a booster pump and get some of these 200+ bar O2 fills I keep hearing about.

Ian

[turbanator]

Ian,

Glad it went well.
As a Tadpole RBer, it's nice to see that the training works and the sense of carrying OC bailout/deco.

r
Paul

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by turbanator

Ian,

Glad it went well.
As a Tadpole RBer, it's nice to see that the training works and the sense of carrying OC bailout/deco.

r
Paul

Paul,

I haven't dived the unit without offboard bailout since I finished the course, I don't trust it well enough. Unfortunately I have to use S80's as they are the smallest I have so I tend to look rather "overdressed"

Ian

[turbanator]

Hi Ian,

I have an ally 7 (well I have two, but only use one at the mo')

I saw some ally 80's in Runneymede yesterday after years of wanting them when I was on OC - they were sooo shiny, but I resisted

r
Paul

[jptaylor9]

[turbanator]

Originally Posted by jptaylor9

But 60m?

Was advised on course to always have at least 100bar of 02 before any dive in onboard cylinder. Must be getting very low pressure fills if only 85bar after calibration!

Yes, I guess that's Ian's point.
I'm still working out what will be a 'normal' consumption.
Dives up to now were training - lots of gas used on exersises, or dives with Kirstie, OC, single 12 at mo, so have not really pushed it much longer than an hour on a training dive.

So I prefer to start a day with full cyls until I get a better feel for it, at the mo', I seem to do 40ish bar of each per dive from 3l cylinders, running my wing and suit from the dil.

As I have an OC buddy, I always take a 7 filled with something appropriate.

r
Paul

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by jptaylor9

But 60m?

Was advised on course to always have at least 100bar of 02 before any dive in onboard cylinder. Must be getting very low pressure fills if only 85bar after calibration!

Ideally I wouldn't dive with such a low fill but with no shop here possessing a booster you are stuck with between 100 - 115 bar fills, not a lot you can do about it unless you buy your own booster and I can't afford it as I've been unemployed for over 3 months!

My strategy is to carry an offboard O2 supply and this was of course tested prior to the dive without problems (the 2nd stage was tested, this was the part that freeflowed obviously).

60m? ..... I know where you are coming from but I see little point in debating this further here, you're either happy to do it or you aren't, please bear in mind my location.

Ian

[jptaylor9]

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by iani

All in all it was a useful experience but I wish I could afford a booster pump and get some of these 200+ bar O2 fills I keep hearing about.

Yes. Now I will admit to going into a 60m dive with 100bar of O2 but my Alpinest tendencies when no stop diving wouldn't happen without blowing 240bar each side plus seperate suit inflation.

My booster warns me not to boost oxygen above 345bar.