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Duke of Bucclea

3K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  Pierre Farrugia 
#1 ·
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4.30 A pigging M the alarm goes off, 4.40 AM I have a strange pain in my leg, ah it's Lizzy kicking the living daylights out of me the alarm is going off again. Crawl out of bed, stagger downstairs, drink coffee.

Thank god the car was packed last night. Guess what at 5.00 AM it is dark outside. The next thing I know I am in Brighton, the journey passed without me noticing it.

We're out out on Nauticat again, I like this boat, the guy who drives it (Steve) is a good bloke, he now knows me well enough to know you stick a cup of coffee in my hand and leave me alone until the kit is set up.

The journey to the Duke is about 2 hours, once again it is a flat calm, this has been an amazing year, we started off thinking we were lucky, now I know we are, it's October for heavens sake and still calm. It is a dark and over cast day, Mark remarks that it will be dark on the Duke, it is apparently renowned as a dark wreck. I have not had a dive for the better part of two weeks, I just don't care, it could be pitch black, I can't bleeding wait.

As is usual Mark and I have the longest dive plan, first in last out, this usually entails a hual down the shot at right angles to the wreck, but no, a nice an easy drop, only trouble was some guy with an RB had got into the middle, no fuss, but boy is he going down slowly.

Now, I got a little glass bowl off this wreck, it made an ideal ash tray, it unfortunatly got broken, so, we had a simple dive plan, hit shot, trun right, find ash tray, find crab / lobster for Mark go for bimble.

It is dark, but great fun, I had a cracking dive, all was accomplished bar the lobster, we did find a big-un, unfortunatly about half a yard from it was a Conger of equally impressive proportions, the Lobster lives, I nearly caught a tidler, but it errrrr, got away.

So, it's the end of the dive, got the old CD reel, unfurl the bag, three puffs and off, well no actually the reel jams, god bless it, I try all the tricks, but to no avail, I held on to it for about 5M but it had to go, so off it goes £120.00 worth of reel and bag which are now somewhere in the Channel, bloody great.

Send up second reel, turn to look at Mark. Mark looks less than happy, in fact Mark could not have looked less happy if the crab he had caught was inside his drysuit.

Do deco, get to 6M and Mark clips himself off on his bag. Well as we all know, this is not a good thing to do, at this point I realise he is not only unhappy but in a bit of trouble, the only reason to clip yourself off if is you think there is a chance you will pass out, I don't know about you but I would rather pass out at 6M and stay there than drop back down to 60M.

It turns out poor old Mark had got one of those diving headaches, you know the ones, it feels like somebody has just put your head in a car door and shut it very hard. The last straw was me having a fight with the reel, just enough stress to turn discomfort into agony. However, we have the cure, a Big Mac, next time Mark mentions he might have a bend, worry not, give him a Big Mac and he will be fine.

All in all a great dive on one of the best wrecks I know, if you intend to dive it, do it soon, it has become quite popular and people are beginging to strip all the goodies off her, there is still plenty down there, but for how much longer.

Take care,

Andrew
 
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#2 ·
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Wotcher Andy,
sounds like the slow RB guy was my mate Uri (skinny, big hooter) - just getting back into gas dives after best part of a year doing the regular stuff whilst he got the hang of his YBOD.  Looking forward to telling him how pants he was on the descent.
Dead dead dead pissed off I wasn't there, I truly love that wreck. Still an 0430 start, dark wreck with a headache kicks the arse out of struggling with software all day in an office block in Croydon. Got my own back by killing the pooter stone dead. Felt fine for a bit, just means I've got to re-install tomorrow  
 If I'd known you lot were on board I'd have taken a sicky.

Hopefully catch up with you in November, though Steve says he's got some midweek gas dives coming up in the off season. You got any more booked with him (got some holiday to use up)?
 
#3 ·
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Andy has covered most of it (with one notable exception) but I will add a few bits to the tail:

Now the last time we dived the Duke we turned left. This was OK I thought as we got a lobster and a crab and we also got to see the prop on the stern, which was pretty dammed impressive. But Andrew was a little glum because he needed a replacement ashtray (son accidentally broke last Duke ashtray attempting to launch it into space using a peddle bin).

So this dive we decided on a strict dive plan. GET BLODDY ASHTRAY.

So we hit bottom of shot and after sorting Andrew form CCR man by number of bulbs in torch head (it was dark and Andrew has three) we turned right and went in search of Ashtray. My devotion to the dive plan was confirmed by beating off lobsters and crabs fit for Harrods food hall and avoiding several tempting wreck entry points.

At some point in the dive I herd voices. No really, I did. So I turned and looked at Andrew and gave the OK signal to make sure he wasn’t trying to tell me something. Andrew was so shocked by this unfamiliar practice that he just looked at me in a strange way. I accepted that as an OK and we carried on the dive. I later found Voices were from CCR man talking to himself


At last we came to the glass where section and the ashtrays were collected. I got a blue one and yellow one and a white one (just in case) The yellow one turned out to be a white one with a layer of crud on but ho hum.

OK 20mins in and its now appease wife with seafood time. We mooched about and found (but didn’t catch) two big lobsters and in the end I had to make do with a mid sized crab.

Just after this point in the dive at about 25mins I noticed a dull pain in my sinus. By 30mins it was a noticeable ache and I wasn't feeling too good. Plan was 35mins and I had a new reel so at 32mins I decided to get this ready early.

I looked round to see Andrew struggling with his reel and being dragged up. Viz was poor and I didn’t want to get separated so I followed him up to 45m (from 55m) at which point Andrew gave up on Gucci reel and deployed back up SMB. I fafed with my new kit but it deployed OK but as I was doing this a massive wave of nausea flooded over me and I thought I was going to pass out.

The over whelming urge to rush to surface was some what abated by the fact we had the best part of an hours deco to do. I was struggling to focus on my tables but I managed to get to our first stop depth and take a few deep breaths. Andrew was all sorted by now which was good but the pain in my head was making it difficult to read my tables.

The ascent was a combination of panic and confusion but some how I made the first gas switch did all the stops and arrived at the 9m Deco gas switch only 1min late. I did the switch to 80% and I hoped the high 02 would clear my head.
It didn’t. I was quite scared now I had 40mins deco to go and I really wanted out now. After 7mins at 9m I ascended to 6m for the final stop but the effort needed to do anything was immense. I looked at my hard tables and saw a confusing garbage of black ink. I totally lost track of where I was. I looked at the VR3and focused hard on the Time To Surface figure which said 28mins  and nearly broke down and cried. I just didn’t know how I could cope with another 28mins.

At this point I clipped my self to the SMB. I thought if I passed out I would at least stay at 6m and give Andrew the chance to inflate my jacket and send me up. I really didn’t want to be drifting back down for any reason.

Andrew was keeping close and doing all the usual things we do in deco to keep our routine going which was very helpful he has got a great range of facial expression under water, which always makes me smile.

When I looked at my VR3 and it said 10min to surface I was the happiest man alive. If it weren’t for the blurred vision, the brain numbing headache and the overwhelming desire to vomit I would have laughed out loud.

When the VR3 hit 0 Andrew asked me how we were going and I signalled that the computer had cleared and he gave me the BIG up signal. I was so relieved as the plan was to sit out the tables and then do our usual 5min ascent.

We went up in about 1min and I spat the reg as soon as I hit the surface.

I dry retched a few times and looked around to see we were right next to the boat. There is a God.

Climbing the ladder was a major struggle and I all but collapsed on to the bench and de kitted. I then spent about an hour glued to the same spot, in my dry suit being splashed by waves on the trip home, trying to get my head around standing up and moving.

The desperate need for the toilet got me going and I ate some food and drank some water and started to feel human again.

I was totally gutted to learn that Andrew had lost his CD reel and SMB as apart from being expensive I knew he loved that bit of kit.

Back to shore, kit in the car two Nurofen off of Andrew and it was instant head for home.  I couldn’t cope with any conversation I was totally focused on getting home to bed. I was also hungry. So I stopped at McD for a burger.

Andrew rings me three times on the way back to check I am OK but either the McD or the Nurofen are working great and I am feeling 100% better.

Just as I turn on to the M25 the Phone rings again and it’s Andrew.

By the way, he said,

'I tried out the new pee valve today.'

'Great' I said 'how was it?'

Errrrr. didn’t go too well. The hose that leads to the pee valve got kinked and wouldn’t flow so the condom that was araldited to his knob just inflated like a balloon and sat there in his dry suit. 'That’s why I was floating upside down on the 6m stop' He said, 'I was trying to take some of the pressure of my knadgers'


Top stuff

ATB

Mark Chase

PS I have no idea what my probelm was. I feel OK now but am obviously monitering my self to see if I have any sign of DCS. So far so good.
 
#5 ·
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Yeah me too Chasey... that's the scary thing about gas dives, if the shit is hitting the fan you just have to sit there and take it.

I thought you were gonna tell us that the condom had popped off Andy's nodger and he'd filled the new O3 with smelly stuff.

Glad you boys are ok, sorry about the reel Andy, losing kit is the worst.

Regards
Dave.
 
#6 ·
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It can't pop off the darned thing is glued on for all eternity, it was quite a conundrum trying to work out how to disconnect it from the tube, and then f'ing painfull getting it off after.

Lets not talk of this again - EVER

As for the reel, yeh these things happen, I admit I hung onto it for as long as I dare, which was probably longer than I should, but I new the first stop was at 42, got to 45 and had to let it go (my version of bend and mend), might have said the odd swear word as I did so.

To be honest I am not all that bothered, I re-wind it after every dive and it still jammed, I am more concerned about why it did this, I obviously have to replace it, but do I do so with the same type? I have a dive on the Bessel on the 17th so I will decide by then.

As for Marks headache, we know it wasn't a bend, it is not that often that one gets bent whilst still on the deeper part of the dive. My guess is he had a sinus squeeze, then as he assended a bit of a reverse block, this would certainly caused a lot of pain, and the pain would have promoted the feeling of nausea. This is just a guess I have not had chance to talk to Mark about how it felt, I was more concerned that he was OK getting home.

Andrew
 
#7 ·
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (andyp @ Oct. 03 2003,10:00)]
It can't pop off the darned thing is glued on for all eternity, it was quite a conundrum trying to work out how to disconnect it from the tube, and then f'ing painfull getting it off after.
 Did you have a trim before you glued it on ?.   Soaking in the bath usually helps and then pulling on it for 1/4 of an hour makes up for the discomfort.  At least it gives you an excuse for playing with yourself in the bath.
Every cloud DOES have a silver lining.
 
#9 ·
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Was it one of those awful thick, yellowy ones with a separate double sided tape with super strength glue that come in a green package.  Gripfil make the glue for them i think.  The only sensible way to get them off is with a heat gun.  I bottled out and went for the nice thin silicone ones that are a bit easier to handle.
 
#11 ·
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You really HAVE to shave the area, not only for the purpose of taking it off but also there is a danger of it popping off during those moments of massive relief.... One of our very own YDers found that out during a dive in Wast.... doing deco with a urine filled drysuit is apparently very unpleasant... lol
 
#14 ·
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Hmmm, it wasn't me, it wasn't Mark, there were three of us down there at that point, are you sure the stress of "the box" isn't getting to him (him being un-named). Also, as we all know there is only one type of scuba equipment which allows for intelligable speach, the best you can do with OC is a loud grunt (40% HE more of a micky mouse squeal). Mind you, nice chap, it was more my surprise at Mark actually turning round and doing an OK sign, I thought we were well passed the you OK me OK bit.

As for dropping in, well one "box " and two hulking great stages, hmmm. I even debated going round him at one point, I was filling the old wing at a fair old rate to stay above him.

You see us poor OC guys have only got a limited supply, we have to do a plummet - splat (an amusing analogy that one)to "conserve the old gas you know". Next time I am above I will know to sit on the box and help, well it does look like a rather comfy seat from above  
 


T'would be nice to meet up some time and actually do a dive,

Take care,

Andrew
 
#15 ·
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[b said:
Quote[/b] ]T'would be nice to meet up some time and actually do a dive,
Plummet - splat. Still fondly remember me ol' twinset days - we took the 'bounce dive' thing seriously back then... Bomb down the line, 'bounce' off the deck when we hit the wreck


I'm booked on Chasey's Mol charters November & December so we should hook up then - until then...... Off to Florida tomorrow for two weeks. Work. All packed and ready to go. 4 pairs of grundies, some shorts, some teeshirts, toothbrush.  Rebreather.
 Well it'd be daft not to wouldn't it?
Work. Yeah, right. I'll try & fit it into the SI's.
 
#16 ·
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I like vthe recent thing about showing dive profiles so now I have down loaded it here it is:
 
#17 ·
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Mark

Carbon Monoxide?

What was your bottom gas and where did you get your fill?  Was it the same place as Andy?  Could it have been contaminated? Just a thought.

I'm surprised the VR3 gives you that much deco.  Is there a conservatism setting on it?

Bob
 
#18 ·
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Mark,
when I went to the pot at the beginning of the year, false alarm thankfully, they said there were indicators that saw tooth was bad - anything over a metre or two was 'saw tooth'. Not wishing to be a smart arse but the first bit of your dive could be described as saw tooth by this definition, maybe it was that that caused the 'problem'. I mention this as a mate trying to find out what caused the nausea etc. not trying to slam you or anything as I'm sure that profile is in no way different from anything any of us do.
Not for me to evaluate another divers profile - anyway I'd be well pleased with the obvious control you show on that profile.

Matt
 
#19 ·
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (Bob Cooper @ Oct. 04 2003,12:23)]
Hi Bob,

I thaught about Carbom Monoxide too as the symptoms were spot on.

I got the fill from my usual supplier and he did his ownfills the same day and dived the same day as me so I will ask how he felt. Andrew also got his fill from the same chap but about two weeks earlier.

I had a bit of a dodgy throat a week ago which put me in bed for a day and needed Antibiotics to sort out. I think I may have had some left over symptoms from that but I didnt notice them before the dive. Since the event I have had sinus pain and thats just backing off now so I think a blockage in the sinus is the prime culprit at the moment.

Apart from that I feel OK now

VR3 was set to 0 safety

VR3 was set for 19/40 back gas as Andrew had this mix and My back gas was 20/25 planned for a Moldavia dive that didnt happen. My mix would have had about 15mins less deco than Andrews so we set the computer to the worst case scinario.

The computer cleared 3mins before the tables. Tables were for 19/40mix on a 10/80GF and gave a run time of 106min

We added deep stops to the VR3 profile so that slowed the TTS up a bit. We still run prety much to tables using the Vytec in gauge mode and have the VR3 as back up / comparison. We go from the VR3 if the dive is obviously shallower or shorter than plan.

This dive was planned at 57m and done between 54 and 56 so was about right.

The VR3 in 0 setting is not as agresive as people often report I have found it to run close to 20-80GF using Decoplanner as a comparison. It usualy is about two to three mins shorter than a 20-80 profile in the 50 to 60m range with bottom times averaging 35mins.

When I have a better comparison base i will put up some profiles to demonstrate the VR3s deco curve in comparison with the deco planner.

ATB

Mark Chase
 
#20 ·
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (MATTBIN @ Oct. 04 2003,12:25)]Not wishing to be a smart arse but the first bit of your dive could be described as saw tooth by this definition, maybe it was that that caused the 'problem'. I mention this as a mate trying to find out what caused the nausea etc. not trying to slam you or anything as I'm sure that profile is in no way different from anything any of us do.
Trouble is M8 thats the shape of the wreck


If you look at the left hand section of the profile that is the stern section of the duke wihch is more intact and upright but also the deepest part to the gravel. The bit where we dip down is where the main section of the stern ends and the wreck is a lot more broken up but it is shallower at that end so dispite being on the gravel at one point we were only at 56m. (its 60m on the stern).

If you think that this is a saw tooth profile I dare not post some other dives I have done. Yous probably come round and confiscate my dive gear on safety grounds


As I said to Bob I am firmly in the Sinus problem camp at the momnet but will chat to my man about the fill as well just in case.

PS: Nice to here you got your prefered wing. I dont know much about that one you will have to post your first impressions.

Just a couple of stages and a Tmix ticket to go lad


ATB


Mark Chase
 
#23 ·
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Hi Bob

Sorry to say I just print them out on paper and scan them back into the computer and save as a Jpeg. I havent figured out a way of dealing with them as a file.

Ask that d8bus chap he printed a couple of good profiles he might know how to do it the DIR way


I just found a fudge to hide my lack of basic skill on the computer


ATB

Mark Chase
 
#24 ·
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<font color='#000F22'>Get manager up and get yer dive. Hit print screen button on pc.

Open photoshop or similar and get new blank image, paste and you'll get a picture of what you had on screen when you hit print screen.

Then crop to size and post in normal way.

This is a profile of my dive on the Black Wall in Loch Lomond today - 78 minutes run time to test out the new drysuit. It no leaky !!
 
#26 ·
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<font color='#0000FF'>Hi Mark,

Happy to hear you are OK, are you sure WL did not fill your twinset
 (no offence intended only joking) My inst. once had a problem very similar to yours and it was his sinus to ear problem.
 
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