3 divers die in Fl. wreck (USS Spiegel Grove):

[GordMay]

Caution: I haven’t SCUBA dived since the early sixties, so my understandings will be imperfect (vague & out of date).
FWIW
It seems to me, that Rick’s “open airway” is not a breath hold, but a “neutral” condition, wherein the diver is neither forcing air in nor out, allowing Boyle’s Law to “automatically” regulate the flow of air.
This also seems slightly contrary to the conventional wisdom of gently blowing out (continuously) during an emergency (airless) ascent.

[coot]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Have you READ that article? It certainly seems that one would be extremely unlikely to survive an explosive decompression to ZERO pressure without some kind of pressure suit.

Actually, I see that I read
Explosive Decompression and Vacuum Exposure and then posted the URL for a different web page on the same site. That was an error on my part.

Czarnik's paper raises a lot of good issues. I like that he quantifies the overpressure needed to cause lung damage. Since he cites two cases of survivors of explosive decompression, it is apparent that the lung damage is not necessarily always as severe as he describes. That seems to indicate that not all cases of explosive decompression will cause the worst-case condition.

Actually, this effect

Though these are the most life-threatening changes seen in ebullism, subcutaneous swelling is also seen, due to creation of water vapor under the skin (19). This can rapidly distend the body to twice its normal volume (20). Our patient will look no better than he feels, though this means little in terms of survival."

is pretty dramatic, though he fails to quantify "rapid" and I have not been able to find any other online sources that can give a time. I found a few descriptions of decompression accidents that did not mention the effect, so maybe it takes a minute or more before you start to see the swelling. Would that be "rapid"?

[Wilverine]

I was certified (PADI) by an ex Navy Seal named Dan Hall and if anyone "could" have been a macho diver he could have been. But he was the most cautious and respectful instructor of what to do and not do. Diving for recreation is just that, recreation. It's supposed to be fun. Pushing the safety limits is not fun, if it is, you need to do it away from rec. divers. Nothing ruins a dive for everyone quicker than a near death experience by a putative "expert diver". If you haven't read "The Last Dive" you should pick up a copy. It's a story with a good many lessons. Unfortunately for the protaganists' of the story, lessons learned at the ultimate cost.

[Ambiance]

I am a PADI TecRec Instructor, ANDI Rebreather Instructor, and have more than 100 deep wreck penetrations including the Andrea Doria. Let me just say that there is a lot of BAD information being passed off as fact in this thread. If you are going to penetrate a wreck, GET SOME TRAINING FIRST ...

[SilentOption]

I am curious about the SEAL named Dan Hall.

How old is he? Where did you do your training?

Thanks

Bill Hellman

[Wilverine]

Dan Hall was on the cover of Life magazine in Aug 1965. He is not mentioned by name, but the picture is of he and another guy carrying a wounded soldier out of a fire fight. I am not sure of his age. We got our certification in Mountain Home Arkansas where Dan gives instruction on Lake Norfolk. Great guy and very good with beginners.

[Seeratlas]

Originally Posted by SilentOption

The other wreck in Subic Bay is the New York, formerly the Rochester. It was an outdated old ship sitting in Manila on Dec 7 but the guns were big and nobody wanted the Japanese to use them. The ship was towed to Subic, filled with mines and sank. The Japanese showed up around the 21st of the month I believe.

Many divers entered the wreck collecting brass artifacts. On one bad day a good friend became entangled in lines that were left behind from many many previous penetration dives. While his buddy was looking elsewhere my friend drowned. He was outside of the wreck but so entangled he couldn't get free.

There is a lot more to the story but thats the short of it.

That's horrible. What did they find was the condition of his dive knife?

seer

[Seeratlas]

Originally Posted by Wilverine

Dan Hall was on the cover of Life magazine in Aug 1965. He is not mentioned by name, but the picture is of he and another guy carrying a wounded soldier out of a fire fight. I am not sure of his age. We got our certification in Mountain Home Arkansas where Dan gives instruction on Lake Norfolk. Great guy and very good with beginners.

Hmmm, thought that name sounded familiar. Norfolk can be chilly eh?

seer

[Wilverine]

Very chilly! And dark.