Recreationall TRIMIX

[FreediveWI]

Puddlejumper,

So many points to respond to that I might miss a few.

First off, I don't think that diving trimix is that big a deal. All of the negatives that you mentioned are the EXACT same things that the local shops, and dive magazines, were saying 12 years ago about nitrox. Now you can't go anywhere without finding a shop that blends nitrox- unless they are really backwards!

As it turns out, recreational divers can handle nitrox and haven't died in vast numbers. Helium is just the latest victim of this type of thinking. I still think that in 10 years most of the shops that are now pumping nitrox will also be pumping helium. It's just not as difficult as people would have you believe. IF you worried about someones bouyancy control and them not being able to maintain a proper ascent while on trimix, I would be just as worried about them doing the dive on air.

Helium works great on shallower depths because you can not only have a clear head, but you can also breath easier, even on a cheap regulator, which makes cutting with a hacksaw a whole lot easier at depth. ;D You don't get the C02 build up, and thus the urge to overbreath your regualtor, that I see happen with some out of shape scuba divers who can't swim against a simple current.

I believe that the Navy uses trimix in their rebreathers starting at 70' for the EOD guys- that comes from what I've read.

For scuba it adds an extra bit of confidence that your regulator won't freeze up on you at depth. One regulator that I have seen a particularly large amount of freeze-ups on are the Scubapro's- thus they have been nickamed "scubaflows". Given this reputation, I know that if you use enough helium in your mix you can even get a Scubpro to work well, meaning not freeflow, while do deep, cold water diving.

BTW: When I talk about cold water diving I don't mean ice diving. You can get almost any regulator to work on an ice dive, but take that same regualtor out on Lake Michigan for a winter charter with the wind blowing and the currents running and they will ALL freeze-up.

As far as not using a HE anaylzer, I have done it both ways. I know the rule of thumb is +/- 1% on 02 and +/-10% on HE, but I still like knowing exactly what I have in my tanks. IF your going to go through the hassel of diving mix you might as well be safe and do it right.

You could save money buy buying a palm and D-plan instead of your laptop with V-planner on it. BTW: I have used both of those programs and have a LOT more faith in D-plan than I ever did In V-planner, or the old DR. X program. A $900 dive computer is a waste of money in my book, but an $800 HE anaylzer is money well spent- if your diving mix.

As far as you being a stroke, I have no idea. IF you smoke, are out of shape, can't put your gear on by yourself, run out of back gas, run out of deco gas, dive only deep air, then maybe you are a stroke. IF these areas don't apply to you then I would guess that your not a stroke. Since I don't recall meeting you I'll let you decide. Since you've already taken the first step to get onthe mix, and off of deep air, I would certainly give you the benefit of the doubt.

The fluff material you describe in the deco classes are acutal skills that you will need, if you dive enough. I have had to hand off deco bottles to strokes, I mean "divers", that have run out of gas on deep dives before. This was a usefull skill. Shooting bags is a nice skill as I have had my main lights fail while night diving on the St. Albans before and had to do midwater deco without getting back to the line. I've know divers who needed to go to their back up masks, had regulators fail during deco and had to switch out second stages underwater, ect., ect. These things happen and it's good to have a plan.

BTW: c-cards mean very little. One of the best divers I know has ony two cards, his basic c-card and his full cave card.

If your going for the ovbious DIR slam, I will just say this. I have dove other ways and only after seeing how many ways that you could do it wrong did I choose to adopt a DIR mentality. Since I have there isn't a single DIR diver that I have ever met that I wouldn't dive with- especially those trained by GUE. I have met plenty of people with a big stack of cards, and a truck full of gear, that I wouldn't get in the water with.

If I missed any points I am sure that you will remind
me. ;D

As far as combining the trimix with the Deco class, I think that's a great idea. The thinking behind the recreational trimix class is to first take the "voodoo" factor out of diving helium, and then teach you how to extend those times, through a deco class, with a clear head, instead the the ass-backwards way that it is now being taught. If you already have divers who are comfortable with He in a no-deco setting, they can step right into a full- blown deco course with a lot less trouble than who are trying to run through all of those 150', cold water, air dives right now- with the hopes of "one day" being able to dive mix.

Jon