Scuba Geek

Halcyon Voluntary Recall of Select Explorer 40 BC’s September 6, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Equipment, News , add a comment

Halcyon have announced a voluntary recall of a number of Halcyon Explorer Wings. They say that the over pressure valve may delaminate, causing the Wing to leak. Here is the announcment;

Halcyon Manufacturing has identified a very small number of Halcyon Explorer-40 BC’s sold after July 2005 that could develop problems over time. In these few units it is possible that the over pressure valve (OPV) could delaminate, causing the BC to leak. It is unlikely that most of these units will experience any problems; yet, given its rigorous desire to produce only the finest quality equipment, Halcyon would like to ensure this problem does not affect the safety or convenience of our customers. This problem was identified during regular quality control evaluations in which a lamination machine (RF welder) showed slight inconsistency during production. The machine has been replaced and the few BC’s affected have been identified by quality control. Halcyon is seeking to minimize any inconvenience to our customers. To this end, all Halcyon distributors have been notified and are prepared to assist any affected customers. If you have an affected BC (see serial numbers below) please return the unit to any Halcyon dealer; you may also contact your local distributor for replacement.

More details at the Halcyon website

Changes at the Cave Diving Centre in the Lot, France September 6, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : CaveDiving , add a comment

Well, its been a couple of weeks since my last post, due to me getting married and sailing around the Mediterranean for two weeks on the subsequent honeymoon, but now I am back normal posting should resume quite quickly.

Going through my emails, I found this one from Lynne at the Cave Diving Centre in the Lot. It seems that there is a few changes underway and the accommodation arrangements have been altered. Here’s the email;

I expect most of you know Jiri and I have parted company, I just want to reassure you all that we are continuing, we still have the filling station and the only difference is that at the moment there is no shop or rental equipement, but am in the process of re-organising these.

The other change will be in the accommodation, we are no longer using the chalets. You will now stay in houses with a degree of luxury and more comfort, the houses all have large ground floor rooms for you to hang your suits and store your gear. Breakfast will be in your house and dinners will be here as usual.

The other accommodation option is in mobile homes on the campsite next door, these will be 24 euros per person per night incl heating, they have 2 bedrooms and are ok for 2 or 3. The houses will be 30 euros each per night incl heating.

We also hope to be running courses from the centre next year.

I am sure you will continue to give me the support you always have done over the last few years and look forward to seeing you all in the near future.

Lost in a cave, with very little gas, and only one fin: ‘This was not good’ August 18, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : CaveDiving , 3comments

I’ve often read Dr Mike’s diving adventures with a mixture of respect and bewilderment. Just how many close scrapes do you need to experience before recognising that a change in dive planning and procedure is necessary? He seems to put cats to shame in terms of the number of lives he has. Mike has recently been exploring a cave in Malaysia and was sitting through his deco, having conducted a deep dive. Mike got bored and decided to get some food and drink from a habitat he had placed in the cave, but as the vis was so bad he got lost, and ended up lost for a while in the cave, having lost a fin, run out of inflation gas, and very low on O2. Incredibly this was all at 3 mtrs depth with his ’support’ team sat on the bank completely unaware of his situation. It makes you wonder. This from Dr Mikes website;

This is not good I said to myself as I suppressed the rising fear and panicked thoughts. I knew from experiences in the past that I had to and that I could stay calm if I wanted to live.

I assessed the situation.

-No wing inflation.
-Almost no dilutant
-No O2 (it was maybe 10 bar left in a 2L)!
-No bailout (I had staged it as I was decoing on O2)
-Only one fin
-Lost inside a cave with no line and no idea which direction to take
-8 hours on scrubber so no idea if its going to run out any moment
-zero visibility

This was not good.

Rebreather diver fatality in Los Angeles August 18, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Accidents, Rebreathers , 3comments

Sad news yesterday that a 40 year old diver using an AP Inspiration rebreather was found dead near the wreck he had been lost on the previous day. There is some speculation over at Rebreatherworld that the diver had been trapped or pinned under the wreck, but that is unconfirmed. Here is the press release;

A 40-year old male diver that had been missing near the south end of the Los Angeles Channel since yesterday, was found this morning near the wreck three miles off shore where he had been diving.

In a joint effort, local agencies started searching for the missing diver yesterday afternoon.
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Divemaster Dies During Rescue After Weekend Dive August 16, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Accidents, News , add a comment

Roy Cowan died on Sunday August 14th, after rescuing a diver who had become seperated from the boat and was in distress. He was a well respected divemaster who spent many years helping divers out of Morehead City, NC. This from DiveNewsWire;

The seas of the ‘Graveyard of the Atlantic’ were running a stiff current and one of the divers was separated from the boat and in distress. Roy who was the head DM for the Diver Down out of Morehead City, NC and had been for over 10 years was in top form noting the diver’s problem immediately. In typical Roy form, he was off the deck swimming to assist the diver who was now floating past the drift ball.

He successfully got the diver back to the boat but as the crew turned to help him aboard, he had slipped out of site and was floating behind the stern of the boat. Upon retrieving him he was administered CPR for over 2 hours but was not able to be revived.

It is suspected that Ron died from a heart attack, as he had not dived at all that day.

Navy Diver sets Record with 2,000 foot Dive August 8, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : News, OceanDiving , 3comments

2,000 feet (600 mtrs approx) is a looong way down, and Chief Navy Diver, Daniel P Jackson, recently dived to that depth in a new Atmospheric Diving Suit (ADS). It took 11 years to plan, design, and test the suit, which is known as the Hardsuit 2000. As far as the dive goes, Daniel said it was the best ride of his life! This from military.com;
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