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Diving safely & deeperThere have been many great advancements over the last few years in scuba diving and there are a number of techniques which the diver can use to allow them to dive longer and deeper more safely. Technical diving is the name given to a dive which goes below 130 feet and the diver will generally use a mixture of gases. Surface supplied diving is the name given to a dive using an umbilical cord to supply the gas and involves the use of a diving helmet.Technical diving Technical diving exceeds the scope of normal scuba diving and requires advanced training and specialised equipment as well as extensive experience in scuba diving. The term technical dive is given to a dive which exceeds a depth of 120 feet and going to depths such as this increases the risk of nitrogen narcosis and due to this extensive training in dealing with and recognising the effects of nitrogen narcosis must have been taken. Decompression stops during the dive During a technical dive as there is an increased risk in narcosis there will be what are termed mandatory decompression stops during the dive. The stops will usually involve the use of breathing enriched oxygen gas mixtures such as nitrox or pure oxygen. Decompression sickness or the "bends" as diver's call it, occurs when inert gases such as nitrogen and helium which are in the divers breathing gas are absorbed into the divers body tissues when breathed under high pressure. These dissolved gases must be released slowly from the body to avoid decompression sickness, due to the deeper depths that technical diving involves direct ascent to the surface isn't safe and therefore the diver must make planned stops. Technical diving is also defined when the diver goes to depths that require them to breathe gas mixtures such as helix, trimix and heliair. If the diver breathes a mixture which has the same oxygen concentration which is found in air at a depth of greater than 180 feet then there is a very rapid increase of developing the severe symptoms of oxygen toxicity. Symptoms of oxygen toxicity are generally felt as visual and auditory hallucinations, loss of control over the muscles, body seizures and eventually loss of consciousness. Equipment used in technical dives Due to the nature of the technical dive, equipment is used which differs a little from normal scuba diving, due to the deeper depths the technical diver descends they will of course be in the water longer than a recreational dive of around 100 feet. The supply of breathing gas is therefore increased and this is achieved by either connecting multiple high capacity breathing diving cylinders or using a method known as a re-breather. The technical diver will also usually carry with him additional cylinders know as stage bottles to make sure that they have adequate gas for decompression and a reserve supply of gas should their primary one fail. |
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