Posted on 07/01/2005 10:36:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Tempting fate's "natural selection" is decidedly unclever.
The Last Deep Dive (Page 2)
Pipin's years of relentless training have resulted in extraordinary abilities. At peak performance his lungs can hold eight liters of air, twice the normal amount for a man his size. At the bottom of a descent his heart rate has been reduced to an unparalleled 8 beats per minute, though more commonly it drops to 20 to 30 beats per minute while diving. (The average human rate is about 65 beats per minute.) At rest he can hold his breath for nearly eight minutes. (Dolphins can do so for up to fifteen minutes.) Physicians and scientists have studied, tested, and probed him seeking to learn how he does this, and thus perhaps learn more about what the body is capable of achieving. To them he is a mystery. CBS, NBC, and the Discovery Channel have produced programs marveling at his accomplishments. In fact when Audrey Mestre first met him, she was a marine biology student specifically studying his body, the way an art history major might study Michelangelo's David.
Today's top divers have devised high-tech tools to take them as deep as possible as quickly as possible. At the extreme end of the sport, called no-limits free-diving, champions like Pipin and Audrey use a heavy "sled" guided by a weighted metal cable to rapidly descend to a desired depth. Then they inflate an air bag to shoot them back to the surface. Safety divers with scuba gear are positioned along the length of the cable in case of emergency. But the risks are still great. One constant danger is something known as shallow-water blackout, which occurs when oxygen starvation causes a sudden loss of consciousness during a diver's ascent.
That risk and many others are worth taking, divers say, because of the reward: the experience of a quiescence so euphoric it is hypnotic, even magical.
First open water dive I made as a teen I left the water like that too after I saw my first cuda......not as pretty though...... later in life at JFK spec warfare under water ops course I made real sure all my "worn gear" was blackened.....shiny and bright was not gonna get me a tooth tattoo ! I played with some mixed gases as a civy yet only qualified for a basic dive bubble in the service.......We did most of our open water quals on blanket orders to Guymas and San Carlos in Mexico in the Sea of Cortez and off Patrick AFB beach or Eglin AFB. Did a couple at Mare Island ....
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea.
Welcome home Navy.
Too many unknowns. Plus, the Japanese weren't known for their kindness to surrendering enemy.
I just read the entire "The Last Deep Dive" I linked above. Incredible!
That's not fair. I've been to Thailand four times and did not have sex with anyone. Thailand is a wonderful place with mostly wonderful people. Sure, it's not perfect and there is a sex tourism industry. Many other places have such things too. Plenty of other people go there for purposes other than sex crime.
I've seen the same kind of stufr one sees in Patpong on 42nd Street in New York City not so many years ago.
I remember that I passed on a wreck dive off Catalina at 132 feet because I haden't been deeper than 80-90 feet yet. Do you guys remember the J-valve? (5 minute reserve @ 32 ft) I think that's the name.
Nam Vet
I remember that I passed on a wreck dive off Catalina at 132 feet because I haden't been deeper than 80-90 feet yet. Do you guys remember the J-valve? (5 minute reserve @ 32 ft) I think that's the name.
Nam Vet
Sorry all
Nam Vet
And top that with the trauma of sudden compression from the explosion. I don't think they had a chance. Prayers for their souls 60 years later.
I'm glad that some of the family members will now have some idea of what happened to their courageous loved ones.
This is a great post for this 4th Of July weekend. We should all remember those who gave all that we might enjoy this coming celebration. While our courts and government haven't been good custodians of freedom, our soldiers carry forth the tradition of tremendous bravery and honor that our forefathers would be proud of.
Worse than death? 'Blow and go' will get you to fresh air without a 'rescue vessel'. The tables engraved in the escape hatches (used to) go to 450 feet.
for later
Gad! I remember just enough from dive school to kill myself...
It is the same with my computer!
You wrote; "While our courts and government haven't been good custodians of freedom, our soldiers carry forth the tradition of tremendous bravery and honor that our forefathers would be proud of."
So very true and well put.
Confucius says: Man who walk naked sideways through airport door is going to Bangkok.
Confucius also say: Woman who fly plane upsidedown have crackup.
I dont know if this class of sub even had an escape chamber.
I dont think stankey hoods were in use at the time.
Even if they were in use, the "stankey hood" is pretty much just a feel good thing for congressmen and familys.
Its not likely to save your life at those depths
Thanks for the detailed description
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