The liveliest letters from the Diver mailbag...

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DEEP DIVIDE OVER RECORD-BREAKER
I have been reading Diver for many years and the magazine is without doubt getting better every month. I enjoyed the October issue immensely - until I came to Deep Breath (Stick to Drinking Beer).
Come on, John Bevan, get a life and join us in the 21st century! Mark Andrews' record-breaking dive on air to 156m can be likened only to Reinhold Messner's ascent of Mount Everest, Ranulph Fiennes' epic journey across Antarctica or Francis Chichester's circumnavigation.
Were these men ridiculed, or accused of putting their support teams' lives in jeopardy? Of course not! They have all, rightly, gone down in history as brave and dedicated individuals who have single-mindedly pushed the boundaries of human endurance. I applaud Mark Andrews and would be part of his support/rescue team any day.
I am sure that Mr Bevan's personal assessment graph is based on years of experience of drinking pints of beer, but I always thought that every one's tolerance to alcohol was different. I am totally drunk after three pints, yet my old climbing pal seems to function perfectly well after 10! That would lead me to believe that each diver's tolerance to nitrogen narcosis is also different and - like drinking pints of beer - one can, with regular exposure, become less affected by the intoxicating effects.
Kevin Lawlor, Fortrose

but that's not all...
It's one thing to draw an analogy for a novice diver between narcosis and alcoholic intoxication, as John Bevan does, but it's another to put forward in a quasi-scientific manner the idea that these compounds, in excess, have identical effects on the human nervous system, and that there is a perfectly straight line from zero to infinity, along which we can read off the precise behavioural impacts of any given quantity of either, for all divers in all situations.
Mr Bevan might think Mr Andrews is a couple of O-rings short of a regulator but most of the diving community will look in awe and fascination at his skill, strength, courage and expertise.
More importantly, the activities of Mr Andrews and others provide a counterweight to the conservative pedagogues of the dive world, the "you'll get the bends if you stand up too quickly in the swimming pool" brigade, who are clearly more interested in drinking eight pints of beer than diving to 100m.
R P Jones, Didsbury

As one of the hyperbaric doctors Mark Andrews consulted before his deep air record dive, I was interested to read the account in Diver News (October).
When Mr Andrews first approached me in April, his main concern seemed to be oxygen toxicity. What he did not understand then, and probably still doesn't, is that the slow breathing rate he regards as advantageous is his biggest problem; it causes a build-up of carbon dioxide in his blood and body tissues.
This amplifies the effects of both oxygen toxicity and nitrogen narcosis; it also increases the likelihood of neurological decompression illness. Physiologically he would be better off hyperventilating, although it would be very hard work due to the high gas density and he would need to carry a lot more air.
Diving physicians will not now be revising any theories - the events during the dive were quite predictable. Readers might be interested to hear of research going on into escape from disabled submarines, a deep air dive even more extreme than this one (the current record is 180m). That's not something you do through choice; it's a life or death situation.
I didn't say it couldn't be done. I said: "Don't do it!" and I would still say the same to any fool who wants to beat this utterly pointless record.
Dr Andrew Pitkin, Institute of Naval Medicine, Gosport, Hants

Having dived with Mark Andrews for more than three years, I have never once seen him encourage anyone to go beyond their personal limit. In fact I have seen him on a number of occasions advise people that they had reached their limit.
Like most record-breakers in any sport or pastime, Mark carefully planned and prepared for his dive. Even the emergency deco stops he ended up doing were planned prior to the dive in case of missed stops.
If record-breaking achievements do encourage others to take part in similar but ill-prepared attempts, the deep seas would be littered with bodies of novice divers and the high mountains with "would-be" climbers.
This is not so, because the average man in the street possesses more intelligence than Dr Bevan would credit him with.
Dr Bevan does himself little credit when he calls Mark "kamikaze" and advises that he should be plied with drink until he falls over.
At this point he joins the virtual ranks of those on the Internet chat lists who wished death on Mark and his family with alcoholic poisoning, drowning, electrocution and landmines. Such people with psychotic tendencies are out there among us. We should fear them, not Mark.
Stephen Bird, Farnborough, Hants

I usually think your mag is great, but I must question your motives for printing the Mark Andrews article. I have been diving for 12 years and am a Dive Leader and Assistant Club Instructor. I always turn a blind eye to people pushing the limits with air diving because this normally goes on outside club dives. If a person wants to risk their life that is up to them, as long as they do not involve anyone else, though I would urge them to consider those who would be affected - their families - should the dive go wrong.
I do not expect to see club divers trying to repeat what Mark did, but there are plenty of newcomers who read this sort of article and assume that it might be fun to push their own limits. I am increasingly seeing divers who get a buzz out of going deep. Each to their own; I am quite happy in 5m.
It came across that Mark was laughing at the medical profession. May I suggest you put a stronger case on the safety side?
Scott Laddiman

Honesty is still the best policy
An item in Diver News (Golden Pay-out, October) stated that a salvage reward of £99,000 had been paid by the British Museum to acquire the Salcombe collection, and that the South West Maritime Archaeological Group was "slightly disappointed" with this amount, as we believed it would fetch £250,000 at auction.
As it is the policy of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency not to auction historic wreck, this implies that the group had been disadvantaged by declaring the recovery to the Receiver of Wreck. On behalf of the group we wish to emphasise that, far from being disappointed, the group is delighted.
Three valuations from international auction firms were obtained by the Receiver, ranging from £66,000 to £110,000. £99,000 represents a reward of 82.5 per cent, an unusually high percentage which reflects the historical importance of the find and the Receiver's policy of encouraging divers to declare.
At no time has the group received any evidence that the find was worth £250,000. We would have noticed had we done so!
The Receiver has repeatedly stressed to divers that they cannot lose by coming forward and that they will be fairly treated.
As a group we can confirm that this has certainly been our experience.
Mike Palmer & Mike Williams, Bishopswood, Staffs

Fins turn air pig into gas miser...
I read with interest Are You a Heavy Breather? (July) and the letter Air Pig Hits Back by Mark Thompson (September), and agreed with Mark until recently.
Two years ago I bought a 15 litre cylinder which my buddy, who is small, slim and a non-smoker, calls "the bucket". Unknowingly, I had become an air pig.
I am 6ft and smoke, similar to Mark, and because I am nearly 50 I had blamed my high gas consumption on this. On a recent dive at Capernwray I found the bucket was out of test, so had to borrow a pencil-thin 12 litre cylinder from my buddy.
His instructor was sporting a pair of new Apollo Bio Fins, which I had written off as an expensive gimmick, and invited me to try a pair. When we hit the water I felt no friction from them, and felt as though I was kicking in my drysuit boots.
I presumed I was going nowhere and stepped up my pace - only to see the bottom race past and my buddy pulling me back with his slow-down signal.
It was one of the most comfortable dives I've had in recent years. By the time we broke surface, I would normally have sucked my 15 litre cylinder inside-out, so I was flabbergasted to read "100 bar".
I tapped my contents gauge, thinking it must be faulty. My buddy had 50 bar left in his 12 litre cylinder.
It was obvious that my gear configuration had been wrong for the past few years. It made us all wonder how many other "air pigs" have an incorrect configuration. If they look carefully at their gear they will probably become gas misers rather than air pigs.
With my new configuration I have also managed to drop 4lb from my weightbelt, which proves that even older, experienced ex-commercial divers can still learn. Diving is a constant learning curve.
Paul Chapman, Manchester

... but skipping not such a good idea
In Off-gassing, November, R List describes how he reduces his gas consumption by consciously changing his breathing pattern - a breath in, pause and breath out. He expresses disappointment that such techniques are not mentioned in the manuals. In fact they are discussed in manuals such as the BSAC's - described as skip-breathing and denigrated.
Conscious regulation of breathing, which reduces the amount of respiration, can result in retention of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia). A diver who becomes accustomed to a raised level of CO2 with repeated exposure to higher levels can become more hypercapnoeic in the future.
Hypercapnia can result in disorientation, dizziness, unsteadiness, sweaty forehead and palms, flushing, muscular twitching, inco-ordination and confusion. Headaches can occur during the dive and remain for several hours after. These symptoms might be noticeable on dry land but not necessarily during a dive in the cooling environment of the water, with the diver working hard and concentrating on other things.
Unconsciousness can occur suddenly and without warning. Hypercapnia also enhances nitrogen narcosis and makes one more susceptible to oxygen toxicity. By increasing tissue perfusion and red cell agglutination, it increases the possibility of decompression sickness.
It is important that divers do not try to reduce their breathing to save gas. Breathing rate can be improved by becoming slimmer if overweight, exercising if unfit and with practice becoming more comfortable in the water. Just as importantly, buy a bigger bottle and don't worry about your gas consumption.
Dr Kenneth Vickers, Royton, Oldham

Great whites off Scotland
Your news item Great Whites off Cornwall - What's New? (October) brought to mind something I came across while researching for my book Galloway Shipwrecks. Two great whites were caught by fishermen in Luce Bay, Wigtownshire, in 1858 and 1859.
Of the latter sighting a newspaper reported: "A huge white shark was captured last week in the salmon nets at Chapelrossan, west side of Luce Bay. It was dead when found, but had evidently struggled to regain its liberty and cut the net in several places. However, it was too well entangled to get away. The shark measured more than 11 feet long and its body was 6 feet in thickness with a large mouth studded with terrible teeth. The shark was sent to Ayr by steamer and exhibited at the fish market for the benefit of the Lifeboat Institution."
Seemingly the great white was no stranger to Solway Firth around that time and Luce Bay has been visited by other sea creatures normally associated with more tropical climes, such as the leatherback turtle and large sunfish.
So it would seem that they have been confirmed further north than the Bay of Biscay!
Pete Miller, Stranraer

So who fails PADI courses?
Liz Chapman's letter (Keeping up the Watertime, October) prompts me to write that I think having to do a minimum amount of "watertime" to keep one's qualification valid is a very good idea. Even five hours a year would probably equate to 10 dives, which is not unrealistic.
I am a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver now doing a BSAC Sports Diver course, but even in my short diving career I have been concerned about some of the practices I have encountered while diving in Thailand, Barbados, Tobago and the Isle of Man.
Tobago was frightening. At no time was I asked for any record of previous qualification. My first dive was the "deep dive" part of the PADI qualification. I was given the minimum of information about the dive, which was on the Maverick wreck off Pigeon Point. My maximum depth was 33m.
The dive involved minor penetration of the upper superstructure and I had no difficulties, but when I was back on the boat I asked another holiday-maker how long he had been diving. It turned out this was only his second time - the first had been the previous day off the beach at the hotel with his mate, who had borrowed some gear to see how they got on!
Diving in Barbados I realised how many people think they are well-qualified when they have done a quickie dive course. Their levels of incompetence and over-confidence were alarming, from being unable to kit up properly to nearly running out of air at 24m through not knowing how to read a gauge.
People have to realise that a quickie course is just a taste of diving. I have yet to meet anyone who has failed a PADI course. Does anyone know of anybody who has? Surely not everyone should pass - there must be some people who will never be competent and safe divers.
Marc Mellor, Onchan, Isle of Man

Eric Albinsson, Quality Assurance Manager for PADI UK, says: Because our courses are performance-related, the idea of passing or failing within a certain term is misleading. Once enrolled, anyone who does not master the skills necessary for certification within the initial period can be given a referral form and continue their training at any time within 12 months, at the original centre or elsewhere. They either go on until they master the required skills or eventually drop out, but because we don't know if or when they will resume their training, we have no figures for the numbers who drop out.
It is unclear whether Mr Mellor visited an authorised PADI Dive Centre and Resort, but all members are required to verify that their customers hold a recognised scuba certification before they can rent equipment, have air fills or book dive trips. If we are made aware of any violation of PADI standards and procedures we bring to bear the most complete quality assurance procedures in recreational diving. Any diver who has comments to make - positive or negative - about centres or instructors should contact the Quality Assurance Dept, PADI International, Unit 7, Albert Road, St Philips Central, Bristol BS2 0PD.

Glowing reports
I am a newly qualified PADI Instructor eager to take new students on night-dives in our beautiful waters around Guernsey. It has been common practice wherever I have dived to use chemical glow-sticks to ID divers, but I heard recently that these have a detrimental effect on the reef. The preservation of the reefs around the world is so important to all of us, so is this the case?
Corinna Wegerer, Guernsey

Editor's reply: Glowsticks should not cause any damage during a dive, but the outer plastic layer has a degree of permeability, so if discarded in the sea the chemicals could cause some damage over a period of time.

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Appeared in DIVER - December 1999

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