RAM in the Deep

[Nemrod]

It has been discussed several times recently the performance of double hose regulators at depth. Just a couple of days ago I did my second--and last--dive on the Zebulon Pike in Table Rock. Using a rented semi dry suit, gloves and hood, lights and reel and my Double 50s with twin regulators, RAM on the center and MR12 backup with a slung pony sporting a Tekna T2100, Nemrod slipped from the Whaler and made his way down the guide line solo. The lake is about 10 feet or more higher than last time I was there. Viz essentially sucked through 30 feet where it opened up to about 20 feet or less and still essentially sucked and then below 60 feet maybe barely 30--maybe. It was dark and cold with temps right at 50 degrees, brrrrrrr. I circled down over the wreck and then along the side, swam through the bar and up the stairs and then over the stern dropping below the wreck and down the slope and then over what appeard to be a ten foot ledge. This ledge seemed to be about 30 feet aft of the wreck and downslope, I don't remember this from last year but then I am not sure I went to this exact place. This then took me to several boulders at 140 feet. Thirty feet below my supposed limit. Bottom time was now hovering at 15 minutes per the Seiko and I was so cold I was dizzy. I could not think clearly from the cold and could not make my mind up as to make a straight ascent or go back the way I came--where I had stashed a bottle for decompression--why was I thinking this--beats me--I think it was the urge to escape the hellish cold--though I knew I could not--I owed a decompression debt that was growing rapidly. I decided to to go back the way I came. I followd my silt trail back to the wreck and then up and over her and somehow managed to find the line back to the tree. I did not feel good and could not get my breath and was exhausted. The cold was like an iron vice on my chest. The RAM responded with it's best and lived up to it's billing, King of the Deep (lol). At the tree awaited a fresh 80 with Tekna and plenty of air to decompress plus what I had still in the Double 50s. The water was still very cold at thirty feet and as soon as I could I moved up to 20 which was the thermocline. Free of the grip of the icy water I felt normal again. This dive was done, I am not going back, I seen it twice, I done it--that's it for me.

Just a bit more, I had decided to leave an 80 at the tree at approx thrity feet rather than slinging it. This was in part because the passage into the bar was narrow as I recalled. Once there I saw that it was a bit larger than memory served. Still, I am not much into slinging large bottles and so it was my plan to decompress at the tree as we had done last year. I cannot say in retrospect this was entirely smart. Had I decided to ascend straight away I might not have been able to find my decompression reserve but would have--in this case---still been okay because I had plenty in the 50s and the 20cf pony could have been used for deco for about 50 cf total between the two. Anyways, that is how it was and will never be again.

Nemrod

[Bryan]

Adventure Boy! This was not what I had in mind when I said I'd meet you at the Rock for some easy lake diving.

Thank you for the trip update. Just goes to show you that it's hard to beat a RAM at any depth.

[oldmossback]

Nemrod

One of the major issues I have with myself diving in lakes alone is how long will it take for them to find my body if I screwup? Most lakes around this neck of the woods are dark, cold and dirty at depth....now days dirty in shallows also.........

a buddy of mine and myself found a car in 20 feet of dirty water once but since there are always cars in the water, we didn't pay attention to it in detail as normally (poking our heads inside etc) mainly due to the nasty smell and taste in the water.......didn't even report it as the last one we did was already known about.......turns out there was a body inside, been there for a week or so......fella was reported missing but no one knew he had driven to the lake.....drunk too...........car rolled off into the water..

Other divers reported the car 3 months after we found it........pieces of stuff were floating out of the window which attracted their attention.....

I hate to think how long it would take to find a drowned diver..........

Glad you survived to tell the tale..........and have had enough of that...tooooooo scary for the likes of me to attempt.........

[clevelanddiver]

Nemrod,

Sounds like an exciting dive. I love the excitement of desending the anchor line to limited viz wreck and watching it slowly materialize out of the shadows.

You have hit on the one big limitation I find with vintage diving. COLD deep water. I have been 125' down in Lake Erie in a wetsuit with 40f degree water temps and all I could do was think about getting out of the mind numbing cold (wearing 3mil gloves sure didn't help).

50f degrees at 50 ft is about the limit I like to go in a wetsuit (I don't mind going deeper if the water is 55+). This limits my vintage diving to May - September in the quarry and probably July - September in the lake (never actually dove the lake in vintage gear).

I have found a local charter who says he doesn't mind if I dive vintage, so I am really hoping to get some "real" open water dives, vintage style, this summer.

If any of you guys going to Portage Quarries Legends of Diving in August can get in a day or two early, I would definitely be up for trying to organize a vintage only dive on the lake with this charter operation.

[luis]

Nemrod,

You have hit on the one big limitation I find with vintage diving. COLD deep water. I have been 125' down in Lake Erie in a wetsuit with 40f degree water temps and all I could do was think about getting out of the mind numbing cold (wearing 3mil gloves sure didn't help).

I actually own a vintage (style) Poseidon Unisuit (crotch entry), which is vintage and very warm. I believe the design dates to the late 60’s. I have to change the boot size in that suit, so I actually have not dived with it yet.

In cold water (here in Maine) I normally dive a 7mm neoprene drysuit, which is very warm. This is not a vintage suit, but I consider it of a vintage style since it is full neoprene similar to the Unisuit.

I normally dive a Royal Aqua Master with a hookah adapter to take LP air for the dry suit, etc.

[luis]

My 7mm neoprene drysuit is an Atlan, made in Canada. They are available for about $500 in some dive shops. As I mentioned, it is not a true vintage drysuit, but I think it is a reasonable compromise and very warm.

[Nemrod]

Oldmoss, Table Rock is not dirty but it is cold, deep and the viz varies from about 5 feet to more than 60. The viz generally improves once below the thermocline. Over the few days we were there this time around viz was between 10 and 20 feet shallow, sometimes less and after ppenetrating the fog layer at the thermocline it opens up. Down deep it is an eternal twilght, some surface light filters down and produces and erie effect.

I am an ocean diver, I find these lakes scary and way to cold for me. Last year, on this wreck my guage showed 48 degrees there. In other deep cold lakes I have found weird currents, pockets of icy cold water, all sorts of entanglements. On scubaboard they can argue over a knife and it's function, down there, solo, I need a big knife or several.

In the pic, I am using my DA Aqua Master, SeaView guage, oval mask, Nemrod fins, Voit combo guage, Seiko watch, Voit SnugPack with USD steel 72. In this dress I did not stray far below the thermocline. I did come upon a group of divers, a class, who dropped anchor from their party barge on me. They were surprised to encounter me.

Nemrod

[Nemrod]

Another thing about those lakes, anchoring, thrity feet from shore 200 feet of anchor line drops straight down and goes boing-boing! The sonar shows nothing but an empty void--yeah--I want to dive there!!!!!! I usually try to find a shallow point or ledge to follow out. Frankly, I look forward to the day I return to the deep South and the warm Gulf of Mexico.

In Kansaw it blows 45 MPH for days at a time and it is normal, in Florida, they call that a tropical storm, okay.

Nemrod

[clevelanddiver]

Luis,

Funny you should mention the old crotch entry uni-suit. I tried on on once with the attached hood and nearly passed out. I got the bottom half on and then squeezed my head into the hood. Well.... the suit was way too small in every way (I was told the previous owner was a big guy and these suit are supposed to be close fitting).

Once my fat head popped into the small hood with a tiny neck opening, I felt a crushing grip on my trachea and the viens and arteries in my neck. As I tried to get it off, I was hampered by the fact that my feet were pulling the whole thing taut from head to toe. I took a few minutes pulling hard at the neck opening to allow some air and blood to flow to my red/blue face.

It was at least 5-10 minutes before I was able to worm out of it death grip. The local LDS guy who showed me the suit was no help. He was having just as much problem breathing as I was because he was laughing so hard. I was very close to trying to find a knife to cut my way out of it, but that would have given them a lifetime's worth of jokes at my expense.

I will say this, it sure was warm while I was trying to escape it!!!

Mike

[luis]

Luis,

Funny you should mention the old crotch entry uni-suit. I tried on on once with the attached hood and nearly passed out. I got the bottom half on and then squeezed my head into the hood. Well.... the suit was way too small in every way (I was told the previous owner was a big guy and these suit are supposed to be close fitting).

Once my fat head popped into the small hood with a tiny neck opening, I felt a crushing grip on my trachea and the viens and arteries in my neck. As I tried to get it off, I was hampered by the fact that my feet were pulling the whole thing taut from head to toe. I took a few minutes pulling hard at the neck opening to allow some air and blood to flow to my red/blue face.

It was at least 5-10 minutes before I was able to worm out of it death grip. The local LDS guy who showed me the suit was no help. He was having just as much problem breathing as I was because he was laughing so hard. I was very close to trying to find a knife to cut my way out of it, but that would have given them a lifetime's worth of jokes at my expense.

I will say this, it sure was warm while I was trying to escape it!!!

Mike

Yeah… I have a very clear mental image of your story. Mine fits me well, but putting it on and taking it off can be an adventure. You have to bend over when you are getting your head through the neck seal, so that the torso is not tight. It is supposed to get easier with practice.

The neck seal on mine was replaced to latex seal, but with the attached hood it is still a bit of a challenge. It is comfortable once I am in it, but wile putting it on or taking it off, I get this mental images of what a baby would feel like going through the birth canal.

[duckbill]

You have hit on the one big limitation I find with vintage diving. COLD deep water. I have been 125' down in Lake Erie in a wetsuit with 40f degree water temps and all I could do was think about getting out of the mind numbing cold (wearing 3mil gloves sure didn't help).

Actually, dry suits pre-date wet suits. Finding a vintage dry suit in useable condition is the real challenge.

[dhaas]

James,

First of all, glad you're realizing some types of dives (and depths, too!) are simply not worth it anymore. Compared to when we all started and simply wanted to "blow bubbles" in anything bigger than a mud puddle

I had a similar epiphany Memorial Day when diving in 50F water in my dry suit. Too much lead for the thick underwear I wore (at least I was warm compared to the wet suit divers!) plus tank, plus, plus plus. Like almost 70 lbs. on! I hated it. Came home and sold the dry suit. I've accepted reality that I simply don't like doing that anymore....So like you, give me water warmer than 65F and preferaby 75-85F !!!!

I laughed remembering when Ibought my bright orange Unisuit. As Luis and Mike related getting in this thing was a major PIA !!!! Even diving it was a royal pain. I HAD to have one as all the "pros" in the late 1970s early 1980s had them for ice diving here in Ohio. plus I think I read about National Geographic's Bill Curtsinger and Bora Merdsoy using them to dive up around Greenland under the ice. Seemed so cool......

Anyway, glad you are taking the patient learned path to enjoying diving until we need help rolling over to the water

dhaas

[captain]

I have always and still do believe ice water is for drinking not diving.

[oldmossback]

I have always and still do believe ice water is for drinking not diving.

I agree, however, it goes well with San Miguel Brandy too!!!!!!!!