So I read “The Last Dive” – a few questions I have outsdanding :-)

[Sasha_K]

In one of the posts on this board people recommended The Last Dive and Shadow divers to me. I picked up both and I just finished the first one. Now, I’m wondering if I should read the second one J

While I think the book is great, and regardless of kind of knowing what the book is all about, it still left me deeply sadden. There are many tragedies in it; too many for my taste. And you really get to connect to the main characters.

1. Why chose martinis as a measurement for nitrogen narcosis. So many more people are familiar with i.e. having a beer or a shot of tequila. When I was in driving school they said a drink is a drink – they all have approximately same amount of alcohol. My experience with martinis is very different – some are very strong and some are very mild. BTW, I did like that comparison with drinking alcohol a lot
2. Rookie question – just trying to learn here. A few people in the book shot to the surface as they didn’t have enough air for deco. Judging from my nice comfy and safe chair, I think they made the right decision. Provided it was the right decision, would it make sense (and provided you are calm enough for it) to shoot for the surface but instead going all the way, stay at say 20 feet and suck the tank dry? Say it gave them a few more minutes of deco – do those few minutes change anything. Just asking… J
3. What was in Chris’ and Chrissy’s goodie bag?? J When they surface, as they unstrapped them, they mentioned their goodie bag, in my opinion implying there was something in it. Wonder why they never mentioned anything. One of the photos says that Chris & Chrissy helped solve the mystery of U-Who. I wonder if whatever was in that bag helped in further dives to U-Who.

Overall, a great book that serves as a warning and a good refresher with diving physics and words of wisdom (i.e. underwater problems are solved underwater). But still, it was a bit depressing to go through that last chapter…..On to Shadow Divers...or not.

[pir8]

Read Shadow Divers, its worth it

[FishFood]

You must read Shadow Divers to find out number 3

[Rileybri]

Both books are on my short list to read. now I know what order to read them in! Thanks....

[Sasha_K]

Hey, how about my questions guys, don't highjack the thread :-)

[navyhmc]

Originally Posted by Sasha_K

In one of the posts on this board people recommended The Last Dive and Shadow divers to me. I picked up both and I just finished the first one. Now, I’m wondering if I should read the second one J

While I think the book is great, and regardless of kind of knowing what the book is all about, it still left me deeply sadden. There are many tragedies in it; too many for my taste. And you really get to connect to the main characters.

1. Why chose martinis as a measurement for nitrogen narcosis. So many more people are familiar with i.e. having a beer or a shot of tequila. When I was in driving school they said a drink is a drink – they all have approximately same amount of alcohol. My experience with martinis is very different – some are very strong and some are very mild. BTW, I did like that comparison with drinking alcohol a lot

I would garner that you go with what you know. This was back in the "Vodka Martini. Shaken not stirred" days so that was their guide.

Originally Posted by Sasha_K

2. Rookie question – just trying to learn here. A few people in the book shot to the surface as they didn’t have enough air for deco. Judging from my nice comfy and safe chair, I think they made the right decision. Provided it was the right decision, would it make sense (and provided you are calm enough for it) to shoot for the surface but instead going all the way, stay at say 20 feet and suck the tank dry? Say it gave them a few more minutes of deco – do those few minutes change anything. Just asking

Depending on the depth and time, coming up to 20' for a few minutes may not make a lot of difference as they needed deeper stops first so the micro-bubbles are already there and at 20' there is not a lot of difference. Also realize that this was the age of if you can get back in the water in 5 minutes or less, go down and do a prolonged deco with an extended schedule that since this is not taught today, I won't go into.

Originally Posted by Sasha_K

3. What was in Chris’ and Chrissy’s goodie bag?? J When they surface, as they unstrapped them, they mentioned their goodie bag, in my opinion implying there was something in it. Wonder why they never mentioned anything. One of the photos says that Chris & Chrissy helped solve the mystery of U-Who. I wonder if whatever was in that bag helped in further dives to U-Who.

That is one for you to speculate on...sorry.

Originally Posted by Sasha_K

Overall, a great book that serves as a warning and a good refresher with diving physics and words of wisdom (i.e. underwater problems are solved underwater). But still, it was a bit depressing to go through that last chapter…..On to Shadow Divers...or not.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Sasha_K

In one of the posts on this board people recommended The Last Dive and Shadow divers to me. I picked up both and I just finished the first one. Now, I’m wondering if I should read the second one J

While I think the book is great, and regardless of kind of knowing what the book is all about, it still left me deeply sadden. There are many tragedies in it; too many for my taste. And you really get to connect to the main characters.

1. Why chose martinis as a measurement for nitrogen narcosis. So many more people are familiar with i.e. having a beer or a shot of tequila. When I was in driving school they said a drink is a drink – they all have approximately same amount of alcohol. My experience with martinis is very different – some are very strong and some are very mild. BTW, I did like that comparison with drinking alcohol a lot
2. Rookie question – just trying to learn here. A few people in the book shot to the surface as they didn’t have enough air for deco. Judging from my nice comfy and safe chair, I think they made the right decision. Provided it was the right decision, would it make sense (and provided you are calm enough for it) to shoot for the surface but instead going all the way, stay at say 20 feet and suck the tank dry? Say it gave them a few more minutes of deco – do those few minutes change anything. Just asking… J
3. What was in Chris’ and Chrissy’s goodie bag?? J When they surface, as they unstrapped them, they mentioned their goodie bag, in my opinion implying there was something in it. Wonder why they never mentioned anything. One of the photos says that Chris & Chrissy helped solve the mystery of U-Who. I wonder if whatever was in that bag helped in further dives to U-Who.

Overall, a great book that serves as a warning and a good refresher with diving physics and words of wisdom (i.e. underwater problems are solved underwater). But still, it was a bit depressing to go through that last chapter…..On to Shadow Divers...or not.

1) A suitably dry martini is effectively one shot of 80-proof liquor, so it would the equivalent of a shot of 80 proof tequila. Comparisons to beer vary by alcohol content in the individual beer, which can vary wildly... anywhere from less than 3% to over 10%. In general, however, you can assume all three are roughly equivalent. This is just a rough rule of thumb, after all... everyone is affected differently by aolcohol so obviously this is not intended to be an exact determination of how narcosis will affect you.

2) Generally, you do suck your tanks dry before "shooting to the surface" as a last resort. Bent can be fixed... sometimes. Drowning is always 100% fatal. So it is ALWAYS better to be on the surface and bent, than run out of air underwater and drown... assuming survival is the goal.

3) A goodie bag would presumably have artifacts and other goodies looted from the ship. If the book doesn't say what was in it, you'll have to speculate or find someone personally involved to tell you...

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by Sasha_K

1. Why chose martinis as a measurement for nitrogen narcosis. So many more people are familiar with i.e. having a beer or a shot of tequila. When I was in driving school they said a drink is a drink – they all have approximately same amount of alcohol. My experience with martinis is very different – some are very strong and some are very mild. BTW, I did like that comparison with drinking alcohol a lot

I don't know... I always thought the comparison to alcohol was dumb. In my experience, narcosis doesn't feel anything like being drunk. It's a different psychoactive effect, and isn't comparable. You might as well say a shot of morphine is like ten beers, or that a hit of LSD is like a pint of mescal.

That not withstanding, there's no such thing as a mild martini. A martini is a glass of gin or vodka with an optional trace amount of vermouth. Putting various sugary liquors in a martini glass and adding "-tini" to the name doesn't make it a martini. An "appletini" isn't a martini. It might be argued that an 6oz glass of vodka is... especially if you drop an olive in it.

[Sasha_K]

Thanks compudude & Msilva.

I know beers can be of different strength. Most of them (in US & Canada at least) which are your standard pub beers are below 5%. I think everyone must have gotten drunk from beer only at least once in their life. :-) So to me, it is a more natural choice.

Of course it affects different people differently. It affects me differently depending on how tired, hungry etc I am. That's precisely why I like the comparison to narcosis - it doesn't have to have the same symptops or feel. Sometimes I have 5 beers and I am like...hm...I shouldn't drive now for another few hours. Or, I will slow down after having 3. I think I can roughly apply the same rule under water (provided I go deeper, which I certainly doubt at this point of time) :-)

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by Sasha_K

That's precisely why I like the comparison to narcosis - it doesn't have to have the same symptops or feel.

I guess it's fine as a very approximate gauge of impairment... so long as you don't confuse impairment with "similar effects". I still don't see it as being particularly useful though.