[Rupert Willies]

Diving minutes


Depth m: Equipment: Cost: Comment:
0-5
Nothing / goggles
Free
Most people that can swim can do this. Alignment not critical


5 - 10
mask/fins/snorkel
$50 - 175
Must align pressure, some training required


0 - 18
Tank/regulator/octo/guages/compass/buoyancy compensator/mask/snorkel/fins/knife/suit/weights
$350 - 3000
Basic training required to avoid pressure sickness, like PADI OWD or similar. Suit can be anything from nothing to heavy drysuit. If dry suit, then more weights and more training is needed


0 - 30
Like above + torch/diving computer/gloves
$650 -
Colder water deeper down, lower visibillity. If longer dives at depth exeeding 25m, safety stops should be practiced. Requires more training


- 75
Like above + 2xtanks mix gas/dry suit/extra tank for suit/pony bottle/
$
Insulating gas for suit, extra tank with breathing mix (one down, one up), breathing gas is mix - Nitrox, Heliox or Tri-mix. Below 66 metres Oxygen is toxic, diving below this depth requires comprehensive training. Requires decompression


- 75
Like above / rebreather/
$4000 -
Requires separate training for the rebreather. Requires decompression


75- 200
Surface supplied diving/hardtop/
$10000 -
Professional/military diving. Must have team at surface, support vehicle


50- 500
Saturation diving
$50000 -
Professional diving. Saturation diving allows divers to live and work at depths lower than 50 m for weeks at a time. Requires hyperbaric chamber/diving bell, and living and working chambers. Usual 'travel rate' is 15 m per day, so to be desaturated from 150 m takes 10 days.


below 500m
Liquid breathing
$ ???
Experimental diving technique, requiring extensive education, and massive support teams. Diver breathes oxygen enriched liquids. Requires mechanical ventilator to aid the diver in ventilating the lungs at a great enough rate to expell CO2