Optima ExtendAir Duration Experiences?

Jonathan, who here is arguing for pushing limits to 99.9% of capacity/range?

Don,

That stuff is fine for sh*ts & giggles, but please realize that by you "testing" a few times will only tell you on that given day under those circumstances those were your results.

It doesn't translate to a "these are my limits" absolute. There are way too many variables that can dramatically change those results.

You need to account for this with a healthy safety margin to avoid the one time that the rules don't fit.

Hey, can I gather from your tests that if I watch TV while diving I can get 7 hours from my scrubber?

Dive Safe,

Richie

Those are the current owners. I still have yet to source the EAC in Germany, and they are rather rare in Europe. There are a lot of rebreather divers over here. And many of us travel abroad, since the local diving has its limits.

Adrian,

I can't wait to dive with you.... Steve is so yesterday!

Richie

Ah, Richie. Don't feel hurt. I posted that to clarify for other members that may/may not take my post too literally.

Actually, I was pretty sure that I was maxing out the scrubber even before Mark talked to me. I remember what I was taught and have been doing research also.

I have breathed the 6 hr cartridge in my living room for an extra bit to find the end of life. Sitting and watching TV will give me an extra hour (7 hr total). However, If I am walking around for the extra bit, I can only get about 15 minutes more.

Obviously I was about 15 minutes (or less) from a CO2 hit on the previous dive.

I am the type of person that has to know exactly where my limits are and what to expect at the end of them. I now know when my EAC will expire and give me CO2 breakthrough and that if I let it continue, my head will hurt like hell.

I have a partially used EAC in my garage that is over 3 months old and only used for 37 min. I will be doing some testing with that also to learn about the storage of them. I don't think I will take that one to the water though.

I also know that I can make a free ascent from 80 ft. Yes, this was also on purpose to test my abilities. I had a buddy with me since I was expecting to blackout. I never attempted 85', if that tells you anything

I did a 2 1/2 hr beach dive just to measure my sac rate while at rest and while swimming. Then a lot of other drills with the new configuration.

I have also tried to breathe water and was forced to give up on that idea. I know how much time is required for me to blackout in a relaxed state and in a paniced state also.

Maybe knowing all of this is more than I need to know, but I am a very logical in the way that I approach things and this knowledge helps me keep my sh*t together when I really need it. It eliminates a lot of variables and replaces them with known/tested values.

Now that all of my dive buddies have seen this and freaked out??? Solo???

Don, you keep doing the high-risk guinea pig thing and we may just have to change you're screename to CRASH (short for "crash test dummy")!

Question: If they find you face down in front of the tv in your living room wearing your rebreather, will the City of Deerfield Beach ban us all from watching tv in our living rooms while wearing a rebreather?

Actually, I tie a brick to the dsv. That way when it "gets" me the dsv is pulled out and I can breathe again

What? I thought this thing all the way through

But did you modify your pre-breathe checklist accordingly?

- Verify that string is securely tied to dsv.
- Verify that string is securely tied to brick.
- Verify that string is not longer than distance from dsv to your lap/floor.
- Verify tensile strength of string is adequate to support weight of brick.
- Verify that paramedics have been notified and are in route.
- Verify last will and testament has been recently updated.