Great presentation Andy! You guys have done some incredible work! Amazing how you guys opened the system up by not having to rely on the flow at Weeki. I am proud of the work we did back in 2007-2011 (2009 especially) and even more proud of how you guys have continued on.
Why does the only have 300 views? This is one of the most amazing bits of footage of a long term exploration project I’ve ever seen. In addition, the system itself is like nothing else I’ve ever seen. Edit: I am not an expert, but as a mathematician with some understanding of physics, the technical requirements to pull something like this off safety must be astronomical given the extreme environment, length and at times depth. This is astonishing.
Just want to say this is excellent - great job with the smooth video recording and lighting. Did a great job conveying the size/scope of the cave with such massive lighting. Side note...I can see why the line is run where it is, but would not want to have to exit lights out following it! Amazed at the creative use of a lift bag as a habitat - wow!
Thank you very much! The chance of having to do a lights out exit is very small, and the passage is so big in most places it's just about impossible to silt it out for any great distance. The system has grown into quite a maze, with Ts in the guideline all over the place. Most are correctly marked now, but after we made the connection many of the arrows pointed to the main Weeki Wachee entrance, which we haven't been able to use since 2012. The habitat is a powerful enabler - we just wouldn't be able to do these dives safely without it. We have since had custom habitats built by commercial lift bag manufacturers to use in other projects.
It has been the problem that has driven us towards bailout rebreathers, a step we haven't taken lightly. The most severe corrosion, as you already know, happens where the brass valve contacts the neck of the cylinder, compromising the O-ring seal there and leading to loss of the cylinder contents.
@@andrewpitkin5243 @Andrew Pitkin I have been debating the same, but significant cost and complexity changes of course. That liberty SM seems to be a great unit within the use case of your system. On the other hand, you can take it in and out of the water with you every dive if you wanted. Have you gone as far as staging additional units? I've heard some speculation that high He mixes may degrade the neck oring at a higher rate but little could be done about that even if it was true. The max I've gone is 3 months with a handful of tanks in the water. Some were bubbling slightly by then but they did not go in with brand new orings either. No gas loss to be concerned about, it's just a little psychological to see your safety gas bubbling away.
Great presentation Andy! You guys have done some incredible work! Amazing how you guys opened the system up by not having to rely on the flow at Weeki. I am proud of the work we did back in 2007-2011 (2009 especially) and even more proud of how you guys have continued on.
Why does the only have 300 views? This is one of the most amazing bits of footage of a long term exploration project I’ve ever seen. In addition, the system itself is like nothing else I’ve ever seen.
Edit: I am not an expert, but as a mathematician with some understanding of physics, the technical requirements to pull something like this off safety must be astronomical given the extreme environment, length and at times depth. This is astonishing.
Just want to say this is excellent - great job with the smooth video recording and lighting. Did a great job conveying the size/scope of the cave with such massive lighting. Side note...I can see why the line is run where it is, but would not want to have to exit lights out following it! Amazed at the creative use of a lift bag as a habitat - wow!
Thank you very much! The chance of having to do a lights out exit is very small, and the passage is so big in most places it's just about impossible to silt it out for any great distance. The system has grown into quite a maze, with Ts in the guideline all over the place. Most are correctly marked now, but after we made the connection many of the arrows pointed to the main Weeki Wachee entrance, which we haven't been able to use since 2012. The habitat is a powerful enabler - we just wouldn't be able to do these dives safely without it. We have since had custom habitats built by commercial lift bag manufacturers to use in other projects.
Would love a better solution to tank corrosion than the anodes, I've had the same problem with other long term safeties in fresh water. - Wes
It has been the problem that has driven us towards bailout rebreathers, a step we haven't taken lightly. The most severe corrosion, as you already know, happens where the brass valve contacts the neck of the cylinder, compromising the O-ring seal there and leading to loss of the cylinder contents.
@@andrewpitkin5243 @Andrew Pitkin I have been debating the same, but significant cost and complexity changes of course. That liberty SM seems to be a great unit within the use case of your system. On the other hand, you can take it in and out of the water with you every dive if you wanted. Have you gone as far as staging additional units?
I've heard some speculation that high He mixes may degrade the neck oring at a higher rate but little could be done about that even if it was true.
The max I've gone is 3 months with a handful of tanks in the water. Some were bubbling slightly by then but they did not go in with brand new orings either. No gas loss to be concerned about, it's just a little psychological to see your safety gas bubbling away.
Just seen a video where somebody died because they held their breath on the assent in this cave