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Originally Posted by QRQ 30
In Thailand we got the only recompression chamber between Korea and Okinawa.
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When we were working with the ACE Board in Key West we had a Recompression Chamber on the Mike Boat. It took up one of the back quarters of the well deck. It had a limited air bank but would be able to recompress and return to the dock and be slaved to the larger bank. The back half of the well deck had a plywood roof built about 4' higher than the side walls. That set up was great for diving ops.
The Fight Doc was a real strange bird and gave us a number of tests every day. He was using us as lab rats to see if all the O2 was messing us up. Juan G. came up to him one day and said "My fingernails are turning purple" and they were. The doc goes "Hmmmmm, interesting". Juan goes "Do you know what it is?" and the Doc replies "No, but we'll keep and eye on it." Juan kept a close eye on his fingers for the next week or so.
Anyway, about the Recompression Chamber. The Doc wanted to do some chamber runs down to 250' to see how we'd handle it. Five of us got in and the dive medics run us down to 250'. We all have some short pieces of rope and the doc comes on the intercom and starts asking us to tie knots. Now at the time I was a pretty good party animal and so were three of the others. The last guy was a stick in the mud non-drinker. We're all getting the knots until the last one. He says "Tie a slip knot". For the life of me I could not remember how to tie a slip knot. Finally I tie a quick knot. The doc asks each of us to hold up our knots and when it gets to me I hold up a hangmans knot. The other three looked at it and said that's cool. The non-drinker looked, and looked and turned his head and just busted out laughing. He didn't stop until we got back up to around 100'.
Teaching Point - Never do chamber runs with non-drinkers.
Pete