Sorry guys, I've got to comment on this one.
[tylin] sent in this "DIY SCUBA" youtube video. These guys used a home shop air compressor with a particle filter so they could "SCUBA dive". This kid is lucky he didn't die.
I guarantee there were impurities in the compressed air. A major concern here is carbon monoxide, among others. That filter they used is designed to reduce particles, not scrub out CO, CO2, etc. Hemoglobin loves CO even more than dear old O2, so he could have asphixiated or suffered from convulsions despite having an air supply.
He's lucky he didn't blow his lungs out. The second he took a remotely full breath off that hose, he started to float up. If he happened to hold his breath it would have ruptured his lungs and caused all sorts of nasty problems.
He wasn't wearing a weight belt - furthering the risk of floating up when he took a breath. (in my experience about 90% of people are positively buoyant)
4)Nobody was in the water watching his back. If he'd suffered any complications, no-one was there to make sure he didn't drown. (Think convulsions, black out, etc)
Sorry for the rant - but this is just effing stupid. Don't try this crap, ever. I'm an advanced open water diver myself - get training and real equipment.
Update: The video was removed after reading my response to it. I went ahead and puled the youtube link since it's useless.
DIY SCUBA: Death on a stick
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Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. Hacking your PDA or your game console is fine, but don't hack or improvise anything that's supposed to keep you alive.
Posted at 2:56AM on Jul 1st 2007 by Peter Hosey
3. don't hack or improvise anything that's supposed to keep you alive
...
unless of course, it's a life or death situation and improvisation is needed in order to stay alive. =)
Posted at 3:30AM on Jul 1st 2007 by reklipz
4. ..what's next, hacking a pacemaker to pump blood to the the pac man theme song.
Posted at 3:37AM on Jul 1st 2007 by belyaun
5. hey the user removed his video. i guess he realized what an idiot he was...
Posted at 4:00AM on Jul 1st 2007 by ares5000
6. anyone have a mirror link?
Posted at 4:13AM on Jul 1st 2007 by Aud1073cH
7. hmmmmm....
I wonder what WOULD happen if they hacked a pacemaker to pump to the pacman theme song....
Of course they'd die...
I agree,
Also I was thinking about the tank exploding maybe upon filling it? Nitrogen and oxygen have diffrent compositions than Regular air, you know, heavier, lighter, possibly causing a tank rupture...
However, I don't know anything about diving...
Posted at 4:47AM on Jul 1st 2007 by Zac
8. Well done for "condemning" this video. Hacker culture depends on education to temper the adventuring spirit.
In fairness to the kid, what he did is not a million miles from what the original underwater pioneers were up to. But then, many of them died. I took my open water certificate in 2004 and before then I had no idea there were SO MANY ways to die by scuba. I hope this kid is inspired to save up and learn the right way to unlock the amazing world down there.
I don't know if you heard of the underwater gnome gardens in the English Lakes:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/4263761.stm
http://www.divernet.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?id=5227&sc=7&ac=d&an=5227:+Gnomes+and+gardens+...
9. the person who tride that is an idiot.
Posted at 6:31AM on Jul 1st 2007 by matt
10. a reminder that despite the cool stuff that comes up here everyday, most diy projects on the internet have the potential to see you killed. just becuase you can build something doesn't mean you understand it. if it says compressed air, 300v or nitrosomething-or-other, think about whether you realy have the skills you need, and moveover think about whether the author does.
Posted at 7:20AM on Jul 1st 2007 by giskard
11. I agree - dumb move but I'd like to add that even the compressed air in a SCUBA tank has CO2. Pure O2 is toxic at depth and standard SCUBA compressed gas is in the same mix as the air your breathe at the surface. Mixed gas and Enriched Air diving does modify the mixture and has very specific rules with regard to the depth at which you can dive and the length of time you can breathe the mix.
Posted at 9:42AM on Jul 1st 2007 by Pierow
13. As a commercial diver, I make the following comment: The set up for diving was flawed but only along simple terms. A home shop compressor is often used in "Snuba" which is using surface support air for diving as recreation (off of a float) or commercially. There are specific rules that must be applied before using such a contraption. These kids did not understand those rules. Therefore, what they did was quite dangerous. But the underlying technology, if properly modified, is safe and reasonable to use. The proper modifications take experience and know how, and learning how to make those modifications from an experienced and knowledgable instructor is fun. I encourage anyone who wishes to use such a contraption to take a course in Scuba from a PADI or NAUI instructor and from that point obtain the information on where you might approach a commerical diver or commercial diving instructor who can teach those modifications to you.
Bubba
Posted at 10:22AM on Jul 1st 2007 by bubba
14. They do make filters that take more than just the large particulates out of the air, production painters sometimes use hoods equipped with them.
still, as you say there are too many things to go wrong. sufficient but not excessive pressure, mix of gases (i don't know about ramifications of using atmospheric air rather than an engineered mix), reliability of the system (what if the compressor seizes?)
up near my area a guy tried to use a garden hose as a long snorkel. he stays in a box a good long way from the lake he drowned himself in.
a full suit option might be feasible, though..., ...i'm just sayin'...
Posted at 10:51AM on Jul 1st 2007 by mikelist
15. does someone have the link to youtube? i know it was taken off, but I'm sure you can find it on something like delutube.
Posted at 11:14AM on Jul 1st 2007 by dashdingo
16. Who knows the youtube id for this video? i really wanna see these retards.
How to get ID: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID_HERE
Posted at 11:58AM on Jul 1st 2007 by Dylan
17. It's true that many hacks we see detailed every day can be quite dangerous. Thankfully, however, most of them document the danger and feature concerns that people are generally highly aware of, such as high voltage and sharp blades.
The problem with the shop compressor diving is that many of the dangers are hidden, and basic safety steps only really known to those who undertake such activities professionally (ie, with a club and proper training). The fact that, if I recall correctly, some compressors can introduce carbon monoxide (in particular those that run off engines rather than electricity) is not widely understood to be dangerous, similarly with the risk to lung damage. The lack of a buddy is something that non-divers would probably not realise the foolishness of, however it is vital to safe diving.
My main problem with the concept of the mysterious video is that it will encourage similar dangerous attempts by not having minimised the risks and explained how to avoid danger. We do not publicise electricity hacks involving live mains current and people, as someone out there will try it and get hurt. We have to be ethical at least when it comes to safety.
My folks have recently taken up scuba diving, and it surprises me to learn of the number of famous locations were experienced divers still regularly take stupid risks and lose their lives because of them.
I fully support the pulling of the video, thank you for explaining why.
Posted at 1:29PM on Jul 1st 2007 by Michelle D'israeli
18. Funny story. I like watches and technology (see my url), and I bought a watch powered by a 10-year pacemaker battery. I figured it would be a hard battery to replace, but there's a store near me that specializes in exotic batteries (they built lots of lithium battery packs for journalists in the first Iraq war). Anyway, I asked them if I could get a replacement pacemaker battery... and the guy's eyes lit up: "OH NO, WE WON'T DO MEDICAL DEVICES"... like he thought I was going to attempt a DIY pacemaker battery replacement!
19. CO is not a problem - everyone living in urban regions is breathing CO, smokers even more. The CO content of the air results in a few percent of unusable hemoglobine.
Compressing the air does not increase the CO content.
Nevertheless, this is a stupid thing to do.
Jan
Posted at 1:58PM on Jul 1st 2007 by Jan
20. why get annoyed by this when the laws of natural selection can provide you with extremely entertaining video. If others think this is viable... let them try it also. The world is grossly overpopulated and you can't legislate common sense. Soon enough... idiotic videos will drop to a rarity.
Posted at 2:09PM on Jul 1st 2007 by Overproof
1. The video has been removed.
Posted at 2:56AM on Jul 1st 2007 by Lambda_drive