Posted by Gerry Smith on September 25, 2000 at 13:20:50:
In Reply to: Re: Update on La Crescenta fatality posted by AADIVER on September 25, 2000 at 12:17:49:
Actually Frank, I think a canary was the low-tech tester of choice. Since methane (extremely flammable) is a very common contaminant of mine air, a match or lighter might be a problem. I can see it now, Halcyon makes tiny little dry suits for your air testing bird. OMS makes an 80 cubic centimeter low pressure steel tank...
But I think "steven" and to some degree "EINS" made the important point - that Mike picked a bad example to prove his pro buddy point. The chance that a buddy would have waited patiently for the diver to test the air before removing his reg would seem pretty slim to me. Therefore IN THIS VERY SPECIFIC CASE, this was probably one of the instances where a buddy would have only guaranteed a second fatality.
GS