SCUBA certifications are only really useful for companies that run guide and boat services, for insurance sake. You'll have no problem buying whatever equipment you want from a SCUBA shop.
I worked on a human-powered submarine in college which operated fully flooded. The pilot had a SCUBA tank for his primary oxygen supply, but had a 6 minute supply of air (at shallow depths) that came with a mouth piece and was strapped to his forearm as a contingency- very light. Not quite as cool as what Obi-wan used in that travesty of a movie "The Phantom Menace", but pretty slick regardless. -B On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 1:49 PM, David <[email protected]> wrote: > Some caves can probably be ventilated using blower fans and hoses. > > But at what point do you decide to carry oxygen tanks and a breathing > mask? > > Also, is regular scuba gear the best way to do this? > > Or is it better to use some kind of industrial apparatus like they > use cleaning chemical tanks? > > Or what about what the Mt. Everest climbers use to breath? I think > some of them carry small tanks made out of Kevlar? > > I think caver's entering known bad air caves should carry a bottle > of Spare Air. > > http://www.spareair.com/images1/underwater.jpg > > Some may call this a Pony Bottle. Right? > > What is a good size of bottle to carry? 20 cubic feet? > > Smaller tanks are available in 6, 8, and 13 cubic feet. > > The link below shows a solution: > > http://www.scuba.com/shop/display.asp_id_043133 > > Can anyone purchase these tanks from a scuba store? > Or do you have to show a certification? > > These kind of things are not mentioned in caving books. > > Someone could write a good article for a caving magazine. > > Back in the 80's, there was an article about some Texas cavers > surveying Skull Cave, and wearing oxygen tanks. I think that > was considered "extreme caving," back in those days. > > > Ref: > > http://www.ehso.com/RespProtection_Glos.htm > > David Locklear > > > P.S. On a semi-related note, if anyone would like a > geology book on the Ellenburger limestone, I found an original > copy of the 1946 UT Austin publication at 1/2 Price Books > for $ 30. It briefly mentions Gorman Cave, and has a > thorough geology of the area. I haven't bought it yet. > > > Ref: > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_cylinder > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit our website: http://texascavers.com > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > > -- Brian Riordan 979-218-8009 (Mobile) [email protected]
