How narced do you want to get?

If you’re upcoming dive plans include helium you’re paying for out of your own pocket, then the question of how much nitrogen narcosis you can tolerate is a relevant one. If money were no object then, studies show, heliox would be the obvious choice. But when you’re footing the bill, determining your Equivalent Narcosis Depth, or END, is a calculation you need to make. (more…)

The famous “Samesan Hole” was featured recently on stylish blog WebEcoist in a feature on some of the world’s deepest and most dangerous dive sites. It’s a bit of a misnomer, as the site notes the sites are only dangerous if you don’t have adequate technical dive training.

Similar to Valhalla Missile Silo, the Samaesan Hole in Thailand is a 90-meter-deep former military ammunitions dump. Technical divers come here to practice on trimix. It’s called an ‘explosive dump ground’ on marine charts because it contains unexploded bombs.

Ballsy divers have to bring multiple lights since sunlight doesn’t penetrate the depths, and the currents are extremely strong. It’s said to be fascinating but unfortunately, no one seems to have taken any photos.

(more…)