David Shaw (diver)
Encyclopedia
David Shaw was an Australia
n scuba diver
, a technical diver
and an airline pilot for Cathay Pacific
, who flew the A330-300, A340-300 and A340-600. He is one of only nine people who have dived below a depth of 240 metres (787.4 ft) on self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
was an Inspiration CCR, which he eventually dived to depths greater than the unit was supposedly capable of. That prompted him to purchase a Mk15.5. He modified this unit by removing the analogue electronics and replaced them with the Juergensen Marine Hammerhead digital electronics in a specially modified POD designed to handle extreme pressures. The Mk15.5 was his rebreather of choice for dives deeper than 150 metres (492.1 ft). Shaw also owned a Cis-Lunar
Mk5P that he used on extended dives in caves that are shallower than 150 m. He believed that the Cis-Lunar has greater redundancy capabilities for such dives, but could not cope with extreme depths.
, South Africa
He used a Mk15.5 with Juergensen Marine
Hammerhead electronics and the following gas mixtures
: trimix 4/80, 10/70, 15/55, 17/40, 26/25, air, nitrox50, 100% oxygen
. The cave elevation was 1550 metres (5,085.3 ft) and the dive duration was 9 hours 40 minutes.
, a South African diver who had himself died 10 years previously, and whose body Shaw had discovered at a depth of 270 metres (885.8 ft) of fresh water in Bushman's Hole, South Africa in October 2004.
Shaw recorded his dive with an underwater camera
and this recording relayed valuable information that allowed researchers to determine that he suffered from an effort-independent expiratory flow which resulted in an inability to match ventilation
to the demands of physical work at that great depth. Shaw ran into difficulties when he cut loose Dreyer's harness and the body unexpectedly began to float (Shaw had been advised by various experts that the body would remain negatively buoyant because the visible parts were reduced to the skeleton - however, within his wetsuit
, Dreyer's corpse had turned into a soap-like substance called adipocere
, which floats). Shaw had been working with both hands, and so had been resting his can light on the cave floor. The powerful underwater lights that cave divers use are connected by wires to heavy battery canisters, normally worn on the cave diver's waist, or sometimes attached to their tanks. Normally he would have wrapped the wire behind his neck, but was unable to do so. The lines from the body bag appear to have become entangled with the light head, and the physical effort of trying to free himself led to his death. The next day, both of the bodies floated up to near the surface as the dive team was retrieving their equipment.
The dive on which David Shaw died was the 333rd of his career. At the time of his world record setting dive, he had been diving for just over 5 years.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n scuba diver
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, a technical diver
Technical diving
Technical diving is a form of scuba diving that exceeds the scope of recreational diving...
and an airline pilot for Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
, who flew the A330-300, A340-300 and A340-600. He is one of only nine people who have dived below a depth of 240 metres (787.4 ft) on self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
Dive equipment
Shaw's first rebreatherRebreather
A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycled exhaled gas. This recycling reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making a rebreather lighter and more compact than an open-circuit breathing set for the same duration in environments where...
was an Inspiration CCR, which he eventually dived to depths greater than the unit was supposedly capable of. That prompted him to purchase a Mk15.5. He modified this unit by removing the analogue electronics and replaced them with the Juergensen Marine Hammerhead digital electronics in a specially modified POD designed to handle extreme pressures. The Mk15.5 was his rebreather of choice for dives deeper than 150 metres (492.1 ft). Shaw also owned a Cis-Lunar
Cis-Lunar
Cis-Lunar is a firm that made computer-controlled closed-circuit automatic rebreathers for scuba diving. Some of their production models were in a streamlined casing. The firm's first plan was to develop spacesuit kit. The dot.com crash in early 2000 prevented Cis-Lunar from financing mass...
Mk5P that he used on extended dives in caves that are shallower than 150 m. He believed that the Cis-Lunar has greater redundancy capabilities for such dives, but could not cope with extreme depths.
Diving records
On 28 October 2004 Shaw broke the following records at Bushman's HoleBoesmansgat
Boesmansgat, also known in English as "Bushman's Hole", is believed to be the third-deepest submerged freshwater cave in the world, approximately 270 metres deep...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- Depth on a rebreather
- Depth in a cave on a rebreather
- Depth at altitude on a rebreather
- Depth running a line
He used a Mk15.5 with Juergensen Marine
Juergensen Marine
Juergensen Marine Inc. is a USA rebreather gear manufacturer. It was founded in 1996 by Kevin Juergensen. It is an important maker of modern diving rebreathers including modern electronic-controlled fully closed-circuit rebreathers.-Kevin Juergensen:...
Hammerhead electronics and the following gas mixtures
Gas blending
Gas blending or gas mixing is the filling of diving cylinders with non-air breathing gases such as nitrox, trimix and heliox.Filling cylinders with a mixture of gases has dangers for both the filler and the diver. During filling there is a risk of fire due to use of oxygen and a risk of explosion...
: trimix 4/80, 10/70, 15/55, 17/40, 26/25, air, nitrox50, 100% oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
. The cave elevation was 1550 metres (5,085.3 ft) and the dive duration was 9 hours 40 minutes.
Last dive
David Shaw died on 8 January 2005 while seeking to recover the body of Deon DreyerDeon Dreyer
Deon Dreyer was a South African recreational scuba diver who lost his life in Bushman's Hole in South Africa.-Death:...
, a South African diver who had himself died 10 years previously, and whose body Shaw had discovered at a depth of 270 metres (885.8 ft) of fresh water in Bushman's Hole, South Africa in October 2004.
Shaw recorded his dive with an underwater camera
Video camera
A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
and this recording relayed valuable information that allowed researchers to determine that he suffered from an effort-independent expiratory flow which resulted in an inability to match ventilation
Ventilation (physiology)
In respiratory physiology, ventilation is the rate at which gas enters or leaves the lung. It is categorized under the following definitions:-Sample values:...
to the demands of physical work at that great depth. Shaw ran into difficulties when he cut loose Dreyer's harness and the body unexpectedly began to float (Shaw had been advised by various experts that the body would remain negatively buoyant because the visible parts were reduced to the skeleton - however, within his wetsuit
Wetsuit
A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...
, Dreyer's corpse had turned into a soap-like substance called adipocere
Adipocere
Adipocere , also known as corpse, grave or mortuary wax, is a wax-like organic substance formed by the anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis of fat in tissue, such as body fat in corpses...
, which floats). Shaw had been working with both hands, and so had been resting his can light on the cave floor. The powerful underwater lights that cave divers use are connected by wires to heavy battery canisters, normally worn on the cave diver's waist, or sometimes attached to their tanks. Normally he would have wrapped the wire behind his neck, but was unable to do so. The lines from the body bag appear to have become entangled with the light head, and the physical effort of trying to free himself led to his death. The next day, both of the bodies floated up to near the surface as the dive team was retrieving their equipment.
The dive on which David Shaw died was the 333rd of his career. At the time of his world record setting dive, he had been diving for just over 5 years.