The gas
Blending
M/V Miss Lindsey
Oxydative Stress Sampling
Senior Chief
ARRIVAL and PREPARATION
The gases were delivered on Friday morning to the Coast Guard Station at Hatteras Inlet, NC. The large yellow and orange cylinders contain pre-mixed trimix 18/50, which is 18% oxygen, 50% helium and 32% nitrogen. The large green cylinders contain pure oxygen that is used for blending EAN36 (36% oxygen Enriched Air Nitrox) for decompression and for filling pure oxygen cylinders, also used for decompression.
The team arrived in Hatteras between 1600 and 1900 on Saturday. As team members started to arrive, the mixing station, provided by Shawn Douthat, was set up and the team started filling their diving cylinders. Each of the pre-mixed cylinders and oxygen cylinders must be analyzed for proper oxygen content before they are hooked up to the system. The team briefing was held at 2000 hours where introductions and procedures were discussed.
The Miss Lindsey and her crew from Lindhaven Dive Center in Virginia Beach, VA arrived about 1800 hours. After the long cruise down from Virginia, the crew readied and cleaned the vessel for the diving operations to start tomorrow.
Joachim Pleil introduced himself and explained his oxidative stress analysis and how his data collection for his experiment will work. He selected four divers to participate in this study. The divers will give breath samples before and after each dive all week in one liter evacuated cylinders. The data will be collected and then taken back to the EPA lab in Research Triangle Park, NC for analysis.
Senior Chief Brian W. Marks, Officer in Charge, Coast Guard Stations Hatteras Inlet and Ocracoke, is retiring on Friday after a distingished 20 year career. The Senior Chief has been very helpful with our operations both this year and last. Without the assistance of the Coast Guard, it is doubtful if any of our expeditions would have been possible.