My SSI deep-diving course culminated in a dive to 45m. In clear waters I loved it down there. That point about half way down the anchor rope when you can’t see the surface or the bottom, and then as you descend further the ocean floor appears like some alien landscape. Any storm surge is a lot less at depth and consequently fragile plants can grow to enormous size. Deep diving off of the New South Wales coast was like entering a Dr. Suess book illustration.
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I agree.
Up in British Columbia, I did a couple of dives down to a freighter full of 1972 Dodge Colts that had wrecked in a storm.
It was on an incline, with crew quarters and bathrooms only about 3m deep. That section of the ship had been almost completely rusted out and destroyed.
The hold went down to about 40m. I didn’t go in because I didn’t have any enclosed spaces training and I didn’t feel comfortable, but others in the group did, and took some video. Everything was completely intact, down to the stickers on the cars that stated “Drivers side mirrors have been removed for transport”. It was amazing.
As was the bioluminescence in Barkley Sound (had to close my eyes when exhaling or it ruined my night vision) and diving the kelp beds in strong surge conditions… Going back and forth 2-3m per wave in these underwater canyons with thousands of fish… Memories for a lifetime.
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For rhe early history of Nitrous Oxide, search on Humphrey Davy, and the Medical Pneumatic Institution. It sounds mighty like Our Humphrey got addicted to the stuff. He survived and continued his brilliant scientific career, but it must have been touch-and-go for a bit.
From https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/154746212.pdf…
Following the MPI’s opening, Davy began experimentation on dephlogisticated nitrous air as Priestley, its discoverer, had named it, or nitrous phosoxyd as Davy initially termed it before finally calling it, following the new nomenclature developed by Lavoisier and his associates, nitrous oxide. He discovered the gas’s pleasurable physiological action and self- experimented by frequently inhaling it in large quantities – on one occasion sixteen quarts (just over eighteen litres). This sustained exposure to the gas so damaged his health that he spent most of November 1799 in Cornwall, where he suffered withdrawal symptoms. After thirty-three days without the gas, he inhaled nine quarts on his return.
I’m liking that his musings include advocacy for having a nice salad now and then.
Priorities. We need ALL the helium!!! for advanced pysics research the party balloons.
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Can we just slow down on the “this is America” posts and leave it up to fine folks/weirdos (in a great way) like Channel 5? Why waste the space. Talking about legislation, cutlure jamming, and figuring out how to remedy this QAnonsense is why I keep coming back.
They also do different things. The point of nitrous oxide is as you say- to increase oxygen so that more fuel can also be added to make power. It’s common in many drag racing classes and is used in some other niche applications as well. Some piston fighter planes used it for fast climbing. Those movies made it into a laughing stock (pardon the pun) but it’s great stuff. You need to have octane headroom on your fuel though, or else you have to run very rich to engine prevent damage.
The point of nitromethane is that the octane is very high. That means you can run much higher compression or more aggressive oxygenation (typically via supercharging or turbocharging).
You no doubt know all this- i’m just responding for the benefit of the people wondering about the original question.
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I think he want to save the cows all for himself!
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