On Saturday, September 01, 2001 1:54 PM, Crusty wrote:

> Yea, and what's with the ear thingies?  They look like woopie cushions!
> I guess they produce a continuous flatulence, expelling air all the way
> up to the surface.  :-)

Mate!  They're 'duck-bill' exhaust valves that were a standard feature of
the one-piece, neck-seal-and-attached-hood even into the late 'sixties.
They work perfectly and - as you say - allow air in the survival suit to
vent on ascent.  :-)

> Oy! Strike!  You ever been diving in one of these things?

Certainly not!  I have my pride - somewhere or other!  :-)

But while they may look a lot on the utilitarian side, they are intended to
be functional, low-maintenance survival suits that will help conserve life
in a disaster.

Just as an aside - and getting back to ascent rates - people practicing
free-ascents in the 100 ft. Submarine Escape Training Tower would come up a
hell of a lot quicker than even the largest bubbles!  4 foot a second was
the recommended rate for the Davis Submarine Escape Apparatus.  :-)

Strike