Hi Everyone, Back from the pool again.

Just want to tell you that I had a BLAST in the pool on Thursday the 14th. I was under water for about 15 seconds (down 4 times) with the Neptune II Full Face mask. It well be a lot longer the next time. Awesome equipment, I love it better than my AGA Full Face mask. Just having air in my Full Face mask was really cool. I have some new pictures of me under water. Here's a link to my under water pictures page, http://matt55125.tripod.com/scuba/ I was interviewed on Thursday the 14th and the interview started at 2 pm and lasted until about 730 pm. So keep your eyes open I’ll be on TV UPN 29 Thursday July 21st at 10 pm.

For those of you that won’t get to see the interview I’ll post the video on my web site. They also interviewed my nurse Sara. She wasn’t too happy when she found out it was my idea. She got over it in a hurry. She said “NO CHESS FOR YOU”.. LOL. She is a big part of my dream. I thought she should have some input at the interview too. They also interviewed my dad. They had to do a few “retakes” because of the phone, it just kept ringing. The interview went great, I was a little nervous at first, but when the camera started rolling it wasn’t so bad by then I really got into it. I’ll tell more latter.

Take care everyone, safe diving
Matt
:-D

That is great Matt!

It just shows what determination can do :-)

That's awesome dude! :dancingbear

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Originally Posted by MattTheDreamer

Just want to tell you that I had a BLAST in the pool on Thursday the 14th. I was under water for about 15 seconds (down 4 times) with the Neptune II Full Face mask.

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Congrats again!! Jacques Cousteau would be proud!! :)

Way to go Matt, yet another step closer to your goal :D I am looking forward to watching the interview, have the calendar marked 8)

Thanks guys for all the nice words, as always! I will keep you posted on any updates if I get any over the next couple days. Anyways take care and hope to see some of you in October! Hopefully! Take care.
Matt
:-D

Glad to hear you're making so much progress! Keep up all the good work! If you learn to dive in Minnesota, you can probably dive anywhere - piece of cake!! :-D

John

Hi John, thanks for the encouragement. I can probably handle Minnesota, but my first dive we are planning to do at Crystal River- Florida! Take care and see you around the board.
Matt :-D

Crystal springs will be a great first dive, its about 60 feet deep and very clear, you're gonna enjoy it :-)

Hi div3r, yep I have heard the same thing, it will be an awesome first place to officially dive! Thanks for writing.
Matt :-D

Where exacly is this spring at? I have dove at Crystal river many many many times and the only place I know you can get that deep in clear spring water is in the cavern at King spring and if you lay tour computer on the bottom you might hit 51 or 52 feet.

Kings spring, Crystal spring, and Tarpon spring are all the same spring
(I guess nobody could settle on a name)

as far as the depth, it could be im using a depth guage designed for salt water :lol:

Yes but what I am saying is are they going to be taking him in the cavern? and the vis outside of the cavern is not always clear I have been there with vis on the 5ft maybe.

Hi guys. Looks like my interview is going to be postponed until next Thursday July 28th now at 10pm CST on Upn 29 news locally. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

Take care!
Matt 8)

Who says dreams can't come true?

You're an inspiration to all of us.

I started diving after being on a glass bottom boat tour and said to myself after seeing 2 divers suiting up, "I'm healthy, i've got 2 good legs so I have no excuse to be on this boat looking at a wreck from the comfort of this cabin (and through foggy glass)..."

And here you are.

Makes me feel like I should try harder with everything in my life.

Sometimes the rest of us need a kick to realise how easy we have it.

One time I almost quit the first day on the "Ride The Rockies" 500 mile through-the-mountains-of-Colorado bicycle tour while chugging up a 14,000 foot mountain pass *gasp* and feeling nauseous from the lack of oxygen. I had stopped by the side of the road to wait for the "Sag Wagon" to take me back to camp.

Then I got passed by a group of riders on "hand cycles".

I got back on that bike and finished every day and never complained again after that.

Hi Widiver_Paul,

Yeah dreams can come true, but a person has to work hard at it, as you know! I am getting closer to my dream because of persistance and determination. Judging from your screen name here; where are you from in Wisconsin? Congrats on your achievements in life! See you under the water one day.
Matt :-D

Hi Widiver_Paul, I did post a message last night bur for some reason it is gone. Again thanks for the nice words. So you live east of us more to the middle of WI? Do you get to Wazee Lake some times? I have been there for DUI Dog Rallis and just love it there. One day I would love to do a dive there after my warm water dives. Do you do a lot of wreck diving? It looks awesome.

I use a custom made DUI dry suit. I wear the dry suit in the pool because it keeps my track area dry and also keeps me warm because I get cold fast. The biggest part of my diving is to keep my trach dry. I have a special connector built into my DUI dry suit for the vent tubing. Everything has been leak prove so far.

I use the Neptune II full face mask not for ventilation but I keep the regulator hocked up to a tank with air to keep my mask from fogging up. This also helps keep my face from pressure from the mask. I do use it for equalization and just in case the vent stops I well be able breath through my nose and mouth. I float my vent in a container and I use a double limb. One limb gives me finish air and the other gets read of co2 with the use of an exhalation valve. The reason I use a double limb is it has less dead space. I have been the one to figure out most of the technical stuff. Here is the link and check it out.
http://www.scubadivingdream.com/scubadivingpage6.html I well be adding more in a few days.

My friend Drew has been there to help and direct my pool time and my nurse Sara. I also have another dive friend when available does help me too.

Take care and safe diving Matt.
:-D

Wow!

Sounds like you are a tech diver beyond tech divers. You understand that you are pioneering things that for the rest of us took hundreds of years, millions of hours of research and many tests to refine! What you'll end up with is a combination of biomed, space technology, and combined rebreather and OC scuba technology. You have many obstacles, but I think you've overcome the critical mass required to cross the finish line! I can almost tell the hardest part of your challenge is opposition from engineers who have designed your equipment for patients that are invalid! You're at the outside of the envelope for their stuff, and i'm sure this will push them to look closer at the capabilities of the systems they design. This will be good not only for you, but anyone after you and for diving in general. 15 feet down in a pool for you is going to be a triumph for diving with the equivalence of a 1000 foot record-setter. I wish I had the know-how to be the one to make this one happen for you. Sounds like you need someone with a real good knowledge of pressure gradient, biomed, and CCR technology. The parts are all there, we just have to get them to work together. It'll happen!

Hey Paul, thanks for all the positive words. I need to hear them. Thanks again. I have been doing most of the work so far but I do have others that are helping me. There are two brother that are RT and there test seem to be going well. They have a few ideas that they are working on and also a professor working with me too. He has designed a very hi-tech rebreather. There are some engineers that well help me design a under water support system but I need more funds. That is the hard part of the whole project is the funding. What I am doing for a live support system NASA well want it if it turns out as good as I think it well. For now I am going to leave the vent above water. With the vent above water I well need to have someone to turn up the pressure from 550 up to 100 for it to work right. That is for a foot but for every foot I well need to turn up more pressure. If this works out maybe more people well get on board. I want to be up right this time under water or on my tummy. This well be another big step for me and I want to stay under longer too. If you have any ideas let me know.

Are you all black diver? Me I like all black, it makes me feel cool.

Take care and see you around Matt.
:-D