Gas, Gears & Graveyards: Membrane Nitrox and Deep Wreck Tech Diving

Inside the Gas Room: Trimix Blending and Northeast Wreck Penetration In this tech-heavy episode of Pod Diver Radio, Joe and Rescue Diver Rachel broadcast from the New Jersey shore and dive into the infrastructure behind serious diving: gas systems, deep wrecks, and how wreck and cave philosophies overlap (and don't). First up, Joe Simmons of Divers Two (Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ) takes us behind the scenes of his nitrox membrane compressor system: How membrane systems strip nitrogen and deliver banked nitrox on demand Why he moved away from partial pressure blending for day-to-day fills Using the same system to blend trimix, minimize helium waste, and hot-fill tech cylinders efficiently Real-world lessons on filtration, heat management, and why shop owners should budget for upgrades (cooling, extra filtration, helium integration) Then Capt. Dan Crowl joins Joe to talk about the evolution of technical diving—with a focus on Northeast shipwrecks versus cave diving: How cave and wreck environments drive different approaches to lines, navigation, and standardization Why a wreck's man-made structure changes how you plan penetrations compared to "wet rock" caves Environmental differences: cold, low-vis, current-swept Jersey wrecks vs. warm caves and blue-water wrecks Gear considerations for deep wrecks like the U-boat and tankers: doubles, multiple deco gases, helium-based mixes, and backup lighting Where and why divers start using trimix and how gas choices have evolved from old-school "heliair" to modern mixes If you're a technical diver, gas blender, or aspiring wreck/cave crossover diver, this episode will give you a nuts-and-bolts look at how the gas gets in your tanks—and how that gas shapes the dives you do.