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101: Compression Diving



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The process of decompression occurs when a diver descends to a lower pressure than the ambient one. During ascent from deep, the body of the diver undergoes decompression. This can be dangerous, so it is important to do decompression dives correctly. For more information, read about decompression diving and decompression sickness. Find out more about the decompression sick penalties and standard treatment. These are some of common questions that decompression divers may encounter.

Deco dives

When planning a deco dive, you'll want to run through the basic program in your V-planner. By doing this, you will be able to determine how much deco is needed to achieve the proper visibility and depth. If you're planning a dive to 35m, you can use a V-planner to make sure you know how to use the settings. If not, you can calculate deco manually.

The minimum deco is half of the average depth and a slow ascent. The name of the minimum deco is misleading as it takes much longer than one minute. Typically, you can ascend 10ft/3m within 30 seconds. You'll stop for 30 seconds to recover, and then continue the climb. It is important to be fully decompressed before you try to ascend. To do this, ensure you have enough oxygen in your tank.


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Planned diving

A computer-generated decompression plan can be a useful tool for divers. The computer creates deco schedules based on divers' chosen number of gasses, decompression models, conservatism settings, and other parameters. The software can be used to plan dives for specific decompression times, OTU loadings and gas requirements for each level. Divers will be able to avoid the common mathematical errors that can occur when planning a diving trip manually by using the PC planner tool.


A decompression break is a series stop during ascent to allow the body's ability to expel helium and nitrogen. To adjust to the pressure of the surrounding environment, a lengthy decompression break is required. The profile of the diver as well as the maximum depth reached will affect the length of the decompression breaks. You should plan multiple stops to ensure you can reach the deepest depths.

Decompression sickness: Standard treatment

Decompression sickness is treated by inhaling 100% oxygen through a mask and maintaining blood pressure. Fluids are administered to prevent oxygen loss. Intensive treatment consists of using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to reverse the changes in blood pressure and drive nitrogen back into liquid form, which the body can clear over hours. If severe decompression sickness occurs, it is best to avoid diving until the symptoms resolve or a suitable alternative treatment has been found.

For acute cases, the diver should receive supplemental oxygen until assistance arrives. Since symptoms might not be obvious immediately, it can be difficult to diagnose decompression syndrome. The diver should be treated immediately and kept warm until assistance arrives. You should monitor your diver's condition closely and rule out any neurological signs. These symptoms could indicate an air embolism if they are not visible within a few minutes.


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Penalties for decompression diving

Penalties can be imposed for decompression diving. This could lead to consciousness loss and insufficient oxygen supply to the lungs. There are many options to prevent these issues and minimize the risk of suffering from decompression. Be sure to know your limits when diving. Decompression sickness can result from diving without the proper equipment. These are some common mistakes you should avoid when diving.

You should not underestimate the decompression period. This is the first mistake that you need to avoid. Recreational diving is dominated by fast tissues. Maximum ascent rates are set to allow for the direct ascent from the surface. No matter what tank you have, decompression diving requires complex calculations. Buhlmann ZH-16 algorithms fixes nitrogen at halftimes 2.65 times longer that helium's. If the helium fractions are higher than expected, it will add an increasing time to decompression.



 



101: Compression Diving