When a diver descends to lower pressure than the ambient, it is called decompression. During ascent, the body of a diver is subject to decompression. This process can be hazardous and is usually avoided when decompression diving is done properly. Read more about decompression dive and decompression sick. Read also about decompression-sickness penalties and standard treatments. Here are some common questions decompression divers may have.
Deco dives
To plan a deco diving trip, it is important to first go through the basic program on your V-planner. You can then see how much deco you need to get the right visibility and depth. A V-planner is useful if you're diving to 35m. If not, you can calculate deco manually.
A minimum deco represents a slow climb from half the average height. The name of the minimum deco is misleading as it takes much longer than one minute. Usually, you'll ascend 10ft/3m in 30 seconds, stopping and recovering for 30 seconds before repeating the process. Before you begin to ascend, make sure your air has been fully decompressed. You can do this by making sure that there is enough air in your tank.
Planned diving
A computer-generated decompression plan can be a useful tool for divers. The computer generates deco lists according to the diver's choice of gases, decompression methods, and conservatism settings. The software can be used to plan dives for specific decompression times, OTU loadings and gas requirements for each level. Using the PC planning tool, divers can avoid silly mathematical mistakes that are common when planning a dive manually.
A decompression halt is a series stops that are made during ascent. It allows the body to expend nitrogen and helium. A long decompression stop is needed to adjust to the pressure of the environment. The maximum depth and profile of the diver will determine the length of the stop. You should plan multiple stops to ensure you can reach the deepest depths.
Decompression sickness: Standard treatment
The standard treatment for decompression illness is to breathe 100% oxygen through the mask, maintain blood pressure and administer fluids to prevent oxygen from being lost. 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. Avoid diving if you feel decompression sickness.
In acute cases, supplemental oxygen is given to the diver and should be maintained until help arrives. Sometimes, decompression sickness can be hard to diagnose because symptoms may not appear immediately. The diver should be treated immediately and kept warm until assistance arrives. It is important to monitor the diver's condition and rule out neurological signs. If symptoms aren't visible after a few minutes, they could be indicative of air embolism.
Penalties for decompression diving
Decompression diving penalties can lead to loss of consciousness or insufficient air supply to your lungs. There are many ways to avoid these complications and decrease the chance of getting decompression illness. Make sure you are familiar with what you are doing when you dive. Without the right equipment, diving can cause decompression sickness. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when diving.
You should not underestimate the decompression period. This is the first mistake that you need to avoid. In recreational diving, the NDLs and depth limits are largely concerned with fast tissues. Maximum ascent rates are set to allow for the direct ascent from the surface. Regardless of the type of tank, decompression diving requires more complex calculations. Buhlmann ZH–L16 fixes nitrogen half-times at 2.65x more than helium. In addition, it adds a longer time for decompression if helium is higher than anticipated.