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101: Compression Diving



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Decompression is when a diver descends below the ambient pressure. During ascent, the body of a diver is subject to decompression. If decompression diving is done correctly, this can cause serious injuries. Learn more about decompression and decompression sickness. Learn more about decompression illness penalties and standard treatment. Below are some of the common questions that a decompression diver may have.

Deco dives

If you are planning a dive with deco, you will want to check the basic program in your Vplanner. That way, you can see how much deco is required to achieve the correct visibility and depth. You can use a V planner if you want to do a dive below 35m. If not, you can calculate deco manually.

A minimum deco is a slow ascent from half the average depth. It is not as short-term as its name suggests, and takes far more time 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. Before ascending, you may need to ensure your tank is fully empty. The best way is to make sure you have enough gas in the tank.


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Planned dives

A computer-generated plan for decompression diving can be a valuable tool for divers. The computer will generate deco schedules for divers based on their chosen number and decompression model. It also allows them to adjust conservatism settings. This software allows divers to plan dives according to a specific decompression time, OTU and CNS loadings, as well as gas requirements at each depth. Using the PC planning tool, divers can avoid silly mathematical mistakes that are common when planning a dive manually.


A decompression stopping is a series if stops that occur during an ascent. This allows the body and its helium to escape. It is necessary to adjust to pressure in the environment. The maximum depth and profile of the diver will determine the length of the stop. Plan multiple decompression stops if you plan to reach the deepest depths.

Standard treatment for decompression illness

Decompression sickness is treated by inhaling 100% oxygen through a mask and maintaining blood pressure. Fluids are administered to prevent oxygen loss. A hyperbaric oxygen chamber is used to reverse blood pressure changes and turn nitrogen into liquid. The body can then clear the matter in a matter of hours. If decompression sickness is severe, you should avoid diving until the symptoms subside.

In acute cases, supplemental oxygen is given to the diver and should be maintained until help arrives. Since symptoms might not be obvious immediately, it can be difficult to diagnose decompression syndrome. However, decompression sickness should be treated as an emergency and the diver should be kept warm until medical assistance arrives. The condition of the diver must be monitored closely. Any neurological signs should be ruled out. Air embolism is possible if symptoms persist beyond 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 ways to avoid these complications and decrease the chance of getting decompression illness. You should always be able to recognize what you're doing when you dive. Without the right equipment, diving can cause decompression sickness. These are the most common diving mistakes.

Avoiding the mistake of underestimating the decompression is the first. In recreational diving, the NDLs and depth limits are largely concerned with fast tissues. Maximum ascent rates are designed to allow the direct ascent to the surface. No matter what tank you have, decompression diving requires complex calculations. The Buhlmann ZH-L16 algorithm fixes nitrogen halftimes at 2.65 times longer than helium's, and it adds an increasing time for decompression if the helium fraction is higher than expected.



 



101: Compression Diving