Where to find info on tables?

[Zeke XA3]

Can you tell its a quiet day at work today!!!


Anyway i have some homework for m upcoming courses.

I need to learn and chose a table to use for my tech courses. I know of the US Navy and BSAC 88´s but i need to find out about some others.

Im lookng for technical info, such as type of control group, m values, tissue compartments, washout times so i can compare them.

Can any one point me in the direcction of some resources or name some other tables. (BSAC 88´s and US Navy i can find ok info on.)

 

[AndrewA]

Can I suggest a couple of books that deal with both deco theory and details of many of the major dive tables:
Deeper into Diving by John Lippman
Deco for Divers by Mark Powell
Both have helped me to understand much better the tebles and the theories behind them.

 

[Zeke XA3]

The problem is, based here in Cancun i have no real way of getting hold of these books so im needing Internet research sources. Though i ill keep the names handy on my amazon list for when i ever settle down!

If i was back home i would organise another trip to Haslar and the chamber there and talk to the people that wor there!

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

OK, if those books are out... For general info, you might want to try:

Huggins KE. (1992) Dynamics of decompression workshop. University of Michigan. RRR ID: 8078

From there, you might find some of these interesting.

Hamilton Jr, RW; Rogers, RE; Powell, MR. Development and validation of no-stop decompression procedures for recreational diving : the DSAT recreational dive planner. Tarrytown, NY : Hamilton Research, c1994. RRR ID: 4228

Many of the papers on VPM are available.

Bühlmann's algorithm was published in the book Decompression-Decompression Sickness in 1984 but may be hard for you to get your hands on.

Christian has not put out much on Copernicus.

A summary by Hills on his thermodynamic approach is available here.

Gernhardt's model is described here.

BVM(3) is summarized here and more detail available here.

DCIEM put together a document on their modifications to the Kidd-Stubbs model in 1983.

There are MANY methods for calculation of different US Navy tables but the paper that introduced the M-Value concept (model USN57):
Workman, RD. Calculation of decompression schedules for nitrogen-oxygen and helium-oxygen dives. NEDU Technical Report Number 6-65. RRR ID: 3367

and the current tables are based on the VVAL-18 M parameter set.

A few more general interest documents include:
Berghage TE (ed). Decompression Theory. 17th Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Workshop. UHMS Publication Number 29WS(DT)6-25-80. Bethesda: Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society; 1978; 180 pages. RRR ID: 7986

Schneiner HR, Hamilton RW (eds). Validation of Decompression Tables. 37th Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Workshop. UHMS Publication Number 74(VAL)1-1-88. Bethesda: Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society; 1989; 167 pages. RRR ID: 7994

Vann RD (ed). The Physiological Basis of Decompression. 38th Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Workshop. UHMS Publication Number 75(Phys)6-1-89. Bethesda: Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society; 1989; 437 pages. RRR ID: 6853

There is lots more available but I need to get back to work. I expect these will get you started and keep you busy for a while.

 

[rjack321]

Interesting homework.

I assume you instructor will actually teach you a method, not necessarily a historic table you pulled off the internet right?

 

[Zeke XA3]

Gene_Hobbs - Thanks bud, plenty to read tomorrow on my day off!

rjack321 - For the course we have to pick in buddy teams or as a group a set of tables to use. Rather than tell us what we can chose from we have been asked to find out ourselves what tables are out there and what the differences between them are. Then when we understand the differences we can make an informed choice of what is availible. Althought the most historic ones i know of like US Navy Tables are still in use, so it would not matter which one i pulled out really!

Im looking into it in a bit more details since im capable and interested so i always go that little bit beyound whats needed to answer the question!

 

[rjack321]

it would not matter which one i pulled out really!

Ummm I think you'll find some fairly significant differences in total time between tables. For a 160ft dive for 25mins probably around 10-15mins difference in deco time between a 'conservative' table and a 'generous' one. Just like with "no-deco" times on computers except the differences are actually bigger.

 

[Zeke XA3]

Ummm I think you'll find some fairly significant differences in total time between tables. For a 160ft dive for 25mins probably around 10-15mins difference in deco time between a 'conservative' table and a 'generous' one. Just like with "no-deco" times on computers except the differences are actually bigger.

Yes sorry, i know that each table is different hence the reason i need to find info on why/how they are different but since each table is a dive table, each one can be used to dive with. Hence what i meant was that it did not matter if i pulled out the latest ABCD table or a "historic" table, they are both dive tables and could be used. Of course personally i would prefer to use something a little more conservative than the US Navy Tables!

 

[Zeke XA3]

Ok 4 hours of reading and i think i need a degree in pyshics!!

But i seem to have got my head round the following

You have 3 "parts" of a dive table

You have the dive table name - Usually the company that makes it
You have the bubble model - Mainly VPM or RGB (Based off VPM) or ZHL (Made by Buhlman)
You have the compartment model - Mainly Buhlman (based off earlier Haldane) or Spencer (PADI Only)

So on certain tables i have found thus

US Navy tables - Based off their own work using a model called VVAL18 with a 2% incidence rate
BSAC 88 - Unclear but based on either a 1 or 3 compartment model from data from the RN
IANTD Tables - Use the ZHL16 Model, a 16 compartment Bulman model
PADI - Use Spencer model for compartments but have no deco and thus no bubble model
DCIEM - Based on a model called Kidds Stubbs

NOAA - I am unable to dig up any info on what they are based on.

Does anyone else have any tables they regually use for planning deco dive that i can investigate?
I know there are a lot of programs out there as well that usually use RGBM or VPIM models but i think i have to have something with a hard copy so i can take underwater with me.

 

[rjack321]

Careful, the DSAT/Spencer data behind the PADI recreational tables are not for deco dive planning. Those have some recreational "contingency deco" plans in them, but those stops are a bit beyond Spencer's data curve.

I am not sure what DSAT the technical training agency recommends for tables.