Mountain climbing after diving

[CraigDiver]

Hi,

I will be visiting Tenerife in the Canary Islands in December. I intend to climb Mount Tiede (12198 ft, 3718m) which is the highest peak in Spain. Should I avoid diving the day before?

The diving I intend to do will be easy single beach profile dive (sea level) with a max depth of around 15-20m with no deco, only a safety stop.

Any thought on the subject? considerations are not only altitude but low oxygen content in the air.

Craig

 

[DevonDiver]

I'd apply 'flying after diving' recommendations - counting the 3000m+ ascent as per a flight in a pressurised aircraft .

The Divers Alert Network (DAN) recommends the following on no-fly times:

• A minimum surface interval of 12 hours would be required in order to be reasonably assured a diver will remain symptom free upon ascent to altitude in a commercial jetliner (altitude up to 2,400 m/8,000 ft)

• Divers who plan to make daily, multiple dives for several days, or make dives that require decompression stops, should take special precautions and wait for an extended interval beyond 12 hours before a flight. Further, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) suggests divers using standard air cylinders and exhibiting no symptoms of decompression illness wait 24 hours after their last dive to fly in an aircraft with cabin pressure up to 2,400 m/8,000 ft. The only two exceptions to this recommendation are:

• If a diver has less than 2 hours total accumulated dive time in the last 48 hours,a 12 hour surface interval before flying is recommended

• Following any dive that required a decompression stop, flying should be delayed for at least 24 hours, and if possible, for 48 hours

Some other resources:

Flying/Going to Altitude After Diving

Altitude Exposure After Diving

Driving to Altitude After Diving

Parameters for Flying After Diving

Flying After Diving

Rubicon - Flying After Diving

 

[CraigDiver]

I'd apply 'flying after diving' recommendations - counting the 3000m+ ascent as per a flight in a pressurised aircraft .

This is all good - thank you, however, A flight takes you only to a typical cabin pressure of 6000ft (1800m). I will be climbing to more than double that. The table does state that with a low stress dive (which it will be) a 12 hour wait is suitable for 6000ft (1800m), so I think not diving for 24 hours before the ascent should be ok.

Thanks again, great information.

 

[Atom]

Somewhere in there I think there's also ascent speed to consider.

Going in a plane after diving will produce a very rapid change ambient pressure, akin to a very fast ascent from a dive. Walking up, would be more like a very slow & long ascent. So it feels like walking up would be fine, you'd do enough deco on the way up ; )

But that's just my intuition, unless I'd found some real info I'd treat it as flying after diving, better safe than sorry,

 

[DevonDiver]

Somewhere in there I think there's also ascent speed to consider.

Going in a plane after diving will produce a very rapid change ambient pressure, akin to a very fast ascent from a dive. Walking up, would be more like a very slow & long ascent. So it feels like walking up would be fine, you'd do enough deco on the way up ; )

I don't know the mountain in question, but I'd assume that the trek wouldn't start at sea-level - so there'd be a relatively fast ascent to a higher altitude (via car etc) to consider.

Then you'd also need to balance the potential implication of physical exertion against the slower pressure decline... whilst still saturated with nitrogen. Again, I don't know the mountain in question, but I'd imagine that such an ascent would place demands on the cardio-vascular system. Therefore, pre-disposing to DCI.

 

[gcarter]

Teide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AccessThe volcano and its surroundings, including the whole of the Las Cañadas caldera, are protected in a national park, the Parque Nacional del Teide. Access is by a public road running across the caldera from northeast to southwest. The public bus service TITSA runs a once per day return service to Teide from both Puerto de la Cruz and Playa de las Americas. A parador (hotel) is also within the National Park along with a small chapel. The Teleférico cable car goes from the roadside at 2,356 m most of the way to the summit, reaching 3,555 m. Each car carries 38 passengers (34 in high wind) and takes 8 minutes to reach the summit. In peak season, queues can exceed two hours. Access to the summit itself is restricted; a free permit (obtainable from the Park office in Santa Cruz, Calle Emilio Calzadilla, 5 - 4th floor) is required to climb the last 200 m. Numbers are normally restricted to 150 per day.
Due to the altitude, oxygen levels are lower than at sea level. This can cause people with heart or pulmonary conditions to become light headed, dizzy, develop mountain sickness and in extreme cases unconsciousness. The only treatment is to return to lower altitudes and acclimatise.

Is the 200M what you will be doing?

 

[Thalassamania]

You'd actually be in better shape for the high altitude exposure if you made a shorter and deeper dive rather than a shallow and longish dive. It is a question of tissue half times, you don't do much to slower tissues in a short deep dive and you are back to sea level equilibrium sooner.

 

[DuboisP]

Hi,
I will be visiting Tenerife in the Canary Islands in December. I intend to climb Mount Tiede (12198 ft, 3718m) which is the highest peak in Spain. Should I avoid diving the day before?
The diving I intend to do will be easy single beach profile dive (sea level) with a max depth of around 15-20m with no deco, only a safety stop.
Any thought on the subject? considerations are not only altitude but low oxygen content in the air.

read Bulhmann tables for altitude diving and climbing
for a dive of 21 m by 60 min, your "letter" is G

wait 1h00 after your dive
to go up to 4000 m , you MUST climb regularly during 5:00 hours

for a dive of 21 m by 40 min your letter is E
time to climb regularly : 1h00 waiting + 1h30 to go up

 

[CraigDiver]

Is the 200M what you will be doing?

Yes, We have permits to ascend to the peak, probably going up on the cable car which will be quite a rapid ascent. Others are stating use no-fly times to be safe however fling only takes you to around 6000ft (cabin pressure), the peak is at over 12000ft!

 

[Bob DBF]

Thought about climbing first and diving after?


Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.