GrumpyOldGuy
Contributor
Does anyone else seem to think these people are stupid. I'm pretty sure 8 hours at 20 feet (guessing) is deco?
The PADI air tables don't start till 35'. If you use the table according to the rules (and round up to the next depth=35), it would indicate you are past NDL.
However, I don't believe the tables were intended for long shallow dives such as this. I believe DCS becomes an issues when you have pressure change of about 2:1 (32' at sea level) or more, depending on who's theory you want to follow. They are not even close to that. Someone with a more substantial background in decompression and commercial diving might have better info than me.
As for being stupid, clearly it looks that way on the show. How much is gold fever warping their normal judgment, how much a drama added by the producers and how much is just plain stupid I don't know. Anyone living in Nome is going to be quirky though....