Would you dive if you flew out within 24 hours?

[parsch]

I have an opportunity to dive tomorrow (Friday) around noon....most likely a dive to 60ft and bottom time of roughly 30 mins.

I fly out Saturday morning at 8am...

Last time I was in the water was on Wednesday for two dives...total bottom time of just over an hour...nothing deeper than 60 ft.

I am wondering whether I am asking for trouble or should just skip the dive and relax.

Thoughts?

 

[Quero]

I'd do it, yeah. That's just one dive, and the DAN guidelines recommend a 12 wait after a single dive before ascending to altitude.

 

[freewillie]

The actual science of Decompression Illness is not well understood. One diver can get away with a 12 hr window, another diver might get bent with 18 hrs. Certain factors like age, physical fitness, hydration, cold, time and depth all play a role. It's not an exact science so you won't know until you try, but sitting on an airplane is not good time to find out you made the wrong choice.

As per DAN recommendations 24 hours best but 18 to 12 hours are the minimum.

On vacation I always give full 24 hours until fly. Gives me one full day before we leave and wife likes when spend extra time with kids.

 

[vladimir]

I have an opportunity to dive tomorrow (Friday) around noon....most likely a dive to 60ft and bottom time of roughly 30 mins.

I fly out Saturday morning at 8am...

Last time I was in the water was on Wednesday for two dives...total bottom time of just over an hour...nothing deeper than 60 ft.

I am wondering whether I am asking for trouble or should just skip the dive and relax.

Thoughts?

If you get out of the water at 2:00 pm, that leaves 18 hours before your flight. That is the DAN guideline for surface interval after repetitive dives and well outside the 12 hour recommendation after a single dive, as Quero pointed out. Here's a good article by DAN that discusses the risk, rather than just the guidelines:

Scuba Dive Medical Articles ? Decompression, Heart Safety ? DAN | Divers Alert Network

To answer your question directly, you should do the dive and relax.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

If you get out of the water at 2:00 pm, that leaves 18 hours before your flight. That is the DAN guideline for surface interval after repetitive dives and well outside the 12 hour recommendation after a single dive, as Quero pointed out. Here's a good article by DAN that discusses the risk, rather than just the guidelines:

Scuba Dive Medical Articles ? Decompression, Heart Safety ? DAN | Divers Alert Network

To answer your question directly, you should do the dive and relax.

As Vladimir pointed out you are well within the DAN safety limits of 12 hours for a single dive. I would take the standard precautions of maintaining good hydration, avoiding excess alcohol, to mitigate any risk, but this is no different that you should do for any diving. If you want to dig into the cold facts, you can review the NOAA ascent to altitude tables, airplanes pressurize to 8,000 feet. You will find the DAN limits are on the conservative side to begin with. Diving right to NDL using a dive computer, which is fairly common is more risky IMO.

 

[antattack]

I follow the DAN guidelines and I have done a single dive with only an 18 hour interval to my flight time. The data suggests this is safe and it worked for me.

 

[Quero]

The actual science of Decompression Illness is not well understood. One diver can get away with a 12 hr window, another diver might get bent with 18 hrs. Certain factors like age, physical fitness, hydration, cold, time and depth all play a role. It's not an exact science so you won't know until you try, but sitting on an airplane is not good time to find out you made the wrong choice.

As per DAN recommendations 24 hours best but 18 to 12 hours are the minimum.

On vacation I always give full 24 hours until fly. Gives me one full day before we leave and wife likes when spend extra time with kids.

Actually, it does depend on the individual to some extent, but statistically, following DAN's published guidelines (you've overgeneralized DAN's recommendations here), a 12-hour SI would be fine for the vast majority of divers, and the OP will have a 18+ hour SI between his dive and his flight.

Revised Flying After Diving Guidelines for Recreational Diving - May 2002
The following guidelines are the consensus of attendees at the 2002 Flying After Diving Workshop. They apply to air dives followed by flights at cabin altitudes of 2,000 to 8,000 feet (610 to 2,438 meters) for divers who do not have symptoms of decompression sickness (DCS). The recommended preflight surface intervals do not guarantee avoidance of DCS. Longer surface intervals will reduce DCS risk further.

• For a single no-decompression dive, a minimum preflight surface interval of 12 hours is suggested.
• For multiple dives per day or multiple days of diving, a minimum preflight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested.
• For dives requiring decompression stops, there is little evidence on which to base a recommendation and a preflight surface interval substantially longer than 18 hours appears prudent.

 

[Searcaigh]

Shallow dive on EAN36-40 would be my option given the criteria the OP posted, 2 weeks now since I last dived and have severe withdrawals .... another week to go

 

[rick00001967]

The actual science of Decompression Illness is not well understood. One diver can get away with a 12 hr window, another diver might get bent with 18 hrs. Certain factors like age, physical fitness, hydration, cold, time and depth all play a role. It's not an exact science so you won't know until you try, but sitting on an airplane is not good time to find out you made the wrong choice.

As per DAN recommendations 24 hours best but 18 to 12 hours are the minimum.

On vacation I always give full 24 hours until fly. Gives me one full day before we leave and wife likes when spend extra time with kids.

this answer is right on point

 

[robbcayman]

I wouldn't roll the dice. You might be safe and probably will, but it's not worth it to me to risk it. I always make sure I have a full 24 hours post dive before I fly out.