Air consumption - nitrogen absorption

[CameronMartz]

Cameron or DR. Deco
So let me see if what I'm thinking is true according to the statements above.
A meditational state during a dive will incur the least amount of on gassing due to slowing blood flow to out lying tissues.

Now on the same note couldn't this process be reversed?
After a mostly meditative dive.
Wouldn't a small amount of excercise say flexing and unflexing of large muscle groups like the quads or the biceps and shoulders during Deco promote blood flow and up respritory rate enough to accelerate off gassing of tissues to the blood an so on to the lungs where a slightly elevated respritory rate would help flush inert gasses?
Or would this raise the risk of bubble formation to an unacceptable level?
Hope I don't sound completely off base just trying to get another point of view.
This has been a theory that my team and I have been discussing.
I am for light excercise during Deco, but hope you can give a more educated view for me to take a look at.
Thanks,
Milo

Milo,

This is an idea that many, including some of the researchers in the field that I know, put into practice during personal diving. It is the kind of thing that most people probably don't feel comfortable recommending because cavitation is a risk with any joint movement under a state of supersaturation. However, most feel that they are probably not going to risk too much if they limit their activity to that which they were doing on their dive, such as light swimming around during their stops. This is what I personally do, along with moving all joints through their complete ranges of motion SLOWLY to make sure I am perfusing all of the areas I might have been using on the dive.

Additionally, increasing your metabolism widens the "oxygen window," or difference between arterial and venous total gas pressures. This may have the effect of reducing the chance that gasses will come out of solution and form bubbles, even given your increase in motion.

There is no way to know where to draw the line, though, between just enough activity to speed off-gassing and enough to cause a DCS cascade.

Cameron

 

[Dr Deco]

That's right, Milo.

Some activity is good on the surface.

 

[ScubaMilo]

Thanks to both of you for your answers.
It helps confirm what we've been doing and also gives a little better understanding as to why it seems to work.
Milo

 

[jeckyll]

scubaMilo: I thought you might be interested in the following:

Implement longer safety stops as an inexpensive form of insurance. Light exercise during the ascent and safety-stop phases may assist in maintaining peripheral blood flow and increasing breathing rate and inert gas removal. It may also keep you from becoming more chilled. Do limit the activity to light exercise. Vigorous exercise could work against your goal by stimulating bubble formation.

From: http://www.gue.com/Research/Exercise/q4_1b.htm Sounds like GUE is in favour of the light exercise during the safety stop as well.

 

[H2Andy]

wow, i've learned a lot in this thread