Decompression sickness and AGE are different beasts (although they can both happen as a result of an improper ascent). In sport diving, DCS involves Nitrogen, while AGE involves air (or other breathing gas). One results from an uncontrolled release of absorbed gas, the other occurring from ruptured alveoli after a lung barotrauma. The exception to this occurs from within the arterial circulation itself in severe decompression sickness and classified as Type III DCS (the embolism complicates a case of Type II DCS).
In the commercial industry, the practice calls for the diver to leave the water and be recompressed within 15 minutes (although the target is 10 minutes). This is a result of the time required for the Nitrogen to build up in the system to a point of causing problems. This is why DCS symptoms take time to manifest themselves. A chamber is a regulated requirement for all commercial diving operations that require decompression.
Deep stops are based upon the varying-permeability model of decompression calculation. This model takes into account the presence of micro-nuclei (in blood and tissues) and factors that cause these bubbles to grow or shrink during decompression. The result calls for initial decompression stops that are much deeper than those suggested by the various compartment-based decompression models. The commercial industry employs similar models in saturation diving, however the standard compartment-based tables are used for surface-supply regardless if the diver decompresses in the water or in the chamber.
Recreational diving doesn't really have any set decompression formulas, as different diving computers are based upon different tables / algorithms. I think deep stops are the rage for the technical diving community, but less so for the average recreational diver.
