Diving and climbing to an altitude on the same day???

[pablovi]

Hi, Another newbie question.

I know you're not supposed to fly the same day as you dive, but what´s the higest altitude that you can climb after let say, 6 hours of your last dive?

I ask this because I will be going on a diving trip to Veracruz which is about 4 hours driving form Mexico city, I'm getting there on friday night and then dive on Saturday morning and afternoon, and then dive on sunday, so I want to know if it's safe to leave on sunday late afternoon, or should i wait till Monday morning?

I will be climbing from Ocean level to about 2,300 meters above sea level, which is Mexico city's altitude!


Thanks in advanced.

 

[fdog]

pablovi, we regularly dive in the mornings at Monterey, California (sea level), then drive home to Reno, Nevada, in the afternoon. This drive takes us over Donner Summit (7200') and Reno is at 4500'.

We usually pass over the summit about 4 to 5 hours after the last dive. The ascent from sea level, to 7200', takes place over about 80-90 minutes (depending on who's driving). Obscure side note: in the Bell-Borgwardt Altitude dive tables, this was refered to as the C.A.R., or California Ascent Rate.

There have been no ill effects in any of our local dive community despite years of this.

Steps I personally take to reduce the chance of DCS from the trip home:

>Dives of less than 60' that morning
>Limit of 2 dives
>Rich nitrox mix of 36%

All the best, James

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

James' advice sounds good.

It seems to me that if you want to be really careful, you should wait 12-24 hours...similar to no-fly rules. I think airplane cabins are pressurized to the equivalent of 6000ft elevation or so. So, the travel both of you guys are proposing is the equivalent of flying.

Agency no-fly rules are probably very cautious, but you should wait as long as possible after diving to be on the safe side. Shallower and Nitrox seem like great ideas too.

Be safe!

 

[Gary D.]

Hi, Another newbie question.

I know you're not supposed to fly the same day as you dive, but what´s the higest altitude that you can climb after let say, 6 hours of your last dive?

I ask this because I will be going on a diving trip to Veracruz which is about 4 hours driving form Mexico city, I'm getting there on friday night and then dive on Saturday morning and afternoon, and then dive on sunday, so I want to know if it's safe to leave on sunday late afternoon, or should i wait till Monday morning?

I will be climbing from Ocean level to about 2,300 meters above sea level, which is Mexico city's altitude!


Thanks in advanced.

I wouldn't worry about it. Don't push the tables and stay conseriative. I'd have second thoughts if you were doing a deco dive. In that case I'd wait another couple of hours.

We dive the coast, cross over the Cascades at 3000' then home at 2300'. Sometimes we are at the sumit in under 1.5 hours. A little iching once in a while but that's it.

Go and enjoy the dive and trip.

Gary D.

 

[pablovi]

Thanks for your replies!

I think airplane cabins are presurized at 7,500'(2,300 meters) And that's roughly the altitude of Mexico city, that's why I asked this. I'm actually going with a dive master and everything and he says they have been doing it for decades. But I just wanted to be sure.

We don't have access to Nitrox there, and I'm not sure of what depth will be diving, but i think it won't be to deep. although I am taking my deep diving speciality course there, but I guess I'll do that saturday!

Thanks again.

 

[knotical]

This thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=86431
discusses some techniques and has some references to tables that could help.

 

[pablovi]

This thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=86431
discusses some techniques and has some references to tables that could help.

Thanks!

I don't know if I understood everything, but let's say I finsh my 2nd dive as a Group G in the NOAA No deco air table, so according to the Ascent to atltitude table, I should wait 8:46 hours before ascending to 7,000 feet?

 

[knotical]

let's say I finish my 2nd dive as a Group G in the NOAA No deco air table, so according to the Ascent to altitude table, I should wait 8:46 hours before ascending to 7,000 feet?

That's how I interpret it also. But also see their note 1. Consider your highest pressure group in the previous 24 hours (although that seems overly conservative to me).

 

[DelightedDiver]

Also, you might want to check out the DAN website. They have info on traveling to altitude following diving.

 

[boulderjohn]

I contacted Dan directly on this issue a while ago. Their references to flying after diving refer to an altitude gain greater than 2,000 feet, whether you are flying, driving, or riding a mule.

Flying out of Mexico City should therefore be safe, as long as the plane maintains its pressure.

If you dive Homestead Crater in Utah and then fly home, you will be OK as long as the plane stays pressurized, but if you go to Park City for a little skiing or drive home to Denver over Loveland Pass, you will be exceeding the altitude change.