Diving Oahu 11:15am then taking a flight to Kauai the next morning.. will I be okay?

[shaxs]

Hello Everyone,

I just booked an afternoon dive (2 dives actually) at 11:15 Wednesday the 28th. I have tickets to fly to Kauai for the day on the 29th at 8:15am. The 29th is a big day as I am proposing to my girlfriend and have a huge day lined up. So, I figure will be done diving at 3pm at the latest, which puts 17 hours between dives and my flight. I should be okay right? Its going to be a 35 minute flight..

 

[AquamanKauai]

As an instructor I ALWAYS encourage people to err on the side of caution concerning flying after diving. While new guidelines have been made I know many instructors/divemasters still guide people to the old suggested 24hrs after diving prior to flying. My suggestion would be to contact the shop with which you are diving. Get their opinion based on the type of diving you will be doing. Deep dives obviously will mean more nitrogen loading. If you are headed to the back wall of Molokini vs shore diving in Kihei the difference is considerable. I also would be interested in knowing if you are actually going to be done by 3pm. If you are meeting at 11:15am you will likely finish later than 3. Also as a factor - are you doing multiple days of diving or only the afternoon you mentioned? Multiple days will get you a different answer than one single day. As a side note - the length of the flight is not the issue. You will be at elevation even on an interisland flight (remember elevation is considered anything over 1000 ft). This is a VERY conservative line of thinking as an instructor without question and only offered as my opinion. Your dive shop should give you the best answer available.

Best wishes to you

 

[KrisB]

Deep dives obviously will mean more nitrogen loading.

I know this isn't the place to really discuss decompression theory, but the issue isn't depth, it's duration. It'll take longer to off-gas from a long shallow (say 35') dive than a short, deep (100') dive.

The current recommendations from PADI are that a minimum 12-hr surface interval prior to ascent to altitude is required following any dive. If you are doing multiple dives over multiple days, they suggest that you increase this to 18 hours or "an interval greater than 18 hours".

Also keep in mind other DCS contributing factors, such as tiredness, dehydration, etc. -- the duration of the flight only means one thing: you'll only be at most 35 minutes away from emergency medical care!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I have called the 800 number and been told above 2000ft is considered going to elevation. The current DAN recommendations;

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.

Another DAN page talks about the limited hard data, their own studies and DCS probability;

After a 60ft dive for 55 minutes you could decide to wait for 12 hours before your flight, and have an estimated 1 percent risk of Definite DCS and approximately 2 percent risk of Ambiguous DCS. If you want to keep your level of risk at zero, then don't dive or don't fly. Every time you dive, you are subjecting yourself to a risk of DCS. No tables guarantee absolute safety.

In making decisions about risk, you can look to existing guidelines and practical experience for clues, such as the 12-hour flying-after-diving guideline. The estimated DCS probability for this surface interval is about 1 percent. Another clue is the estimated probability for a 55-minute dive to 60 feet. The estimated risk of DCS is 0.5-1.0 percent for just the dive. We have far to go before we are comfortable with our estimates of DCS probability, but the information we've gathered thus far is already making decompression safety less mysterious

 

[scubadrewvideo]

11:15 Charter....
You will be out of the water after your second dive around 1:45 or 2:00 pm....
Flight at 8:00am.....

I wouldn't!

 

[RS]

Most likely you'd be fine. But is it worth taking the chance of getting a hit??

I think you know what to do.

I.e. don't dive.

 

[shaxs]

Ill be doing two shallower dives. They are leaving from kewalo Basin. I guess I should call and cancel. Kind of a bummer as I have always wanted to dive in a tropical place.

Does anyone know where I can find a company to take me out the 27th for a shallower reef dive? I will be by myself as my girlfriend does not dive..

 

[mrjimboalaska]

shaxs,
check with AAA diving, Alex runs a tight ship. Check with Island Divers Hawaii, nice goup of people. I would not dive and fly unless I had 24hrs out of the water, stretch that to 48 after diving all week.....
Jimbo

 

[shaxs]

Do you have websites or contact information?

 

[RS]

I'd go by jimbo's advice.

But why don't you look at a boat transfer?

What's the deal with that inter-island ferry? Still not going??

What about changing the dates so you can dive on Kauai?? Take your mrs on a discovery dive at Na Pali.