Further decompression to lessen no fly time?

[Ghost Diver #]

Thanks for the replays! Good info. I have no intentions on trying this, I was just planing some dives and a flight home...it just got me thinking on whether or not I could “deco” myself into a earlier flight haha...all just theroy, be waiting my normal 24 hours before getting on a plane!

 

[TTPaws]

I definitely want to reiterate that nobody in the recreational or technical realm is doing SurD in order to decrease their no fly time with any sort of certainty.

Actually I first read about in Tech Diving Magazine issue 1 pg 7 " A C C E L E R AT I N G NO-FLY TIME USING SURFACE OXYGEN By Asser Salama"

it seems like it is used more then what I had originally thought.

 

[BenjaminF]

but I highly doubt that any of that would apply to my fat a$$ piddling along a reef and then jumping on a Delta flight after a margarita and an awkward TSA pat down....

Maybe this is the problem? It's always an "awkward" pat down. Never an "enjoyable" one. Or a "pleasant" one. Maybe they should all be taken away and beaten. I mean retrained. Retrained until they perform better.

 

[stretchthepenn]

A few years ago, I dived on the Oriskany, and the trip organizer (a crusty old diver; IIRC, his instructor number had four digits, and it started with "1") used this technique after going to the sand. He breathed pure oxygen at his deco stop and then continued doing so topside; he caught a flight within 12 hours of returning to port.

 

[rjack321]

I dont think I have ever waited the "recommended" time before flying. But I do do extra deco on the last dive or I go to peacock which is like an extended deco stop lol

 

[northernone]

Just a sideways note. On a "normal" flight the cabin pressure stays fairly stable. I've been on two flights where there is a partical loss of cabin pressure. Not a huge emergency and besides for people's ears hurting (babies crying) and a bag of terrestrial sealed chips popping it was uneventful. (Oxygen masks didn't deploy)

I'd be nervous with that sudden pressure drop if I was loaded up with gas shortly after a dive. Driving up a mountain I'm in control of my ascent rate. A plane maintaining expected stable cabin pressure I've seen that fail twice and I'm not a frequent flyer or pilot.

On the day I fly out after weeks of heavy deco dives I'll do a dive on pure o2 and breath a while on the surface as well. No idea how "conservative" I'm being, but it gives me added peace of mind.

Cameron

 

[biggpa]

An extreme case, but NASA has prebreathe protocols before EVAs. See Using Exercise to Help Prevent Decompression Sickness or NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) - Design of a 2-Hour Prebreathe Protocol for Space Walks (EVAs) from the International Space Station (ISS) for some details.

 

[hroark2112]

O2 rebreathers mean never having to say “No Fly”.

Or a fairly shallow dive with a high PO2....1.4 and stay above 40’.

I mean....I would never do this, but theoretically you could do a nice shallow final dive of a trip for 2 hours while you’ve got the reef to yourself and then go to the airport. I would never do it because I’m always going to follow the DAN guidelines for diving & flying....but someone could.

I should go hide my dive computer now.

 

[boulderjohn]

I mean....I would never do this, but theoretically you could do a nice shallow final dive of a trip for 2 hours while you’ve got the reef to yourself and then go to the airport. I would never do it because I’m always going to follow the DAN guidelines for diving & flying....but someone could.

Astronauts and U2 pilots breathe pure oxygen for a couple of hours and than do one horrific ascent to altitude. Theoretically, we could all do pretty much the same thing and be fine. We just need something more than theory to give us the confidence to do it.

 

[Jay]

and it depends what 'base' you're working from. If you're one of the "bubble-prone" 6 or the "super bubble-prone" 2 (divers out of 32).


Abstract (link below) Introduction: Flying after diving may increase decompression sickness risk (DCS), but strong evidence indicating minimum preflight surface intervals (PFSI) is missing. Methods: On return flights after a diving week on a live-aboard, 32 divers were examined by in-flight echocardiography with the following protocol: 1) outgoing flight, no previous dive; 2) during the diving week; 3) before the return flight after a 24-h PFSI; and 4) during the return flight. Results: All divers completed similar multiple repetitive dives during the diving week. All dives were equivalent as to inert gas load and gradient factor upon surfacing. No bubbles in the right heart were found in any diver during the outgoing flight or at the preflight control after a 24-h PFSI following the diving week. A significant increase in the number and grade of bubbles was observed during the return flight. However, bubbles were only observed in 6 of the 32 divers. These six divers were the same ones who developed bubbles after every dive. Conclusions: Having observed a 24-h preflight interval, the majority of divers did not develop bubbles during altitude exposure; however, it is intriguing to note that the same subjects who developed significant amounts of bubbles after every dive showed equally significant bubble grades during in-flight echocardiography notwithstanding a correct PFSI. This indicates a possible higher susceptibility to bubble formation in certain individuals, who may need longer PFSI before altitude exposure after scuba diving.
Flying After Diving: Finally, the Facts (Not Just Theory)

Flying After Diving: In-Flight Echocardiography After a Scuba Div...: Ingenta Connect