gotta fly

[erik wolfe]

what's goin on. This is my first post. I actually have a question. I'm going on a cruise next week. I'm diving Cozumel and Belize. In order to dive where I want in Belize it involves me taking an 18 min flight to and from the island. Is it safe to fly after multi-dives if you stay below 1,000 ft. I'm open to opinions. I've talked to instructors that say below 1,000 is ok, and other divers w/a pilots license that say no way.

 

[Nomaster]

what's goin on. This is my first post. I actually have a question. I'm going on a cruise next week. I'm diving Cozumel and Belize. In order to dive where I want in Belize it involves me taking an 18 min flight to and from the island. Is it safe to fly after multi-dives if you stay below 1,000 ft. I'm open to opinions. I've talked to instructors that say below 1,000 is ok, and other divers w/a pilots license that say no way.

Erik,

WELCOME to ScubaBoard!!
Someone else is going to have to answer that question, I'm not even sure which forum it would be best to ask it, Dive Medicine maybe... very knowledgeable people there who can give you more than an opinion.
An opinion is what I'd have to give you.
Oh the heat, I can feel it burn without answering.
Good Luck!

Now for my stock message, which is still under construction:
This is a great place to meet people, talk about diving, and get information on just about any aspect of diving -or other subjects sometimes- that you can think of. Roaming through the forums is great help for me.
Now get wet with us and dive into the forums to ask questions, answer those that you can and even chat with folks about diving dreams and nightmares. ScubaBoard is a great place to spend your required Surface Intervals.
When you post a question, be as sure as you can that it's in the right forum or you'll probably find it moved.
The folks here are passionate about their diving, some about their specialty, so the reading can get very interesting, sometimes very hot.
Don't forget, if you haven't already done it, to fill out you profile as completely as reasonable, it'll save you being asked and having to repeat the information often.
Enjoy!

Tom

 

[Dive-aholic]

what's goin on. This is my first post. I actually have a question. I'm going on a cruise next week. I'm diving Cozumel and Belize. In order to dive where I want in Belize it involves me taking an 18 min flight to and from the island. Is it safe to fly after multi-dives if you stay below 1,000 ft. I'm open to opinions. I've talked to instructors that say below 1,000 is ok, and other divers w/a pilots license that say no way.

Welcome to the Board! First, I'm envious that you're going to be diving in Cozumel and Belize next week. Wish it was us!!! Below 1000 ft shouldn't be a problem, but it depends on what your pressure group is after the last dive of the day. The pressure changes below 1000 ft aren't that great, but if you dive your limits and end up w, x, y, or z, you may be pushing it. Give DAN a call; they should be able to give you a definite answer--919-684-4326.

 

[El Orans]

Hello Erik,

welcome to the board! :happywave

Laurens

 

[VeniVidi]

what's goin on. This is my first post. I actually have a question. I'm going on a cruise next week. I'm diving Cozumel and Belize. In order to dive where I want in Belize it involves me taking an 18 min flight to and from the island. Is it safe to fly after multi-dives if you stay below 1,000 ft. I'm open to opinions. I've talked to instructors that say below 1,000 is ok, and other divers w/a pilots license that say no way.

Hi Erik

Also a welcome from my side.

As for the 1000 ft., I do agree with Divaholics that this should not pose a problem but with a different approach of rationale. Normally, if using a diving table (e.g. Bühlmann) the validity of the data range from 0 to 700m (~0-2100 ft) . For dives exceeding this elevation one should use the "above 700m table". Now moving within this 700m limit is "allowed" and given the fact that diving computers nowadays calculate more conservatively than the tables, you have another margin of safety.

Hence, the only question arising is, how reliable are the 1000 ft. flight altitude?

 

[Matt the Aquaman]

Hi there Erik,
Welcome to Scuba Board - the greatest online place, the fastest growing, and the nicest! You can meet a lot of helpful people here and it’s an awesome place to get answers about scuba diving. If you ever want to chat feel free to PM me. Take care and safe diving from Matt.

Click here to greet a new member! :happywave
No experience needed and it feels great!​

 

[headhunter]

Welcome to ScubaBoard! :happywave

I dive at sea level and when it's time to go home, I drive up to my house which is at 1600 ft. I'm usually home 2 - 4 hours after diving. So the real question for me is "can you trust that the pilot will not fly too high?"

Don't forget to fill out your profile and dive info, so that we can add context to your future posts. Also, once we know where you are geographically from your profile, you may find that you'll have a whole bunch of new dive buddies to choose from locally.

Dive safe!

Christian

P.S. Due to the high volume of new posts in the Introductions and Greets forum, it's not always possible to keep up with all the new posts here. So, please help me out and send me a PM if you post anything you want me to read or repsond to in this forum.
almtree: :sunny

 

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

And welcome to SB - the biggest, the best, the fastest growing, and the friendliest! If you'll simply click ScubaBoard.com above, you'll be taken to our long list of forums, a wealth of information and resources. My favorite is at the bottom: Singles Dive Club.

I see no problem with your plan. I know a very conservative Instructor on Amergris Caye that does that all the time. Using Nitrox will make it even safer, but it's available on Ambergris only.

Completing your Profile with location and seperately - your Dive Info will help in future diving discussions. You can use the Quick Links menu above for this. Sizing a photo for your profile or Avatar can be a challenge; I'm a fumbling amateur, but I get the job done, if you'd like any help?

PM me if I can help you learn your way around; that is - click my username to the upper left, then follow the prompts to send me a "Personal Message."

don

 

[BigJetDriver]

what's goin on. This is my first post. I actually have a question. I'm going on a cruise next week. I'm diving Cozumel and Belize. In order to dive where I want in Belize it involves me taking an 18 min flight to and from the island. Is it safe to fly after multi-dives if you stay below 1,000 ft. I'm open to opinions. I've talked to instructors that say below 1,000 is ok, and other divers w/a pilots license that say no way.

Erik,

"A workshop of experts was convened in 1989 by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society to address this issue for recreational divers (Sheffield 1989). This workshop suggested a delay of 12 hours after less than 2 hours of diving(specifically no-stop diving) in the last 48 hours." Bennett and Elliott, Physiology and Medicine of Diving, Fifth Edition, Page 484
(Editor's note: This was with the expectation of flight to 600 meters (2000 ft) unpressurized, as a result of divers' and helicopter flyers' concerns while operating in the North Sea.

That having been said, find a friend with the NOAA Diving Manual, or look it up on-line, to find the NOAA FAD table. It will suggest an interval on a sliding scale for your type of diving.

Hope this helps! Cheers!