How does deco diving affect health

[Fyodor_Sumkin]

Hi, I want to start deep diving and was curious to know how it would affect my health. One of my dive buddies and an ex tech diver told me that deco diving makes you age faster and ruins your joints, is this true? Are there any other health aspects that I need to know about deep diving?

 

[espenskogen]

Hi, I want to start deep diving and was curious to know how it would affect my health. One of my dive buddies and an ex tech diver told me that deco diving makes you age faster and ruins your joints, is this true? Are there any other health aspects that I need to know about deep diving?

If you insufficiently decompress, you might end up suffering from a condition called Osteonecrosis (Sometimes referred to as DCS Type 4) - But this typically manifest after years of insufficient decompression. So as long as you plan your dives conservatively, and dive your plan, there is little evidence (as far as I know) that deco diving has adverse effects to your health.

Now if you go stupidly deep (Like 200-300 meters deep), too little is known about the effects on your body, so that's kinda like a blank slate at the moment. The primary health aspect of tech diving/deep diving is that you operate with a virtual ceiling - So if **** hits the fan at depth, you can't come up. Which means greater risk, require more training etc..

E

 

[ianr33]

Fyodor,your profile says AOW and deepest dive 70m ? You may wish to consider more training if this is true.

Personally I find that deco diving makes me even better looking

 

[theskull]

Correct deco diving with proper training improves your analytical abilities, makes you more disciplined, and puts the unimportant above-water details of your life in proper perspective.

The benefits to your physical health are nothing compared to the benefits to your mental health.

Go deep -- stay long -- hope for the best.

theskull

 

[Diver Dennis]

Fyodor,your profile says AOW and deepest dive 70m ? You may wish to consider more training if this is true.

Personally I find that deco diving makes me even better looking

Good point Ian. If that was on air... well, ever heard of the "death zone" phrase in mountain climbing?

 

[Hawaii Scuba Divers]

You must be in GOOD HEALTH in order to even consider this type of Diving so get FIT and Get Training and then judge for yourself...
Aloha Mark..

 

[Tamas]

How does deco diving affect health

I heard it can kill you if not done right

 

[Spoon]

One of my dive buddies and an ex tech diver told me that deco diving makes you age faster and ruins your joints, is this true?

this is baseless, does your friend have any facts to support his statements?

 

[karstdvr]

Incidents of dysbaric osteonecrosis are known to happen even when following correct deco schedules-remember that many of our deco schedules used to be bend and mend. Little is known about dysbaric osteonecrosis related to tech divers doing deco profiles. Talk to Evelyn Dudas (first female diver on the Doria),she claims that a lot of her joint ailments are due to deco diving.

The other concern is high partial pressures of oxygen. I remember reading some diving journals a few years ago about the concern of oxidation due to this,and they recommended anti-oxidants;but then again very little documented evidence.

There was a study in Lancet a few years ago that should imaging changes on divers who had DCS on neurological tissue. That is direct damage to tissue,but makes me wonder even in moderate deco profiles repetitively over years,what we are doing.

 

[karstdvr]

this is baseless, does your friend have any facts to support his statements?

There is poorly documented evidence that may support the original thesis statement.