i tried to fly out today and i ended up being bent

[Kevrumbo]

Originally Posted by kell490
The purpose of this thread is to warn other divers that to watch out when flying if you at all cost give your self at least 48 hours after deep diving everyone will say,"I knew that why didn't you". There will be a few who will end up like me who only dives 1 time a year and wants to get in a dive the last day before they go back home.

I would also recommend from experience, to wait at least 48 to 72 hours status post Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for a DCS condition, before flying as well. . .

See link:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/di...p-vein-thrombosis-status-post-dcs-type-i.html

 

[Blastman4444]

My Aunt was treated for DVT after a 6 hour plane flight a few months ago I think she got Heparin which resolved it pain in the left leg got so bad she went to the ER about 6 hours after landing. She had to stay on blood thinner for a few more days. I waited 96 hours post DCS treatment and it was still a tough flight I felt weak and got some tingling in my legs during the flight. Glad your feeling better.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

As far as the computer it doesn't have a way to download the logs. Obviously these numbers are pushing the limits I also ascended slower then the rest of the group.

1st dive 93' 24 Minutes Bottom Time
Dive started at 9:43am
Ascent Rate was 51-60 FPM

Surface Interval 49min

2nd dive 101' 25 minutes Bottom time
Dive started at 10:57am
ascent rate was 51-60 FPM

Thank you so much for posting this data. This thread has stayed in my mind because I made a number of (I thought) similar dives on Keys wrecks. So when people were responding that yes, your dives looked pretty aggressive, well, it kind of nagged at me, because.. were my dives too aggressive? And worse yet, without me realizing it?

But now that you posted this data concisely, I was able to compare and I think I see where either there is either a mistake in your times, or the dives do seem (but I may be wrong?) pretty "aggressive." But there seems to be a problem be in the ascent rate and no/or short safety stop. Here is how I figured it:

Dive 1)
Your stated start time -------------------------------------------- 9:43 a.m.
Your stated bottom time, 24 minutes, brings us to ------- 10:07 a.m.
Time of completion of dive -------------------------------------- 10:08 a.m.
(Above figure back-calculated from surface interval time and start time of subsequent dive.)

Your stated surface interval, 49 minutes, brings it to ------10:57 a.m.

Dive 2)
Your stated start time ------------------------------------------ --- 10:57 a.m.
Your stated bottom time, 25 minutes, brings us to ----------11:22 a.m.
Time of completion of dive..... we don't know, but you mention the same ascent rate as on Dive #1

So.... I don't know if something is wrong in these figures, or my math; but that ascent time (one minute) looks really short for Dive #1. If Dive #2 was similar? (Can't tell without an end time for Dive #2 but you mention the same ascent rate.)

My dives and bottom times were not so very different from yours, but my ascents took more like 12 minutes, on average. I was also diving Nitrox, so it's not exactly equivalent; but still your ascent(s) seem really short to me, time-wise. I wonder if that is where things went "bad"? Or... are you using "Total dive time" and calling it "Bottom time"? I was confused about that earlier in the thread as well. That would change things.

I'm here to learn, so if anyone sees a mistake in my post, please let me know.

Blue Sparkle

 

[Blastman4444]

Well I'm only reading what the computer said in the logs it's a cheap air computer Genesis resource pro $194 online unless I'm not understanding something maybe BT means total time in the water I would have to call Genesis to find out if it means bottom time or just diving time. Like I said before 60 feet per minute ascent rates not ideal I was one of the last to start my safety stop. My computer ascent meter goes by bar color mine were in the RED which I looked in the book and found that rate to be 51-60 FPM. Again another follow the leader type of diving not paying attention to my own computer thinking others folks experienced divers, and a DM knows what they are doing.

 

[redacted]

Here is the computer manual: http://www.piratescovescuba.com/forms/manuals/divecomputers/genesis/Resource_PROmanual.pdf

Your computer logs total dive time so it includes all but the top 4 ft of descent and ascent. The "red" ascent rate means greater than 60 FPM at greater than 60 ft depth and greater than 30 FPM at less than 60 ft. What was the recorded "ticks" on the tissue loading bar graph? That is the logged record of your tissue loading status at the end of the dive.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Sorry, sometimes when I edit a post, I seem to duplicate it for some reason.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Well I'm only reading what the computer said in the logs ... maybe BT means total time in the water I would have to call Genesis to find out if it means bottom time or just diving time.

Just as a data point, my computer (Oceanic Geo) uses "Elapsed Dive Time" and that is the total time from when I jump in to when I surface. I can figure out bottom times by looking at the charts made after it's downloaded (they are marked off in minutes and I can see when my ascent started). There may be a way to do that on the computer itself, but since I download to a graph I use that.

It seems like it would be worth knowing how your computer counts time in order to make a post-dive analysis. 18 vs. 24 minutes and 19 vs. 25 minutes could make a difference. [Edit: awap posted while I was typing, and apparently your computer does count Total Dive Time; strange if it calls it Bottom Time.]

I did go look up your dives using air tables (and your dives probably were "squareish" at least since they were wrecks) Now I see that it looks like you were right up against NDL on the first dive, and over it on the second one, even counting the two as 18 minutes and 19 minutes (I subtracted 3 minutes for ascent at 60fpm/ 3 minutes for the safety-stop on each dive). That's if I haven't got too rusty on my tables :blush: So I so now see why the dives were considered aggressive. Thanks for posting back.

It seems like it may have been the dives rather than the flying that was the real cause of the DCI? (again, if I haven't made a mistake, which I may have). That reminds me of what TSandM said about "if you get bent flying you were likely already bent."

Again, thanks for posting back. I no longer have that nagging feeling of not being clear in my mind about the dives. It probably bothered me especially as I had just been doing those same Keys dives. I drive, so that keeps me pretty flat as I leave Florida, but I still need to be careful in dive planning. This gave me a chance to think more about it

Blue Sparkle

 

[daniel1948]

I'm thinking that if the computer showed red, it was trying to tell you you were doing something wrong. PADI says 60 fpm ascent rate is acceptable, but I take that as an absolute limit, and recognize that some folks think it's too fast. So I try to ascend much slower.

One thing that was stressed in my class was that you cannot rely on another diver's computer. This means that following someone else, even a DM or instructor, and disregarding your own computer, is very much a no-no. Tables and computers work so differently for anything other than a square dive profile, that I take the announced dive plan as maximums, rather than targets. When the DM says X depth for Y minutes, I stay above X and stay no longer than Y. But I'm always watching my computer, and if I'm getting anywhere near my NDL time, or my safe pressure for the depth, I signal the DM or my buddy and start up.

It sounds like your mistake was ignoring your own computer: In effect, diving your DM's computer, and thereby crowding your NDL limit, and maybe your ascent rate as well. Too little remaining NDL time + too fast ascent = problems.

Again, I'm glad that you have recovered, and also that you posted here as a reminder to us all.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

As far as the computer it doesn't have a way to download the logs. Obviously these numbers are pushing the limits I also ascended slower then the rest of the group.

1st dive 93' 24 Minutes Bottom Time
Dive started at 9:43am
Ascent Rate was 51-60 FPM

Surface Interval 49min

2nd dive 101' 25 minutes Bottom time
Dive started at 10:57am
ascent rate was 51-60 FPM

Its unfortunate that the summary available is nearly worthless. The one glaring issue that continues to pop out to me (and others upstream in the thread) is the short surface interval relative to the depths, not just the depths by themselves. For me, anything less than 1 hour on a normal (50-70ft) dives rings the alarm bell and for dives in your range I would want 2 hours minimum between deep dives. PDC's use a fairly simple model to calculate nitrogen loading, but I suspect (can't prove it) that when you have deep repetitive dives close together there are subtle nuances (such as ascent profiles) that are not accurately accounted for, not to mention physiology differences.

 

[Thalassamania]

I'm thinking that if the computer showed red, it was trying to tell you you were doing something wrong. PADI says 60 fpm ascent rate is acceptable, but I take that as an absolute limit, and recognize that some folks think it's too fast. So I try to ascend much slower.

...

Ascent rate is built into the model used by the table or the computer, going faster is not recommended, but then neither is going slower (at least with a table, a computer can compensate for the extra nitrogen picked up when you slow your ascent).