Low level flying after diving

[sharkbait13]

hi ive posted this question on the diving medicine thread but seems to be little info out there regarding low level flying after diving.
as a helicopter pilot i would like to start combining my diving with flying in that i would like to be able to do a couple of no deco dives followed by about a two hour SI and then be able to fly back at lower altitudes 1000 to 1200 feet.

would it be safe to do this ?
as the pilot i cannot afford to possibly take a DCS hit .
are there any studies or experiments published?
having trouble finding anything on the subject.

Sharkbait

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

We just returned from a trip on the Spirit of Freedom in Cairns, Oz.......after repetitive dive days we flew back from Lizzard Island to Cairns...average 1000ft. It is done on a weekly basis with no problems to any of the divers. Keep it to 1000' or below and you should have no problem.

 

[sharkbait13]

thanx for the info
can u tell me after repetitive days of diving what the averge SI was before flying to 1000 feet?

 

[ShakaZulu]

I have the same problem flying from Catalina, but can't do it at 1000ft......too much risk if that engine stops.

PS. Scuba instructor and helicopter pilot...you are living a hell of a life, nice.

 

[farsidefan1]

Interesting question. I live at 4,500 feet here in Utah and I dive in what we call the crater (a hill with a hot spring inside about 64 feet deep. It's also 93 degrees when it's freezing outside (what can I say, There aren't a lot of options here in the winter). Anyway the crater is at 6,000 feet and I drive over a pass that is about 7,000 feet on the way home. I'm 57 and in "adequate shape" -resting pulse 60. I usually do a couple of dives of about 40 minutes just to keep up skills before I go on a dive trip. I have not experienced any problems with decompression illness. I am carefull to get an adequate interval (refer to computer) between dives and usually it takes an hour or more after second dive befrore I am back in the car for the half hour drive home. I guess my point is that when I finish the dive I'm at 6,000 feet. I don't know that a 1,000 foot flight after a significant interval would be that big of a deal. Check with a dive doc before trying it (don't do this at home kiddies or whatever warning is appropriate. I'm only relaying my experience and that of a lot of others who live and dive at altitude. Of course we correct for altitude when computing intervals. Have fun.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

What you should do is consider the dive an Altitude dive for the highest altitude you will be at in the helicopter*. There are resources out there on how to plan altitude diving. It is basically an adjustment to make dive tables more conservative. Consider the site

Diving At Altitude

PADI also has a specialty in Altitude Diver

If you want technical info on the topic, including how they came to decide on flying after diving recommendations,

http://www.amazon.com/Diving-Above-...=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228709867&sr=1-8

I was first trained in New Mexico and we had a similar situation to Farsidefan, We did dives around 5000ft as I recall, but the drive home went to 7000ft. We would use altitude diving adjustments for 5000 feet if we were staying there overnight and 7000ft if we were driving home that day.

* I should mention that I am not a scuba instructor, nor a medical professional, everything above is just the recommendation of a physicist who has read technical books on decompression theory.

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

thanx for the info
can u tell me after repetitive days of diving what the averge SI was before flying to 1000 feet?

oops, probably different from your situation of right after the dive.....we had about 10hrs si before the flight.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hi sharkbait:

This does not sound too bad. There are dive/fly interval tables that could be checked. [I am on vacation and it is not easy for me to do this right now.]

 

[sharkbait13]

Doc thanks for taking the time to reply enjoy your holiday

Gene

 

[sharkbait13]

What you should do is consider the dive an Altitude dive for the highest altitude you will be at in the helicopter*. There are resources out there on how to plan altitude diving. It is basically an adjustment to make dive tables more conservative. Consider the site

Diving At Altitude

PADI also has a specialty in Altitude Diver

If you want technical info on the topic, including how they came to decide on flying after diving recommendations,

Amazon.com: Diving Above Sea Level (Diversification Series): B. R. Wienke: Books



I was first trained in New Mexico and we had a similar situation to Farsidefan, We did dives around 5000ft as I recall, but the drive home went to 7000ft. We would use altitude diving adjustments for 5000 feet if we were staying there overnight and 7000ft if we were driving home that day.

* I should mention that I am not a scuba instructor, nor a medical professional, everything above is just the recommendation of a physicist who has read technical books on decompression theory.

thanks so much for your input
it never occured to me that i could plan my dives as altitude dives to the height that i would then fly. hummm seems logical.
have to look into this further

Gene