New NAUI Standards for Deep Stops & Safety Stops

[ebenburger]

i HAVE JUST COMPLETED MY RECUE DIVING COURSE AND NO MENTION OF THIS NEW RULING WAS MADE. WILL IT BE INCLUDED IN TRAINING COURSES? SHOULD WE CONSIDER THIS THE NEW STANDARD

 

[Bismark]

Well summarized Bob. That should be required reading as an introduction into DCS. In fact, I just might steal it from you for classes here I already have students asking me who you are as your name is on the AOW outline you wrote and I use that outline as a supplement in some classes... Interesting to see a major agency like NAUI really step up to the plate with deep stops. GUE has been doing it for years but most other agencies seemed to just give it lip service. I wonder if a former GUE training director who is now a NAUI intructor trainer has had anything to do with it? Just a thought.

 

[captain]

Currently the thought is that off gassing happens in two ways that happen concurrently.
N2 (and/or He) come out of tissues, stay in solution and are removed via the lungs. At the same time N2 (and/or He) in bubble form are removed from the body via the lungs. This is incidentally the reason why it is important to know if you have a PFO or not.

We do a deep stop, depth of this stop depends on how deep the dive was, and 1 min stops every 10ft from there on to control bubble size, not minimize bubbling, the bubbles are already there.

It is flawed thinking to say you can just skip all stops in 'no deco' diving because, as someone pointed out already, every dive is essentially a decompression dive. Skipping all stops on a rec dive often results in sub clinical DCS symptoms. And I know what that feels like.

The original 3-5 min stop at 15ft without any other stops is basically getting you bent and then treating it, much like the original navy tables.

Doing a deep stop and 1 min stops every 10ft result in a better deco profile.

Don't underestimate the importance of a gradual slow ascent. The 'no deco' limit on a
100ft dive (on air say) is about 20min. This is about 4 half times for the fastest tissues
that have roughly 4-5 min halftimes, these tissues (blood for example) will be 90+ % saturated after 20 min. A fast ascent at that point to the surface would be disastrous, even though 'no stops are needed'.

I am not debating the merits of either deep or shallow safety stops but I do firmly believe the advent of the computer has put everyone closer to NDL's than the using the standard Navy tables did in the past. I did hundered of dives on the Navy tables without safety stops and on only one ocassion do I suspect I might have had a slight DCS skin hit. I can say other than that one time I can not recall anything that I would call sub clinical DCS symptoms.
I am very much more aware of decompression when using the computer because of my experience using tables in that I feel the computer puts you much closer to the NDL than tables did.

 

[Bismark]

I am not debating the merits of either deep or shallow safety stops but I do firmly believe the advent of the computer has put everyone closer to NDL's than the using the standard Navy tables did in the past. I did hundered of dives on the Navy tables without safety stops and on only one ocassion do I suspect I might have had a slight DCS skin hit. I can say other than that one time I can not recall anything that I would call sub clinical DCS symptoms.
I am very much more aware of decompression when using the computer because of my experience using tables in that I feel the computer puts you much closer to the NDL than tables did.

I am on the same page with you there. It is very commonplace for computer users to "ride the computer" up and accumulate heavier N2 loads than they would have by following tables.

 

[ronbeau]

i HAVE JUST COMPLETED MY RECUE DIVING COURSE AND NO MENTION OF THIS NEW RULING WAS MADE. WILL IT BE INCLUDED IN TRAINING COURSES? SHOULD WE CONSIDER THIS THE NEW STANDARD

According to NAUI headquarters, yes. NAUI is asking the instructors to mark up their NAUI standards and procedures to reflect the change.

On of the NAUI Course Directors at my LDS just received this Wednesday June 18, 2008. I had NAUI send it to me on Friday via email since I did not get a chance to get it from the Course Director after our dive club meeting on Wednesday.

 

[RL Scuba]

I am an instructor with PADI and am not familiar with NAUI standards - but I have ran into a situation where I would like a NAUI pro to assist in a question that has arose - What is the protocol for a diver that has dove at 68 feet for 15 minutes - then 48 feet for 15 minutes - then does a safety stop at 30 feet for 2 minutes - then a safety stop at 15 feet for 1.5 minutes? After a 1 hour surface interval, does the diver need to sit out the next dive? How long should he remain out of the water before doing a third dive at 20 feet? I know this sounds goofy, but I would like some input. Thank you.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I am an instructor with PADI and am not familiar with NAUI standards - but I have ran into a situation where I would like a NAUI pro to assist in a question that has arose - What is the protocol for a diver that has dove at 68 feet for 15 minutes - then 48 feet for 15 minutes - then does a safety stop at 30 feet for 2 minutes - then a safety stop at 15 feet for 1.5 minutes? After a 1 hour surface interval, does the diver need to sit out the next dive? How long should he remain out of the water before doing a third dive at 20 feet? I know this sounds goofy, but I would like some input. Thank you.

While waiting for a NAUI pro to answer, in the meantime --looking at a NAUI RGBM Air Table (the no RNT calculation variant):

Dive#1
21m/70': Max dive time is 40min
SIT: 1:00 hr

Dive#2
Max depth allowed: 15m/50' for 80min
SIT: 1:00 hr

Dive#3
Max depth allowed: 9m/30' for 150min

No more than three repetitive dives within 12 hr period in utilizing this table;
Ascent rate 30fpm/9mpm;
All dives require safety stop of about 5m/15' (+/- 1m or 3') for 3min.