PADI Scuba Diver v. Open Water Diver

[ekewaka]

I meant to write SHOULD not.... I usually avoid diving the same day I fly, but MAY consider it the next. I do usually sit out a day - if nothing else, my body could use some acclimating to the time zone, weather, etc.

I would still like to know how you came up with that rule. It is ridiculous to say that because just you usually avoid it, everyone else should do the same.

 

[Skeeter1097]

The no fly for 24 hr came from the dive book. {Padi, SSI, and others. Most dive computers Give you a no fly time.
I think all you that think you cant learn the basic skills and get certified OW in 3 days. You must think we all wont to be seals or something. Or maybe we are all stupid. How long was your course for OW? 25 dives and 40 hrs in class time like in the nave.
I think a lot of you think you walk on water too.

 

[ekewaka]

The no fly for 24 hr came from the dive book. {Padi, SSI, and others. Most dive computers Give you a no fly time.
I think all you that think you cant learn the basic skills and get certified OW in 3 days. You must think we all wont to be seals or something. Or maybe we are all stupid. How long was your course for OW? 25 dives and 40 hrs in class time like in the nave.
I think a lot of you think you walk on water too.

It no flying for 24 hours rule is because most divers don't off gas completely before the get out of the water, and they still have residual nitrogen in their tissues for quite a while afterward. What I don't understand is how you go from that to saying that you should not dive for 24 hours after flying.

 

[scubasaint]

This thread is now getting confusing. Are you saying that you should not dive for 24 hours after flying or not fly for 24 hours after diving?? I was always under the impression that you could dive immediately after flying if given the opportunity.

 

[ekewaka]

This thread is now getting confusing. Are you saying that you should not dive for 24 hours after flying or not fly for 24 hours after diving?? I was always under the impression that you could dive immediately after flying if given the opportunity.

The rule of not flying for 24 hours after diving is pretty well known, although not everyone agrees with it.

Scubapatton is saying that you should also not dive for 24 hours after flying. I have never heard this before, and I can't think of any logical explanation for it. I would like to know how he came up with that rule.

 

[scubapatton]

I learned that in 1996 when I first got certified. I think the rationale was that the change in altitude from flight to land to depth at sea could have adverse impact to your body. We talked with 3 dive shops on Boracay Island and all three would not even teach my girlfriend and I until 24 hours after we landed. Since I have not had any incidents with DCI from the 24 hour rule, I will continue to advocate a personal belief that you can wait ~24 hours before and after diving to fly. Whatever is under the sea can wait approximately another 24 hours for me to see it safely.

You want to go sooner, go ahead, I am not going to stop you or even try to. But if opinions are being asked for, then I will continue to express waiting ~24 hours AFTER flying to dive, and ~24 hours AFTER diving to fly will not hurt as a precautionary gesture. The original poster had only a few days prior to leaving for Thailand. Doing a referral course would be very difficult and the e-Learning option probably as well in that short amount of time.

The poster also noted they have done a number of "intro" dives before, so doing the Discover Scuba or Resort course is probably not going to be worth it. By ponying up the time and money now, they do not have to keep taking Intro courses every vacation they take.

I hate to get us back on topic of the post, unless others want to bash a diver's belief that actually erring on the side of caution and waiting ~24 hours may actually do more harm than good. Again, my basis for the comment was initial training from 11 years ago. Current research may have changed, but I will maintain caution and still get my dives in. You go get the 2-3 dives in while I wait topside by the pool soaking in the sun....

 

[scubapatton]

Oh, and the wait 24 hours to fly after diving is actually a recommendation, not a requirement, and the "rule" really is wait 12 hours after 1 dive, 18 hours after 2+ dives and 24 hours if you hit no decompression limits for those newer divers that may be reading this and are getting confused (eg scubasaint). You can still potentially experience DCI even with a 24-hour break, but the risk is reduced. Waiting longer will not make matters worse.

 

[Hinalo]

I think that the original question about waiting 24 hours after flying to dive was less of a criticism of you than it was an inquiry into where that rule came from. Everyone is familiar with the guidelines for flying after diving, but I'd never heard anything about diving after flying. I was curious too about where you came up with that.

 

[scubapatton]

I was not taking it as criticism actually. I was trying to clarify that it is my opinion, based on something I was taught years ago. I did re-state the recommendation in my next posting though to clarify what is published recommendation vs lil ole me's opinion.

Pardon me if I responded harshly. I did not take it as a personal attack though - I was just tryiong to get the topic back on line.

 

[boulderjohn]

As for the questioning of professionalism, PADI standards call for the process to be handled in certain ways, but the only limiting factors are time, the correct procedure, the ability of the student and the instructor and the fact that no more than 3 training dives can be completed in a day. It truly is possible to get the OW class done in 2 days IF you do some pre-work.

Boy, I don't see how.

First day: Let's say you do all your knowledge reviews before showing up. They still have to go over them with you, which takes some time. If you have great water skills already and are the only one in the class, it is indeed possible to do all the CW skills in a few hours. To get a normal sized class through all the confined water skills, though, takes a lot longer than that. Then you would have to get in at least one OW training dive that day. It would not be a day I would want to experience.

Second day: Three training dives. That is doable.

Of course, one way to do it is the way I was insrtucted when I took my OW class in Mexico: do all the CW work in an hour or two in a pool no deeper than 5 feet. Of course, you have to skip 75% of the actual instruction, but if your goal is to get it done rather than actually instruct, well....