Surface Intervals while on Holiday

[WDiver78]

Hi everyone, I am relatively new to diving and wanted to know what my surface intervals would be if I were going on multiple dive trips and the general safety behind it

I am planning to do 4 days of diving in Thailand and will be doing another 5 days of diving in Maldives consecutively (Apart from the days I’m flying of course). Are there any safety concerns with the intervals I should know about?

My father’s friend recently got the bends while on a liveaboard trip as he did not do his deepest dive first. Do I need to be concerned if I may be doing the same as I’ll be travelling to 2 different places.

 

[rick00001967]

good morning.
most people today use a dive computer. so i am assuming you will be using one. when you are doing multiple dives each day pls be sure to be very conservative with your dive planning. remember......the computer is only using a "theory" to estimate your allowable dive times etc.

do long safety stops and ascent extra slowly to the surface when that stop is completed.

i would also be very careful about flying from one location to the other. especially when doing multiple dives before flying. give your self a "minimum of 24 hrs" between your last dive and your flight.

as far as surface intervals go......that depends on your dive profiles. again, be conservative. take long breaks between dives. enjoy your lunch or just catch some rays.

another suggestion i would make is to get certified for using nitrox. when you plan your dives, you can plan them as if you are using air but in reality you would be breathing nitrox. this will add even more conservatism to your diving.

enjoy your trip. dive safe !!

 

[HKGuns]

The interval before flying is pretty important and schedules don't always make it easy to accommodate, unless thought through well in advance.

You already mentioned one of the keys, deep dive first, shallow dive(s) following.

Know how to use your computer..........

 

[WDiver78]

The interval before flying is pretty important and schedules don't always make it easy to accommodate, unless thought through well in advance.

You already mentioned one of the keys, deep dive first, shallow dive(s) following.

Know how to use your computer..........

yeah my main concern is since I have 2 consecutive trips, wouldn’t the dive schedule be a bit odd. But you’re right, since I’ve only got about 30 dives under my belt I have not yet invested in a dive computer. Should start thinking about one soon.

 

[rick00001967]

I have not yet invested in a dive computer. Should start thinking about one soon.

YES
it is not that you cannot dive using tables. you most certainly can. the trouble is that if you are in a group, and everyone else is using a computer while you are using tables, your profiles are not gonna to be anywhere near the rest of the group which will cause problems for you.

 

[WDiver78]

good morning.
most people today use a dive computer. so i am assuming you will be using one. when you are doing multiple dives each day pls be sure to be very conservative with your dive planning. remember......the computer is only using a "theory" to estimate your allowable dive times etc.

do long safety stops and ascent extra slowly to the surface when that stop is completed.

i would also be very careful about flying from one location to the other. especially when doing multiple dives before flying. give your self a "minimum of 24 hrs" between your last dive and your flight.

as far as surface intervals go......that depends on your dive profiles. again, be conservative. take long breaks between dives. enjoy your lunch or just catch some rays.

another suggestion i would make is to get certified for using nitrox. when you plan your dives, you can plan them as if you are using air but in reality you would be breathing nitrox. this will add even more conservatism to your diving.

enjoy your trip. dive safe !!

Yea I have been using a dive computer but have been renting those as I only have 30 dives under my belt and have not yet invested in my own computer. I have also been considering nitrox but I doubt it’ll do much as I’m planning to do over 20 dives through the trip, but it is something to think about. Yeah I guess I should extend the trip by a couple of days to leave a longer gap between the days that I will actually be travelling (flying) and also invest in a computer to give me some assistance since I’ll be doing multiple dives for multiple days on both trips. Thanks for the advice!

 

[JaminBrown]

How many dives per day on these trips? That's where planning your dives with a table and paying attention to your NDL is really going to matter. There should be no concern of the first trip affecting the second trip, as you'll have 24+ hours between those dives.

If you are planning multiple dives per day, you'll need to use you tables and *plan* them based on the SI between dives and planned depths. Then you'll need to dive those plans.

If you have a computer, AND use it on every dive correctly, it can tell you what your NDL is for each dive as you are diving. It can also be used to help you look to see what your max NDL will be for specific depths later in the day.

Another thing to consider for trips where you plan multiple dives per day is getting your Nitrox certification and diving on Nitrox (assuming the dive outfits you are using offer it). That can increase your bottom time, though you will now have a maximum depth to watch out for.

 

[JaminBrown]

Yea I have been using a dive computer but have been renting those as I only have 30 dives under my belt and have not yet invested in my own computer.

As long as you understand the computer and use it every dive, it doesn't matter if you rent or own. The computer will tell you your NDL real-time.

I have also been considering nitrox but I doubt it’ll do much as I’m planning to do over 20 dives through the trip, but it is something to think about.

Nitrox is beneficial for multiple dives per day. It can extend your bottom time / ability to go deeper especially on your afternoon dives. It's most beneficial when you plan multiple dives per day.

Yeah I guess I should extend the trip by a couple of days to leave a longer gap between the days that I will actually be travelling (flying) and also invest in a computer to give me some assistance since I’ll be doing multiple dives for multiple days on both trips. Thanks for the advice!

You don't need to extend the time between trips. You need to wait a minimum of 12 or 24 hours (depending on which guideline you follow) after diving before you fly. That's it. As soon as you land, you can go diving again. Nitrox doesn't change this.

Owning your own computer is helpful as you really get to know how to use it. Depending on the model, you can download your dive logs from it and keep track of all sorts of interesting data.

 

[WDiver78]

You don't need to extend the time between trips. You need to wait a minimum of 12 or 24 hours (depending on which guideline you follow) after diving before you fly. That's it. As soon as you land, you can go diving again. Nitrox doesn't change this.

Owning your own computer is helpful as you really get to know how to use it. Depending on the model, you can download your dive logs from it and keep track of all sorts of interesting data.

Ok, makes sense, so as long as I have a 24 hour gap before I fly, I’ll be able to offgas the nitrogen and restart my dive profile for the next trip? (Starting again with a deep dive).

Also, do you have any recommendations for a dive computer for a relatively new diver? (Planning to go into tech sometime but probably not for at least 2-3 years

 

[JaminBrown]

Ok, makes sense, so as long as I have a 24 hour gap before I fly, I’ll be able to offgas the nitrogen and restart my dive profile for the next trip? (Starting again with a deep dive).

Also, do you have any recommendations for a dive computer for a relatively new diver? (Planning to go into tech sometime but probably not for at least 2-3 years

Exactly!

I've spent a ton of time researching computers, but don't have my own yet. I'm looking at Shearwater, because in the US their warranty support is *amazing* and I'm a geek who loves high-tech gadgets and have the budget for them. I don't know what's popular and well supported in Malaysia, or what your budget is.

Also, I've only got 20 dives under my belt myself. I understand the theory really well, but don't have the actual experience to back it up. And with no travel available, my local dive options are in the Atlantic off the coast of Maine. Right now the water is 55 F / 13 C. It might get as warm as 65 F / 18 C later this summer. So... enjoy those trips!