When, if ever is it safe for a diver to make multiple trips from the bottom to surface in one dive?

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Here is one of my profiles from doing air sharing ascents with students. Haha! They did pretty good! Only one rapid ascent warning


View attachment 727501

I'm surprised no one has been bent or suffered a lung injury.

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Lets say If a situation arose where a diver was at 30ft, then had ascended to surface for some visual aid to lets say shore, then decided to descend back down to 30ft for the remainder of the dive, is this a safe action taken by the diver?

I would say it's time you and your buddies learnt to use a compass.

 

[Celt]

thanks for the reply. Sounds interesting servicing moorings and replacing shackles underwater. We use moorings here in NY, when I had the boat me and the mooring guy would take them out every season and its a pain to take them out every year, sounds like in a way servicing in the water would maybe be better.

Great idea, and it will give you a chance to check your gear and get in a few shallow dives before the season starts. It's also a great way to get used to poor vis conditions in a controlled way. You be surprised what you can learn by doing little jobs in the water.

 

[sourdough]

Anecdotal evidence here, I've always been far more physically drained after multiple short dives like OP described. Like definitely going to need a nap exhausted, which hasn't been the case for standard dives.

 

[Doby45]

I think what is being missed here is that none of us do "those" type of dives because we "want" to. We all want to do nice leisurely dives and relax. Most of these super exaggerated saw tooth profile dives are working dives, be it as a dive pro doing training dives or underwater worker doing a job.

I think they make you tired, because you are working.

 

[Nitrox_DiverNY]

I would say it's time you and your buddies learnt to use a compass.

we use em all the time. Some situations might call for a more specific visual aid or updated compass heading

 

[pauldw]

Suunto computers will penalize you for a sawtooth profile.

Explain that a little more, please.

 

[Belzelbub]

I think what is being missed here is that none of us do "those" type of dives because we "want" to. We all want to do nice leisurely dives and relax. Most of these super exaggerated saw tooth profile dives are working dives, be it as a dive pro doing training dives or underwater worker doing a job.

I think they make you tired, because you are working.

Exactly. When I'm diving for fun, my depth changes aren't usually that great. Generally following the bottom contours, but never close to the surface unless I need to be at the surface. The lionfish hunting dive with 35 ascents is ridiculous. That's precisely why Zookeepers and the like are sold.

I have a recent dive with lots of ascents and descents over an hour. Like you said, it was a working dive. I was using a power scrubber to clean algae off of a dolphin habitat. I scrubbed the floor, then worked on the walls, which were where my ascents and descents were. In this case, max depth was only 10' and my SurfGF never really got above 1 or 2%. I was tired after that dive, but over an hour spent scrubbing will do that.

 

[tursiops]

Explain that a little more, please.

You'll have to ask Suunto for any details, and they won't tell you.
They reportedly penalize you for sawtooth profiles, fast ascents, and short surface intervals.
In addition to adding one percent to whatever FO2 you enter so as to lessen your MOD.

 

[Akimbo]

Here is another data point: Commercial divers performing piling inspections typically do one piling at at time, working down on one and up on another. It is not unusual to work in 30-40' of water and work 4-6 hours/day. I have never heard of any DCS concerns or symptoms.