The process of decompression occurs when a diver descends to a lower pressure than the ambient one. During ascent, the body of a diver is subject to decompression. This can be dangerous, so it is important to do decompression dives correctly. Decompression diving and decompression illness are discussed in more detail. You can also read about the penalties and treatment for decompression sickness. Below are some questions that decompression divers might ask.
Deco dives
Before you start planning your deco dive, make sure to review the basics of your V-planner. By doing so, you'll be able see how much is necessary to achieve the correct visibility. A V-planner can be used to plan a dive up to 35m. Otherwise, you'll need to calculate deco manually, if possible.
The minimum deco is half of the average depth and a slow ascent. The name of the minimum deco is misleading as it takes much longer than one minute. You will usually ascend 10ft/3m in 30 secs, then stop and recover for 30 secs before you repeat the process. Before ascending, you may need to ensure your tank is fully empty. It is important to ensure that you have enough air in the tank.
Planned dives
A computer-generated plan for decompression diving can be a valuable tool for divers. The computer generates deco plans according to divers' choice of decompression models and gases. The software can be used to plan dives for specific decompression times, OTU loadings and gas requirements for each level. Divers can use the PC planning software to avoid common mistakes made when planning a dive manually.
A decompression break is a series stop during ascent to allow the body's ability to expel helium and nitrogen. To adjust to the pressure of the surrounding environment, a lengthy decompression break is required. The length of the decompression stops depends on the profile of the diver and the maximum depth reached. Plan multiple decompression stops if you plan to reach the deepest depths.
Decompression sickness: Standard treatment
The standard treatment for decompression illness is to breathe 100% oxygen through the mask, maintain blood pressure and administer fluids to prevent oxygen from being lost. In intensive treatment, the hyperbaric oxygen chamber is used in order to reverse the blood pressure changes and convert nitrogen back into liquid. This can be done over several hours. If severe decompression sickness occurs, it is best to avoid diving until the symptoms resolve or a suitable alternative treatment has been found.
In severe cases, oxygen supplementation is administered to the diver. It should be maintained until help arrives. Since symptoms might not be obvious immediately, it can be difficult to diagnose decompression syndrome. However, decompression sickness should be treated as an emergency and the diver should be kept warm until medical assistance arrives. It is important to monitor the diver's condition and rule out neurological signs. These symptoms could indicate an air embolism if they are not visible within a few minutes.
Penalties for decompression diving
Decompression diving may result in loss of consciousness and inadequate air supply to the lung. There are many ways to avoid these complications and decrease the chance of getting decompression illness. Be sure to know your limits when diving. Without the right equipment, diving can cause decompression sickness. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when diving.
You should not underestimate the decompression period. This is the first mistake that you need to avoid. Recreational diving, NDLs (and depth limits) are mostly concerned about fast tissues. Maximum ascent rates were designed to permit direct ascent towards the surface. Complex calculations are required for decompression diving, regardless of the tank type. The Buhlmann ZH-L16 algorithm fixes nitrogen halftimes at 2.65 times longer than helium's, and it adds an increasing time for decompression if the helium fraction is higher than expected.