Scuba Diving...

[LewisU_Pilot]

What as a pilot should I be aware of regarding scuba diving?

I remember something about the bends? If you go scuba diving and have an uncontrolled accent you should wait 24 hours before flying 8000 feet or above? And if it is a controlled accent to wait 12 hours. Am I close with this info at all? I cant seem to find the info anywhere was hoping someone here could shed some light

 

[HMR]

What as a pilot should I be aware of regarding scuba diving?

The sea is full of amazing creatures.

EDIT: Now that you've changed the original question- the poster below me has the right idea.

 

[jknight8907]

Don't fly for 24 hours after diving.
Either stay hydrated or don't dive for a while after flying since flying dehydrates you.

Those are the main things, the first being far more important. You'll learn why in a diving class, here's the basics:

You've heard of the bends, right? (The bends are what decompression illness is called) Basically what causes 'the bends' is ascending from depth to quickly. Once you're out of the water you aren't out of the woods yet. If you hop in a plane shortly thereafter, as you climb to altitude the pressure keeps decreasing which can cause you to get the bends.

 

[Lear2460]

If you are a certified diver, you should know this, but here's the jist:


SCUBA diving exposes your lungs to a high pressure environment, whereas airplane travel is a low pressure environment. Your lungs undergo a dramatic change in pressure when going between these two extremes. The bigger the change in pressure the greater the risk for arterial gas embolism. The best thing you can do to avoid this is to leave at least a 24 hour period between your last dive and the time you board the airplane for your flight home.

Many avid divers who want to maximize their dive time are tempted to schedule their flight home in the evening, to get in one last morning dive -- you should avoid this! Your last day in the islands should be spent re-acclimating to sea level pressures.

This will also give you and your companions time to observe you for the symptoms of arterial gas embolism. If you manifest any symptoms, such as lightheadedness, dizziness, mental confusion, numbness or tingling or sensory disturbances of any kind, you should be brought to a re-compression chamber. Under these circumstances, the last thing you need is to be up in a plane.

 

[urflyingme?!]

I don't think that this would be kosher by any means if you were piloting the aircraft, but you could get a dive computer that will tell you when it's safe to fly. Usually it's a lot less than 24 hrs, so I hear.

Or you could fly low!

PS One major problem would be the $$$ of being able to jump seat to exotic destinations for expensive world class diving.!! (sweet!!)

 

[80/20]

Various simplified rules of thumb exist. Sport diving associations such as PADI, NAUI; or CMAS have such rules in many of their books. For a more complete answer try to locate decompression tables with information about high altitude or flying. Most tables are based on US Navy tables so you can always explore some of the navy publications if you really want to dig into it. There have been examples of deep sea divers (saturation bell divining) who have gotten decompression sickness while flying more than 24 hours after diving.

 

[LewisU_Pilot]

Thanks for the Info guys. They want me to know a little bit about it for my end of course multi at my school.

 

[Guam360]

the problem isn't so much the flight itself ,it is if the cabin equalizes with the ambient outside at altitude(ie.37,000). where the pressure differential is the greatest.

 

[jknight8907]

The plane doesn't have to be unpressurized for this to be a problem. For example most airliners have a cabin altitude of about 8,000 at cruise. That's more than enough for problems to arise. Some of the newer business jets would not be a problem, as they have sea-level cabin altitudes in the FL300-400 range.

 

[Guam360]

ok, 8000 feet, sure but the issue is depressurization, 18,000 feet is close to the same as 33 feet of sea water, the change at 8000 feet is very little, the only symptom occuring at flying in an aircraft at your cabin altitude of 8000 feet would only be type 2(pain) AGE may occur but most AGE symptoms occur in the first ten minutes after surfacing.

 

[350DRIVER]

A lot of the above is common sense but decent information. PM TDTURBO if you want to hear some first hand experiences, advice, etc, he can pretty much answer any questions that you may have since he is quite an avid diver that frequently travels to the better places for this.

3 5 0

watch them mean lookin sharks that are out there.

 

[minitour]

...since he is quite an avid diver ...

for some reason, I thought at first that said "anal diver"....wow...time to hit the bottle eh?

-mini

 

[TDTURBO]

All the above advice is pretty good but get a dive computer, dive tables are way conservative and everybody has different physiology. I have seen the bens on a 30 foot dive, I go to 200 on mixed gases while a freind of mine who is also a dive instructor does it with plain air. My point is every one is different, don't find out you are on the conservative side without a plan B and get in trouble. I dive and fly regularly, if you fly low, below 3k, no prob, it depends on YOUR body. Dive tables are for the safest approach, but by all means not written in stone. Dive for awhile and slowly push your limits with an experienced diver.

 

[Fury220]

SCUBA diving for an Air Force pilot means an automatic 24 hour DNIF.

I'll trust my friendly flight docs on this one.

 

[TDTURBO]

SCUBA diving for an Air Force pilot means an automatic 24 hour DNIF.

I'll trust my friendly flight docs on this one.

Good advice when you are strapped to an F-18 going vertical to FL410

 

[jknight8907]

ok, 8000 feet, sure but the issue is depressurization, 18,000 feet is close to the same as 33 feet of sea water, the change at 8000 feet is very little, the only symptom occuring at flying in an aircraft at your cabin altitude of 8000 feet would only be type 2(pain) AGE may occur but most AGE symptoms occur in the first ten minutes after surfacing.

Maybe, maybe not.

Wanna risk it?

 

[Fury220]

Good advice when you are strapped to an F-18 going vertical to FL410

Except that very few USAF pilots will be strapped into an F/A-18


But you have a great point. Think "explosive decompression" and the how nasty "the bends" would be in that scenario ugh.

 

[LewisU_Pilot]

This was the answer I was looking for
AIM 8-1-2

A pilot or passenger who intends to fly after scuba diving should allow the body sufficient time to rid itself of excess nitrogen absorbed during diving. If not, decompression sickness due to evolved gas can occur during exposure to higher altitudes and create a serious in-flight emergency.

The recommended waiting time before flight to cabin pressure altitudes of 8,000 feet or less is at least 12 hours after diving which has not required controlled ascent (non-decompression diving) and at least 24 hours after diving which has required controlled ascent (decompression diving). The waiting time before flight to cabin pressure altitudes above 8,000 feet should be at least 24 hours after any scuba diving.

 

[jumppilot]

When you SCUBA dive, your body absorbes Nitrogen at an increased rate. When you surface from a dive, your body has a higher content of Nitrogen, due to the increased metabolism of the gas due to an increase in partial pressure.


Partial pressure of Nitrogen at sea level is .79 (79% Nitrogen in the air we breathe). At 33 feet, where the atmospheric pressure is twice that at sea level, the partial pressure of N is 1.58. At this pressure, the body has a higher absorbed Nitrogen in the blood steam.

If you decrease altitude without time to 'off gas' this increase Nitrogen, it can come out of solution in the form of bubbles....Which can hurt.

That is why you need to wait before you expose your body to increase altitude.

You can get the bends even if you haven't been SCUBA diving. Reference the astronauts who must breathe pure Oxygen for a few hours before an EVA. Their suites are at a pressure of about 5 psi. At that pressure, even atmospheric Nitrogen can come out of solution.

The Bends suck. I did an 8 hour chamber ride about 7 years ago. Not fun.