how many dives is too much ?

[FireInMyBones]

I have done up to six dives in a day. The first was the deepest (130')followed by a one hour SI and then another shallower deep dive(100'). Both within the MDL of my tables. After a 3hr SI, I did two 60' dives over the course of an hour and a half staying as far away from the "NDL" limits of my tables. After another two and a half hours, I did two short night dives within 40'.

I drank around 2 gallons of water that day and slept during some of my surface intervals in a hammock. I loved it. The next day...sight seeing.

Things to keep in mind:
Long SIs
Lot of Water
Stay warm
Take it easy
Track your Nitrogen loading and be aware of what your body is telling you.
Don't push it.

 

[Guba]

In the Gulf of Mexico (M/V Fling) we routinely do five dives a day, each of which is 75 fsw or greater (first dive can be 100 or so...all others less). The big difference is the SI between them, which is ample. (To get them all in, the first dive is 0700, the last is a night dive.) Proper hydration and nutrition are stressed, and computers are sometimes checked by staff, just to make sure all is going well. While some may see the measures they go to as excessive, one must remember that they are a long way from assistance in the event of a DCS incident, and that makes any such situation much more serious for the stricken person, in addition to ending the trip for the other 20 divers onboard.

 

[TSandM]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned a very reasonable way to make this kind of diving safer, which is to take a Nitrox class. Nitrox will reduce the nitrogen loading for a given profile, keeping you further from your no-deco limits. If you are doing multiple dives in a day, Nitrox is a very smart thing to do.

If you are not diving square profiles, your dives won't fit in the tables very well at all. And many dives involve going down to max depth but spending very little time there, as you work your way back upslope. Using max depth to determine nitrogen loading on such a dive is an EXTREMELY conservative approach. (This is precisely why a computer will tell you you're okay, when the tables are screaming their heads off.) Repetitive diving of the sort you did is all but impossible when following tables, but commonly done using dive computers. The important thing is to be sensible. If you are going to do multiple dives, don't push limits on any of them, use generous surface intervals, and keep the later dives shallow.

Was this day of diving irresponsible? I don't think so. But I think you should know more than you do, in order to KNOW that. Pick up Mark Powell's book, Deco for Divers, and read it. It will give you a much better foundation on which to make good diving decisions.

 

[DevonDiver]

I thought about this (nitrox) - but the issue here is really one of mindset.

Otherwise, a diver could just use nitrox...and go for a 5th deep dive that day

 

[FireInMyBones]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned a very reasonable way to make this kind of diving safer, which is to take a Nitrox class. Nitrox will reduce the nitrogen loading for a given profile, keeping you further from your no-deco limits. If you are doing multiple dives in a day, Nitrox is a very smart thing to do...

Of course...Nitrox. How I take it for granted.

 

[bleeb]

A bit surprising no one has specifically commented on the short duration of Surface Interval #3. While calling this in particular "stupid" or "dangerous" might be exaggerating by quite a bit, it's also far from conservative IMHO, especially after the multiple deep dives.

There are bubbles in your blood stream after just about any dive, and IIRC Doppler ultrasound studies have found a peak in the number of detectable bubbles 50-70 minutes after surfacing. Given that and the preceding deep dives, my preference would be more for SIs like the first two (90ish minutes) than even the 60 minutes most agencies, tables and dive computers recommend for a minimum.

 

[jar546]

Too much diving in one day is:

1) Exceeding the no deco of your computer or tables, whichever you use
2) Diving to the point of exhaustion where your cognitive or physical abilities are compromised
3) Diving to limits beyond your training, ability or expertise
4) Diving outside our your comfort level
5) Diving that may be inside of limits but gives you signs and symptoms of DCS or other sicknesses
6) Diving for longer than you told your better half and getting into trouble for coming home late

It is a personal choice. What I think is too much for me may not be for someone else and vise a versa

 

[DevonDiver]

There are lots of issues that the OP needs to address. These would be evident if he was using tables, but still apply when using a computer.

For instance:

Special Rules for Multiple Dives - If you are planning 3 or more dives in a day: Beginning with the first dive, if your ending pressure group after any dive is W or X, the minimum surface interval between all subsequent dives is 1 hour. If your ending pressure group after any dive is Y or Z, the minimum surface interval between all subsequent dives is 3 hours.

Whilst your computer doesn't give you a 'pressure group' at the end of the dive.... where does common sense tell you that a computer 3min NDL would put you?

Apply the table rules to computer diving with the application of common sense.

 

[vladimir]

You can safely do 5 dives in a day; it is not unusual on a liveaboard to sustain that pace for a week. I mitigate the risk with nitrox, slow ascents, surface intervals of at least an hour, good hydration, adequate exposure protection, minimal exertion, and plenty of rest. And I listen to my body; if I'm feeling fatigued at any time, I skip a dive or two, or even a dive day.

 

[explorer08]

I would recommend "Deco for Divers" by Mark Powell as well.

While doing multiple dives, you always should be aware, that the more dives you do, the less any dive table or dive computer really can tell you what is actually physically going on in your body because they all are not based on actual data but on assumptions and mathematical models only.

Therefore your dives are a good example for the basics of any decompression theory: What works, works!

If they are best practice or just luck is up to everyones own decission.