This is in response to the thread http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/464715-bent-i-guess-really-can-happen-me.html - instead of attempting a derail, I felt the topic deserved it's own separate discussion.
It's well known that a variety of factors prior to, during, and after each dive contribute to the relative probability of taking a DCS hit. Generally speaking - we're taught to stay hydrated, sleep well the night before, use proper exposure protection, exercise/eat right, etc... However, it appears there is very little empirical evidence to suggest exactly how much these factors affect an NDL and thus, we have very few objective means of applying conservatism to our dive profiles.
While we can argue the various facets of a DCS occurrence down to whether the diver's breakfast contained egg yolks or not, this is not the point of this thread. Rather, I'd like to know how each of us assesses our relative DCS risk factors and how we incorporate those assessments into our own dive planning.
For instance, I work mostly 2nd shift and occasionally have a hard time getting a good night's rest for an early dive departure. When this happens, I'll often cut a few minutes off of my planned ascent time for each dive, and generally shoot for slightly longer surface intervals. Conversely, I will generally not alter my dive plan if I had a bacon McMuffin for breakfast as opposed to fruit and yogurt.
In addition to the "day of" assessments, I have been bent once before and do not have a regular cardio routine. Since my incident, I am a stickler about ascent rates (the reason for my hit), and typically extend my safety stops to 5-7 minutes and wear more exposure protection than is typically needed (granted, I am a wuss). I likely would not alter my dive plans based on personal fitness alone, unless the dive is to be highly physical in nature (although changes in one's cardiopulmonary efficiency may extend allowable air time, and thus the dive - but we are referencing DCS here, not RMV/SAC).
So how do you personally identify, assess, quantify, and implement these individual risk factors into your diving routines?
Instructors - please feel free to chime in on how you explain these factors to your students.
It's well known that a variety of factors prior to, during, and after each dive contribute to the relative probability of taking a DCS hit. Generally speaking - we're taught to stay hydrated, sleep well the night before, use proper exposure protection, exercise/eat right, etc... However, it appears there is very little empirical evidence to suggest exactly how much these factors affect an NDL and thus, we have very few objective means of applying conservatism to our dive profiles.
While we can argue the various facets of a DCS occurrence down to whether the diver's breakfast contained egg yolks or not, this is not the point of this thread. Rather, I'd like to know how each of us assesses our relative DCS risk factors and how we incorporate those assessments into our own dive planning.
For instance, I work mostly 2nd shift and occasionally have a hard time getting a good night's rest for an early dive departure. When this happens, I'll often cut a few minutes off of my planned ascent time for each dive, and generally shoot for slightly longer surface intervals. Conversely, I will generally not alter my dive plan if I had a bacon McMuffin for breakfast as opposed to fruit and yogurt.
In addition to the "day of" assessments, I have been bent once before and do not have a regular cardio routine. Since my incident, I am a stickler about ascent rates (the reason for my hit), and typically extend my safety stops to 5-7 minutes and wear more exposure protection than is typically needed (granted, I am a wuss). I likely would not alter my dive plans based on personal fitness alone, unless the dive is to be highly physical in nature (although changes in one's cardiopulmonary efficiency may extend allowable air time, and thus the dive - but we are referencing DCS here, not RMV/SAC).
So how do you personally identify, assess, quantify, and implement these individual risk factors into your diving routines?
Instructors - please feel free to chime in on how you explain these factors to your students.