Safety stop/Deco stop .Whats the difference?

[Jon_R]

Somewhat new diver. Cert May 2013. I agree with this. I have blown off safety stops a couple times. Just not going to do a safety stop in packs of jelly fish. No current plans to go into deco requiring deco stops but I understand what they are and why they exist.

I'm a bit past the 25-dive mark, but still a relatively new diver, so I'll answer. My understanding has always been that a deco stop is required while a safety stop is optional but recommended (more highly so on longer and/ or deeper dives or repetitive dives). I treat safety stops as essentially mandatory except on very shallow and relatively short dives, but I wouldn't think too much about blowing one off if circumstances called for it. My very basic understanding of deco stops is that the trick is to go to great lengths in planning so that blowing one off or cutting one short is not something that should ever be necessary.

 

[tomfcrist]

Safety stops are deco stops, just as all dives are deco dives.

 

[Hatul]

A recreational dive should not have any deco stops. If there are deco stops then that, in my opinion, is poor dive planning and executing.

To add fuzziness: at times to a point, whether you have or have not a deco stop can depend on the algorithm and the set conservatism.

If we take your statement at face value, take two divers diving same profile, one with a conservative algorithm and one with liberal. The conservative gets a deco stop, you would castigate him for going into deco while the second is fine, when in fact the conservative guy has done the safer ascent.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Some people (including myself) believe the safety stop was created in part due to divers routinely failing to ascend slow enough. Ascending too fast is probably the most common violation of safe diving protocol. The other part is recognition that all dives are deco and allowing for that without calling it deco or requiring additional training. KISS.

 

[LowDrag]

My understanding of a Safety Stop is: A stop that is suggested rather than required to off gas excess nitrogen at the end of a recreational level dive.


My understanding of a Deco Stop is: A mandatory stop that a diver is required to perform because of diving extended time dives or diving deeper.

 

[The Chairman]

All safety stops are deco stops and all deco stops are done for my safety. I prefer to call them precautionary or mandatory stops. I also include a deep stop at half of my depth for two minutes and then a full five minutes at 10ft.

 

[Mustard Dave]

To add fuzziness: at times to a point, whether you have or have not a deco stop can depend on the algorithm and the set conservatism.

If we take your statement at face value, take two divers diving same profile, one with a conservative algorithm and one with liberal. The conservative gets a deco stop, you would castigate him for going into deco while the second is fine, when in fact the conservative guy has done the safer ascent.

If you have planned a no deco dive, neither computer should hit deco. The buddy pair should be diving to the most conservative computer. If diver one hits the NDL and diver two has 10 minutes left, both should ascend.

 

[Frosty]

The Safety Stop is a 3-minute pause you do at roughly 1.5 atmospheres at the end of a dive.

The Deco Stop is an internet forum that you go to if you feel like getting verbally abused when you're not diving.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

rotflmao--yea yea ok

---------- Post added November 13th, 2013 at 04:05 PM ----------

Since the newbies are tuned in I will add my pet peeve. After spending the requisite 3-5 minutes at 15-20 feet, the newbie then takes off for the surface or ladder because the dive is over. That last 15 feet is the greatest percentage pressure differential of the whole dive. It should be done SLOWLY! Take at least 30-45 seconds. Count them off if you don't believe me. And rise slowly, ever so slowly, to get to the surface.

Never could understand the sudden dash to the surface. heck I want as much time under as I can

 

[scubadada]

Safety stops are deco stops, just as all dives are deco dives.

A safety stop is optional, whereas a decompression stop is mandatory, with regard to complying with the chosen decompression algorithm's goal of limiting, but not eliminating, the risk of decompression sickness

 

[nimoh]

If you have planned a no deco dive, neither computer should hit deco. The buddy pair should be diving to the most conservative computer. If diver one hits the NDL and diver two has 10 minutes left, both should ascend.

you're missing the point.

Take two buddy teams A and B. Team A has conservative computers, Team B liberal.

Both teams do the same dive profile, Team B holds their safety stop and surfaces, however Team A has their computer telling them to hold some extra deco stops, and they do.

Now, was Team B's dive safer, since their computers didn't go into deco?