Surface time 1 hour because of Microbubbles

h90 · Oct 25, 2008

just reading a book about deep diving, deco diving.
They recommend to make surface interval between 2 dives of at least 1 hour.

Reason: at 40-50 min there is the maximum amount of microbubbles.

I don't understand that. I understand that you need a longer surface interval so that the Nitrogen can also leave that parts which react slower.
But what does it has to do with the micro bubbles. Before I though if there are microbubbles and I go down they will be re compressed, disappear. Is that wrong?

rivrdiving · Oct 25, 2008

My understanding is that if you go back down they will recompress and then your going to be adding more from the current dive to the ones you already have from the previous dive..To me it is kinda pushing the limits and as much as I like diving I dont want to push anything too far underwater.
I may be wrong and I am sure some of the more experienced divers have a better answer and what the hell I might learn I was wrong too..LOL
Ron

h90 · Oct 25, 2008

rivrdiving:
My understanding is that if you go back down they will recompress and then your going to be adding more from the current dive to the ones you already have from the previous dive..To me it is kinda pushing the limits and as much as I like diving I dont want to push anything too far underwater.
I may be wrong and I am sure some of the more experienced divers have a better answer and what the hell I might learn I was wrong too..LOL
Ron

If they would simply add to the nitrogen in the blood, it would not matter much, as the blood takes the nitrogen anyway very fast.

One idea would be that the bubbles in capillar are not round instead they get very long. When you recompress them, than they get shorter but difficult in solution. So a little bit may survive and on the next ascent it is a starting point for bigger bubbles.

That would sound logic. But "micro" bubbles would indicate in my opinion that they are not that large.

So still confused......

J.R. · Oct 25, 2008

:cool2: Good... no, GREAT questions...

I had some other comments I wanted to make... but considering my knowledge of this subject is scant at best... I think I'll sit back and watch this one play out and maybe learn something in the process...

TSandM · Oct 26, 2008

One of the concerns about resubmerging when you are bubbling is that you compress the bubbles and allow them to pass the pulmonary filter. When you ascend, they expand in the arterial side of the circulation, making you more likely to experience a Type II hit. This is not an issue, if you do sufficient deco for the second dive, but if you push any limits, you may be far more likely to have really ugly symptoms.

The real answer is to do enough deco on the first dive that you are NOT bubbling on the surface. And, if you do a second dive, be sure to do enough deco for that one, too. (Whatever enough deco is.)

1_T_Submariner · Oct 26, 2008

Interesting subject. I did a trip where the boat wanted to cut the SI short. I really didn't like that but, don't know the science.

h90 · Oct 27, 2008

TSandM:
One of the concerns about resubmerging when you are bubbling is that you compress the bubbles and allow them to pass the pulmonary filter. When you ascend, they expand in the arterial side of the circulation, making you more likely to experience a Type II hit. This is not an issue, if you do sufficient deco for the second dive, but if you push any limits, you may be far more likely to have really ugly symptoms.

The real answer is to do enough deco on the first dive that you are NOT bubbling on the surface. And, if you do a second dive, be sure to do enough deco for that one, too. (Whatever enough deco is.)

So that 1 hour is basically an additional safety.

Dannybot · Nov 15, 2008

h90:
just reading a book about deep diving, deco diving.
They recommend to make surface interval between 2 dives of at least 1 hour.

Reason: at 40-50 min there is the maximum amount of microbubbles.

I don't understand that. I understand that you need a longer surface interval so that the Nitrogen can also leave that parts which react slower.
But what does it has to do with the micro bubbles. Before I though if there are microbubbles and I go down they will be re compressed, disappear. Is that wrong?

Yes, but the bubbles reappear as you ascend, therefore making matters worse. You now have added to your nitrogen loading, requiring a longer off gassing period.

MauiScubaSteve · Nov 16, 2008

So, with this micro bubble theory, how deep is considered deep diving? Is this just for deco diving? If I dive to 110' and my Suunto Vyper goes to a 5 min stop, was that a deep deco dive?

Are we talking advanced recreational diving, like done on tourist dive charters, or are we talking technical diving like Chuuk Lagoon?

daniel1948 · Nov 30, 2008

Very new diver here.

There was a question in one of the chapter reviews of my study book. Something about what do you do if you experience DCS at the surface. One of the choices was to go back down. I thought I remembered Lloyd Bridges doing that on Sea Hunt. Sort of like a makeshift decompression chamber. WRONG! The answer key said don't go back down!

This is not quite the scenario you asked about, but I think it's related: if you have microbubbles, you have too much nitrogen. I'd think you want a longer surface interval. Maybe very long. You ask, Wouldn't the bubbles be re-dissolved? I don't know. But if they are, your nitrogen load is even greater. That's why you want a longer SI.

And if you have any kind of symptoms, stop diving.

CAVEAT: I don't actually know what I'm talking about. But the fishes sure are pretty down there!

Surface time 1 hour because of Microbubbles

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