Basic decompression questions

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stanw

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1. Is there no risk at all of decompression sickness when diving 20-ft or less?

2. Is there anyway to expedite the process of removing excess nitrogen from your body after a dive?

Thanks.
 
There is not risk of decompression sickness when diving to 20 FSW or less, there is a single anecdotal report of a case of decompression sickness in a swimming pool, but this likely had a different cause.

You can expedite the removal of excess nitrogen by reducing the amount of nitrogen that you are breathing. Pure oxygen (which has hazards when used deeper than 18 FSW) works well.
 
The NDL at 30' on air is 2hr:21min. At 20' I believe one is off gassing.

If you are diving to 20', off gassing excess nitrogen is NOT going to be much of an issue! :D
Other than that, what Thal said! Carry around an O2 bottle, and that will do the trick!

Not generally necessary, so why do you ask?
 
Actually you can fully saturate at 20 feet and come to the surface at 60 FPM, I know ... I've done it.
 
The NDL at 30' on air is 2hr:21min. At 20' I believe one is off gassing.

Depends. Coming up from depth? Probably. Going down to 20 from the surface, though, you'll be ongassing.

Actually you can fully saturate at 20 feet and come to the surface at 60 FPM, I know ... I've done it.

Out of curiosity, what did you consider to be the slowest tissue, and how many cycles did you consider "full saturation"?
 
1. Is there no risk at all of decompression sickness when diving 20-ft or less?

There is a risk but the chances are very very remote. Only way to have no risk is to not dive at all.

2. Is there anyway to expedite the process of removing excess nitrogen from your body after a dive?

Thanks.

After a dive could breathe oxygen for a while later other than that not really. I guess an Aspirin may help in theory at least.
 
I agree with Sting. While one could theoretically speed the process of removing excess nitrogen by breathing a gas with less nitrogen that regular air, that assumes that you have not already blown a decompression obligation. If you have, then you risk having nitrogen bubbles in your bloodstream and the only real solution (excuse the pun) is a chamber ride.

If you want to use something other than air to speed offgassing, just as an added precaution, that might be okay. However, if your goal is to shorten your surface interval so you can get back into the water sooner, I would be very hesitant to do so. The tables assume one is breathing air on a SI and I am not sure how one might calculate nitrogen loading with a shorter SI and a gas other than air.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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