Flying after diving interval when leaving on the early Continental flight

How many hours interval before flying?

  • I don't dive at all the day before flying

    Votes: 5 12.8%
  • I always make sure I don't fly for 24 hours after diving

    Votes: 19 48.7%
  • I'll make 2 or more morning dives and fly 18 hours after diving

    Votes: 14 35.9%
  • I'll dive late Friday afternoon and fly sooner than 18 hours after diving

    Votes: 1 2.6%

  • Total voters
    39

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diverrex

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Location
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In another forum someone was asking about flying 19 hours after diving. I was surprised how many people answered advising against it. I figured with the early Continental flight leaving Bonaire this would be a good forum to ask people about their practice of how many hours interval after diving before flying. For myself I have no problem diving till 1 PM on Friday then taking a 7:00 AM flight out on Saturday for an 18 hour interval. When doing this I use Nitrox, usually make the last dive Friday no more than 50 feet, ascend slowly and make a longer than 3 minute saftey stop.

So Bonaire dive fans what are your practices for the interval before diving? How many won't dive at all on Friday, how many are willing to dive late Friday afternoon and still leave Saturday on the early flight, or something in between?

---------- Post Merged at 09:34 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:51 PM ----------

I guess I should have said the early United flight. I haven't made the trip yet since the switch.
 
My computer reports 24 hour count down and sats as well. Usually for deep diving the sats and 24 hour count down are very similar however with Bonaire I found that my sats were usually cleared many hours before my 24 hrs would be up. Having said that I use that as am emergency contigency plan and not as a dive plan and so if I had to get on a plane as an emergency as long as my sats were cleared I would feel comfortable that my risk was low.

For Bonaire in general shallow dives on nitrox the day before are going to achieve a very low saturation that will usually clear within 18 hours.

But why even risk it get up early - do a dawn dive so that you are out of the water by 7am and then have a leisurely breakfast, soak and hang your gear and then head out to see the parts of the island you havent seen. My dive buddy and I spent a fun afternoon at Lac Bay off gassing and trying - trying being the operative word - to windsurf. A lot of falling but a lot of fun.

Craig
 
have a leisurely breakfast, soak and hang your gear and then head out to see the parts of the island you havent seen.

Agreed. I'm more concerned about "dry before flying" than "dive before flying" when in places like Bonaire. When my buddy and I were there a few years ago we had done 32 dives from Saturday AM through Thursday night. We probably could have done one or two more on Friday AM, but my buddy's ears were bothering him so we just hung our gear up on Thursday night and spent Friday relaxing on the beach.
 
My computer shows tissues cleared about 12 -14 hours after a week of Bonaire diving. I usually do a before breakfast and an after breakfast dive on the house reef and then start cleaning gear for the morning flight.
 
We do all of our diving on Nitrox. We do two morning dives on Friday and fly home Sat morning. Like you about 19 hours.
 
In another forum someone was asking about flying 19 hours after diving. I was surprised how many people answered advising against it. I figured with the early Continental flight leaving Bonaire this would be a good forum to ask people about their practice of how many hours interval after diving before flying. For myself I have no problem diving till 1 PM on Friday then taking a 7:00 AM flight out on Saturday for an 18 hour interval. When doing this I use Nitrox, usually make the last dive Friday no more than 50 feet, ascend slowly and make a longer than 3 minute saftey stop.

So Bonaire dive fans what are your practices for the interval before diving? How many won't dive at all on Friday, how many are willing to dive late Friday afternoon and still leave Saturday on the early flight, or something in between?

---------- Post Merged at 09:34 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:51 PM ----------

I guess I should have said the early United flight. I haven't made the trip yet since the switch.

If I spent a whole week diving 5 dives a day, deepish... I'd wait 16-18 hours anyway.

Your 18 hour plan is not unreasonable, and most research agrees with your plan... with or without the long safety stops.
 
As I replied on that other thread you mentioned, I do exactly as you do--and I mainly had in mind Bonaire trips. Dive in the morning and abstain from afternoon dives on the day before an early flight home.
 
I use the 18 hour rule when I'm on Bonaire. When I think back to the old days (30 plus years ago) and the things we did.....and didn't explode or die. Diving today is a lot more conservative so I am sure we are all much safer.
 
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