Quiz - Recreational Dive Planner

If a diver does three dives a day for three days, what is the minimum time the diver should wait aft

  • a. 4 hours

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • b. a minimum preflight surface interval greater than 18 hours is suggested

    Votes: 34 61.8%
  • c. 24 hours

    Votes: 20 36.4%
  • d. 12 hours

    Votes: 1 1.8%

  • Total voters
    55

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My old Suuntos would give you a suggested no fly time, I think it was based on your profiles
Suunto, at least until the most recent updated software on some of their computers, calculated no-fly time as the time to complete outgassing. As such, it was often longer than other recommendations that were based on more arbitrary values.
 
Since this is a question regarding the PADI RDP...as written on the RDP:

Flying After Diving Recommendations
For Dives Within the No Decompression Limits
  • SIngle Dives: A minimum pre-flight surface of interval of 12 hours is suggested
  • Repetitive Dives and/or Multi-day Dives: A minimum pre-flight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested
For Dives Requiring Decompression Stops
  • A minimum pre-flight surface interval greater than 18 hours is suggested
So, none of the answers at the top of this thread are actually correct per the RDP.

-Z
 
First of all, I always considered that making three dives per day for three consecutive days is way too much, and well beyond what is accounted for by standard tables. Most "undeserved" DCS happen to divers making several repetitive dives. When on holidays, I prefer to make just one, nice dive per day, and spend the rest of the day doing other nice things: kayak, wind surf, swimming, snorkeling, or simply relaxing on the beach or on my Zodiac... When young I was doing water ski, but not anymore now...
When diving for work it is different, of course, one does what is needed. But usually I refuse to make more than 2 dives per day.
Regarding flying, generally my rule is not to dive the day before my return flight. Which makes the interval close to 48h, not 24 !!
Regarding degassing, I think that a small depth, long dive at the limit of NDL is much worse than a short, deep dive. The first will dissolve Nitrogen in "slow" tissues, which will take a lot of time for degassing. Instead a short dive to, say, 50 meters, will only bring Nitrogen in "fast" tissues, which will degas entirely in a few hours.
 
First of all, I always considered that making three dives per day for three consecutive days is way too much, and well beyond what is accounted for by standard tables. Most "undeserved" DCS happen to divers making several repetitive dives. When on holidays, I prefer to make just one, nice dive per day, and spend the rest of the day doing other nice things: kayak, wind surf, swimming, snorkeling, or simply relaxing on the beach or on my Zodiac... When young I was doing water ski, but not anymore now...
When diving for work it is different, of course, one does what is needed. But usually I refuse to make more than 2 dives per day.
Regarding flying, generally my rule is not to dive the day before my return flight. Which makes the interval close to 48h, not 24 !!
Regarding degassing, I think that a small depth, long dive at the limit of NDL is much worse than a short, deep dive. The first will dissolve Nitrogen in "slow" tissues, which will take a lot of time for degassing. Instead a short dive to, say, 50 meters, will only bring Nitrogen in "fast" tissues, which will degas entirely in a few hours.
I agree your procedures are best. I only have done one "dive trip"--that is specifically for diving only. I did do 3 dives one day, but two the other 4. I guess it can depend on your financial situation too. If you pay a lot for the trip and don't travel that way much and money is a factor, you may want to dive as much as you can.
 
I agree your procedures are best. I only have done one "dive trip"--that is specifically for diving only. I did do 3 dives one day, but two the other 4. I guess it can depend on your financial situation too. If you pay a lot for the trip and don't travel that way much and money is a factor, you may want to dive as much as you can.
First of all, I have little money, as I am a public employee with fixed income, and I have to sustain my whole family (wife and two sons which are still at the University).
So I make cheap holidays, renting a small house and carrying my Zodiac and saving on gasoline, cylinder fills, etc., as much I can. 3 dives per day would be too expensive... And very tiring, when on holidays I want to recover, not to come back more tired than before...
So no exotic locations, and no expensive LOBs, just low-cost holidays, where diving is really a surplus.
In some years, in one month holidays, we managed to make just 10-11 dives. But still these were nice holidays in North Sardinia, wonderful places, incredible food and wine, crystal-clear water, and many other things to do. I find stupid visiting wonderful sites and spending all the day underwater, perhaps circling the same spots several times, instead of looking around for other things to look and to do.
Sardinia is fantastic for diving, but being there and diving only would be barely stupid.
 
DAN would recommend 24h.
No, not unless you are looking at old recommendations. Current recommendations from DAN are:
flying-after-diving-infographic.jpg
 
First of all, I have little money, as I am a public employee with fixed income, and I have to sustain my whole family (wife and two sons which are still at the University).
So I make cheap holidays, renting a small house and carrying my Zodiac and saving on gasoline, cylinder fills, etc., as much I can. 3 dives per day would be too expensive... And very tiring, when on holidays I want to recover, not to come back more tired than before...
So no exotic locations, and no expensive LOBs, just low-cost holidays, where diving is really a surplus.
In some years, in one month holidays, we managed to make just 10-11 dives. But still these were nice holidays in North Sardinia, wonderful places, incredible food and wine, crystal-clear water, and many other things to do. I find stupid visiting wonderful sites and spending all the day underwater, perhaps circling the same spots several times, instead of looking around for other things to look and to do.
Sardinia is fantastic for diving, but being there and diving only would be barely stupid.
I hear ya. Makes sense. Unless your sole reason for a trip is shell collecting. Everyone has different objectives.
 
Tough group to keep on topic!

The question posed by the OP is not about how you prefer to dive....it is about the PADI RDP and its recommendations. What you like or don't like or do or have forgotten or once knew or whatever is not relevant.

@Zef in post #12 states the exact answer, quoting from the RDP. But I disagree that answer (b) in the poll is wrong, so long as one is not doing deco dives.....which if they are using the RDP they should not be doing.
 
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b. a minimum preflight surface interval greater than 18 hours is suggested

I remember one time my buddy and I were driving back to Kobe, Japan from Osesaki in the Izu Peninsula during a typhoon after diving all day. We started to freak out because we did not know the altitude of the mountain passes that we were driving through so we downloaded an altitude app and watched it carefully. The passes were not that high so we were fine. I learned a valuable lesson that day ... do not go scuba diving during a typhoon.
 

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