Safe to drive from LA to SF immediately after 3 day liveaboard?

[SaltyFrog]

Have a 3 day liveaboard planned in LA and am wondering if it's safe to drive back to SF immediately after.

There seems to be some elevations through the mountains.

Or maybe there's a safer, no elevation route that I can take, Route 1 by the sea?

Thanks.

 

[Esprise Me]

If you take the 5, which is the most direct route, I believe your highest elevation will be going over the Grapevine, which is just over 4,000 feet. It'll take you at least an hour to get there from LA. @boulderjohn has written a lot about driving to altitude after diving; hopefully he'll chime in here, but from what I recall that's probably OK. Taking PCH will probably increase your total travel time by at least 4 hours, but it's a lovely drive and worth doing sometime just for the views.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

How long will your last surface interval be, between getting out of the water for the last dive and getting in the car?

 

[lexvil]

Short answer, dive related is yes you’ll be fine.

 

[boulderjohn]

This thread about ascending to altitude in New Mexico might help you because lot has a lot of generic information about ascending to altitude.

Everything depends upon when your last dive was and how saturated you were at that point. If you look at the US Navy ascent to altitude tables, you will see that even if you were pretty thoroughly saturated after your last dive, it does not take a huge surface interval before you are cleared to ascent 4,000 feet. Given how much time it would normally take for you to pack up and disembark after that last dive, I would guess you would be safe to travel by the time you got off the boat, even if you dived as close in time as possible to leaving the boat.

 

[SaltyFrog]

How long will your last surface interval be, between getting out of the water for the last dive and getting in the car?

If I don't take off gassing into account, that would be about 4~5 hours (getting dinner and then hit the road).
So yeah about 4, 5 hours before I hit the mountains.

 

[SaltyFrog]

Thank you @Esprise Me and @boulderjohn.
(How do I properly mention users here?)

Your information is extremely helpful! I didn't know I'd be climbing 4000 ft!

So looking at the tables and reading through the post:
Since there's a 2 hour boat ride after last dive, then probably 2 hour dinner, and then some slacking around, and combined with the fact that I'm mostly underwater for <30 min and < 50 feet. I'll be fine by the time I actually start the drive.

And this is the article that I found (http://deepadventurescuba.net/assets/uploads/files/Ascent to Altitude After Diving.pdf), it's strange that I couldn't find this in your blog.

 

[elmo]

I've been reading the news from other side side of the Pacific, and from where I'm sitting driving from LA to SF looks pretty dangerous. I suppose you'll be ok if you keep the doors locked, windows up, and don't stop for strangers.
USA Travel Advice & Safety | Smartraveller
Ed: link added

 

[SaltyFrog]

I've been reading the news from other side side of the Pacific, and from where I'm sitting driving from LA to SF looks pretty dangerous. I suppose you'll be ok if you keep the doors locked, windows up, and don't stop for strangers.
USA Travel Advice & Safety | Smartraveller
Ed: link added

haha that's true, one of my colleagues has been saying I would surely get robbed someday since I frequently sleep in the car by the road in the middle of nowhere.

 

[davehicks]

I'm usually pretty tired after a full day of diving. I should think the drive itself is going to be the dangerous part. You'd be smart to spend the night and drive home in the morning.