18 hour wait before flying

[sea scallop]

i called around to a bunch of dive shops to schedule my OW dive and some of the shops were strict about not flying earlier than 18 hours after the dive -- and a couple shops said 12 hours is fine. in class, they taught us 18. any opinions on this?

 

[Dragon Eye]

I'd just wait the 18- why risk it, you'll have a fantastic touring day or time on the beach.

 

[Marek K]

Well, the PADI OWD course (at least as of 2004) says to wait a minimum of 12 hours to be "reasonably assured."

"If you plan to make daily, multiple dives for several days or make a dive requiring decompression stops, you should take special precautions and wait for an extended surface interval beyond 12 hours before flight."

Experts will tell you that there aren't any guarantees regarding DCS in any case. But usually when there's "squishy" language like this, that means that there isn't enough experience with incidents to give hard guidance.

 

[lavachickie]

Err on the side of caution. I use the 12 hour rule if it's only been one dive, but if it's been multiple days of diving, especially if you are in the water as long as you can or pushing your no-deco limits, I would wait 24 hours. Why risk it? I especially play it safe due to more adipose tissue than the average diver -- which is said to put me at more risk than a lean diver of DCS.

 

[Blackwood]

I'm not sure I understand the "why risk it" comments.

Can one not just tag that on to any arbitrary recommendation?

 

[Scubagolf]

My understanding is that the latest recommendation is 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive, and a minimum of 18 hours after mutiple dives or multiple days of divings. Personally, I try for 24 hours after multiple dive days.

 

[Teamcasa]

Why push it?

Get the real info here: Rubicon Research Repository: Home

 

[Web Monkey]

i called around to a bunch of dive shops to schedule my OW dive and some of the shops were strict about not flying earlier than 18 hours after the dive -- and a couple shops said 12 hours is fine. in class, they taught us 18. any opinions on this?

Since it's my understanding that being bent on an airplane is amazingly painful and it could be hours before you can get treatment, I'd wait the recommended time

If you're really trying to cut it short, I'd probably trust the "No Fly" indicator on my computer.

OTOH, what's the hurry? For the few extra hours, you could go see a movie, get some dinner, maybe take a nap.

Terry

 

[lavachickie]

I'm not sure I understand the "why risk it" comments.

Can one not just tag that on to any arbitrary recommendation?

In this case, I look at what you might gain versus what you are risking:

In this case, the risk is DCS, a possibly life threatening condition, while stuck on an airplane without any way to do anything about it.

And what might you gain? A few hours of convenience? This doesn't make sense to me as you are planning these items in advance, usually -- so just plan your trips so that you have one day at the end to explore on land.

The risk isn't worth what you could potentially gain... thus, why risk it? There ARE risks that I do take -- someone might point out that you can drown by being 80 ft underwater, so why risk it? But I can create a very persuasive argument about that one! =-)

 

[Crush]

Welcome to diving, sea scallop!

If you are not already familiar with the Divers Alert Network (DAN), as a diver, you really should be. They are the single most valuable agency you can support as a diver. From their website, Flying After Diving Workshop Proceedings:

2002 Consensus Guidelines for Flying After Recreational Diving

The following guidelines are the consensus of attendees at the 2002 Flying After Diving Workshop. They apply to air dives followed by flights at cabin altitudes of 2,000 to 8,000 feet (610 to 2,438 meters) for divers who do not have symptoms of decompression sickness (DCS). The recommended preflight surface intervals do not guarantee avoidance of DCS. Longer surface intervals will reduce DCS risk further.

For a single no-decompression dive, a minimum preflight surface interval of 12 hours is suggested.

For multiple dives per day or multiple days of diving, a minimum preflight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested.

For dives requiring decompression stops, there is little evidence on which to base a recommendation, and a preflight surface interval substantially longer than 18 hours appears prudent.

Alert Diver, November/December 2002, page 7