A few questions...

[TheAce]

*** Moderator, I am sorry for posting again but for some reason I can't see the message I already posted. If I posted twice please excuse me. ***

Hi everybody,

For a change I am going on vacation for a few days and this time my wife is joining me. We will be staying in a hotel with a spa (by the way, it is a great hotel Hilton Queen Of Sheba - Eilat, red sea). I wanted to know (as I heard different opinions), is it okay to go into a Turkish Bath or Sauna after diving? What about a hot jacuzzi? Sounds to me like boiling a can of soda... or am I wrong?

What about phisical activity. How much is too much? What is alowed and what is not?

And what about a deep tissue massage? any restrictions?

And last one, can anyone shed light on free-diving after scuba? I know that this one is a no no for sure, but what are the limitations exactly? Even freediving in a swimming pool to 6 feet deep?

Thanks!!

 

[Diver0001]

TheAce once bubbled...
*** Moderator, I am sorry for posting again but for some reason I can't see the message I already posted. If I posted twice please excuse me. ***

Hi everybody,

For a change I am going on vacation for a few days and this time my wife is joining me. We will be staying in a hotel with a spa (by the way, it is a great hotel Hilton Queen Of Sheba - Eilat, red sea). I wanted to know (as I heard different opinions), is it okay to go into a Turkish Bath or Sauna after diving? What about a hot jacuzzi? Sounds to me like boiling a can of soda... or am I wrong?

What about phisical activity. How much is too much? What is alowed and what is not?

And what about a deep tissue massage? any restrictions?

And last one, can anyone shed light on free-diving after scuba? I know that this one is a no no for sure, but what are the limitations exactly? Even freediving in a swimming pool to 6 feet deep?

Thanks!!

I understand that, sauna, jacuzzi, exercise and free-diving are not advised directly after diving. They may increase the chances of DCS. This is probably more of an issue if you push the limits or are still offgassing after a deco dive. Nevertheless it's probably best to wait a few hours first. Your can-of-soda analogy is a good one to keep in mind; any "aggitation" should be avoided.

R..

 

[TheAce]

Yes, I also like that analogy...

Diver0001, I know that this is the rule of thumb, but the question is, if you keep it within NDL and you make 1-3 dives a day, ok, I'll wait, but how long? A few hours? The whole "no fly time"? The whole "Desat time"? What IS allowed and what ISN'T?

 

[Diver0001]

TheAce once bubbled...
Yes, I also like that analogy...

Diver0001, I know that this is the rule of thumb, but the question is, if you keep it within NDL and you make 1-3 dives a day, ok, I'll wait, but how long? A few hours? The whole "no fly time"? The whole "Desat time"? What IS allowed and what ISN'T?

I can't give you a iron-clad answer (DCS is like that) but I'll give you an idea how you *could* look at it.

According to the US navy you can go to 8,000ft altitude (commercial aircraft) when you reach group C on the Navy tables. (when I started diving this was group D). That makes a surface interval (maximum) of about 6 hours. That's the same time it takes to totally clear on the PADI tables.

If you assume that pretty much nothing you can do in a jacuzzi will put more stress on your system than flying (at least nothing *I* could do in a jacuzzi ;-)) you can work it out on the PADI tables by waiting until you're totally clear.

Say you made a dive to 100ft for 20 min. You'd have to wait 5:24 min according to PADI.

If your profile was max 60ft for 45 min you'd have to wait 5:39 min. and so on.

If your computer has a planning mode you can put yourself on the table by looking at the numbers it gives you. Check it right after your dive. If it tells you (for example) that your adjusted NDL for 18metres/60ft is 44min then read the table backwards and you can put yourself in group R, which would mean a wait of 5:35 min. (this only works if you do it as soon as you surface).

Assuming we're talking about no-deco diving then the way I remember it is like this. If I'm in the green on my computer wait 5 hours. If I was in the Yellow then wait 6. This is probably a rough approximation of what you'd find if you worked it out each time on the tables and it's probably on the safe side but that can't hurt.

Can you use that?

R..

 

[JT2]

Hi Ace, go here http://www.wkpp.org/decompression.htm and do some reading, I think you will find it very beneficial information as these guys are on the cutting edge when it comes to explaining this kind of thing. Hope this helps!

 

[Dr Deco]

Dear Ace:

Hot Tubs

This is a frequently-asked question and one without a great deal of research to say yea or nay. Let us say that the injunction against diving warm and decompressing cold should be followed as far as the principles of gas loading are concerned. I believe that the US Navy has a current research program examining the question of temperatures and DCS.

The body controls its heat and a hot tub will not really change the solubility of gas that much. Curiously, most materials show an increase in solubility with increasing temperature of water while gases show a decrease.

WKPP Material

The material on the site from the WKPP is certainly of interest. Not having the laboratory time to check all of this out, I can offer a few general comments for those with interest in these topics.

• The decompressions are different than customarily encountered. Readers of this “Ask Dr Deco” FORUM will know that I have stated the idea of a “bends/no bends” limit is a myth. That is why so many meters and tables provide “different” answers.
• It may certainly be true that the system for the calculation repetitive dives works very well for the WKPP divers. It obviously does or they would not use it. Res ipsa loquiter
• While I can not argue with the results, I might not always be in agreement with the explanations offered. I might add, however, that many of my ideas and explanations are not agreed upon by mainstream barophysiologists either. I am vindicated, as they have withstood the test of time. :mean:

Dr Deco :doctor: