Hi all, this is the topic i want to learn. I am a new diver and found mysef hard to stay at the safety stop. I am thinking anyone here has experienced DI while not staying long enough at the SS. Also, if diving not more than 20meters if i missed the SS, is it ok? :blinking:
Anyone here ever suffers decompression illness?
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In recreational diving, the safety stop is a recommendation, not a requirement. As long as you're diving within your No Decompression Limits (NDL's) missing a safety stop should not immediately mean you're in danger of DCS.
However, that doesn't mean that it's a good idea to continually miss them. Buoyancy control is one of the fundamental skills you need to master to make your diving more enjoyable and safer. While missing a safety stop may not automatically lead to a case of DCS, the lack of buoyancy control may put you at greater risk for embolism.
My advice is to practice, practice, practice until you're comfortable with your buoyancy control and holding a stop. It takes a bit of time and patience before it comes naturally and in the meantime your risk of DCS is pretty low.
However, that doesn't mean that it's a good idea to continually miss them. Buoyancy control is one of the fundamental skills you need to master to make your diving more enjoyable and safer. While missing a safety stop may not automatically lead to a case of DCS, the lack of buoyancy control may put you at greater risk for embolism.
My advice is to practice, practice, practice until you're comfortable with your buoyancy control and holding a stop. It takes a bit of time and patience before it comes naturally and in the meantime your risk of DCS is pretty low.
+1 to everything that CD said above. Also, please remember that DCI has varying effects. Not every case of DCI includes embolizing and horrific results. In some minor cases it can be as mild as discomfort in the joints/muscles/skin. Chances of DCI are increased with dehydration, fatigue, obesity, etc. so even with a well executed safety stop there's always the outside possibility that it can happen (however small). While the safety stop is not required, it's still a good idea (or at the very least, coming up slowly @ <30ft/minute). It's not uncommon for new divers to struggle to hold a constant depth in open water, but it's one of the skills that you will need to practice and learn. As your diving takes you to farther and deeper places, that skill will become more and more required.
cloudflint
Contributor
Its always handy to hang around a bit in the shallows just to give you a bit of a safety buffer. Hence the name "Safety stop", its not required but it does give you a bit of a safety margin.
I generally don't bother but then my no-stop times tend to be alot less than most peoples since im diving really old tables so it all seems to even out. The dive club im in has trained hundreds of divers over the last 50 years and none of us have ever bothered doing safety stops and so far none of us have had DCI hits (though we still tend to be quite paranoid about checking each other for signs of DCI!). Though we do tend to make our trainees do half a year or so of pool training before taking them in the sea so we don't usually have anyone with buoyancy problems in the sea which helps
I generally don't bother but then my no-stop times tend to be alot less than most peoples since im diving really old tables so it all seems to even out. The dive club im in has trained hundreds of divers over the last 50 years and none of us have ever bothered doing safety stops and so far none of us have had DCI hits (though we still tend to be quite paranoid about checking each other for signs of DCI!). Though we do tend to make our trainees do half a year or so of pool training before taking them in the sea so we don't usually have anyone with buoyancy problems in the sea which helps
DevonDiver
N/A
+1 to what Cave Diver said.
If you're within planned NDL limits, ascending slowly and generally diving conservatively, then the risks of DCS are very low. Safety stops are an intelligent way to help decrease the overall speed of your ascent and allows you to off-gas more nitrogen...especially in the final 10m, where the pressure differential is greatest (and where you can do the most damage by an uncontrolled/rapid ascent) and slow controlled ascent is critical.
Also bear in mind that there's a variety of other factors that'll increase your pre-disposition to DCS;
Dehydration
Injury
Illness
Hangover
Lack of sleep
Body composition/Obesity
...and others, including certain medical conditions (such as PFO).
If you're within planned NDL limits, ascending slowly and generally diving conservatively, then the risks of DCS are very low. Safety stops are an intelligent way to help decrease the overall speed of your ascent and allows you to off-gas more nitrogen...especially in the final 10m, where the pressure differential is greatest (and where you can do the most damage by an uncontrolled/rapid ascent) and slow controlled ascent is critical.
Also bear in mind that there's a variety of other factors that'll increase your pre-disposition to DCS;
Dehydration
Injury
Illness
Hangover
Lack of sleep
Body composition/Obesity
...and others, including certain medical conditions (such as PFO).
It's because of my experience with DCS that I strongly recommend thinking of the safety stop as a requirement versus a recommendation. My experience wasn't the result of a missed/skipped safety stop, it was considered "unexplained/undeserved"...in other words, I had followed all safety protocols and stayed within all RDL's...but took a hit.
I believe that the statistics are something like less that one half of 1% of divers experience DCI. However, for the one half of 1% that do...about half the cases are like mine. The exact cause is unknown. As you've probably been taught, everyone has their own unique physiology and it may not exactly be a match with your computer, the tables, etc.
From where I now "sit", I would highly recommend performing all the safety recommendations to reduce the likelihood of this happening...including the "recommended" safety stop.
As the previous posters have suggested, bouyancy skills are something to continually practice. Having good buoyancy skills will help keep a variety of problems at bay. To develop them...it does take diligence and perhaps a good deal of patience. Buoyancy skills may be the most important to develop, yet for some (maybe most) they can also be the most difficult to master.
So hang in there and keep practicing...you'll definitely get it!!
I believe that the statistics are something like less that one half of 1% of divers experience DCI. However, for the one half of 1% that do...about half the cases are like mine. The exact cause is unknown. As you've probably been taught, everyone has their own unique physiology and it may not exactly be a match with your computer, the tables, etc.
From where I now "sit", I would highly recommend performing all the safety recommendations to reduce the likelihood of this happening...including the "recommended" safety stop.
As the previous posters have suggested, bouyancy skills are something to continually practice. Having good buoyancy skills will help keep a variety of problems at bay. To develop them...it does take diligence and perhaps a good deal of patience. Buoyancy skills may be the most important to develop, yet for some (maybe most) they can also be the most difficult to master.
So hang in there and keep practicing...you'll definitely get it!!
DaMaDo
Contributor
From what I've read (especially in Deco for Divers by Mark Powell), I would consider safety stops mandatory.
The safety stop is recommended, I believe, to save those (pre)disposed to DCS in general or on a particular day. Some are genetically more predisposed to it than others.
Also, each person can have their risk of DCS change daily. You could be less hydrated, have less sleep, or anything else. Although most people would be safe most of the time ascending straight up at less than 30 ft/min, some might be disposed that day to DCS and could take an "undeserved hit". You don't know if you're more predisposed in general or might be on that particular day.
There is no real "science" to DCS yet since we don't fully understand it. Almost all the procedures and recommendations come from statistical probability based on empirical data (by seeing when people get bent and when they don't).
The above linked book is a great resource for any diver wanting to understand more about the physical effects of diving on your body and it's written in non-scientific easy to understand concepts. It also goes through the entire 350 year history of how we got to our current understanding (which isn't much).
Keep in mind, that even going a few feet down and coming up is a "decompression dive".
I always go to half my depth for 1 minute then go up 10 feet every minute from there.
The safety stop is recommended, I believe, to save those (pre)disposed to DCS in general or on a particular day. Some are genetically more predisposed to it than others.
Also, each person can have their risk of DCS change daily. You could be less hydrated, have less sleep, or anything else. Although most people would be safe most of the time ascending straight up at less than 30 ft/min, some might be disposed that day to DCS and could take an "undeserved hit". You don't know if you're more predisposed in general or might be on that particular day.
There is no real "science" to DCS yet since we don't fully understand it. Almost all the procedures and recommendations come from statistical probability based on empirical data (by seeing when people get bent and when they don't).
The above linked book is a great resource for any diver wanting to understand more about the physical effects of diving on your body and it's written in non-scientific easy to understand concepts. It also goes through the entire 350 year history of how we got to our current understanding (which isn't much).
Keep in mind, that even going a few feet down and coming up is a "decompression dive".
I always go to half my depth for 1 minute then go up 10 feet every minute from there.
daz88
Contributor
you really should stay fairly shallow until you get your bouyancy under control. the "safety stop" is only part of that. If you can't control your bouyancy anyway, you might be coming up way too fast. You might have problems even if you happen to make your safety stop. Just stay shallow and work on your bouyancy AND your safety stop.
craigowen89
Registered
On most dive computers if you pass 14m it automatically gives you a safety stop for around 3mins between 4 and 6m, is very conservative but it good practice. Bear in mind when checking your air that you may have a longer safety stop in your dives later in the air as the nitrogen builds up in your body.
If you struggle with your buoyancy you can try perform it along a buoy line and hold on if need be, or try and hover above a training platform at a suitable depth.
Also don't forget you don't need to hover in open water for a safety stop, you can in some dive sites finish your dive seeing some sights and swimming around during your safety stop!
If you struggle with your buoyancy you can try perform it along a buoy line and hold on if need be, or try and hover above a training platform at a suitable depth.
Also don't forget you don't need to hover in open water for a safety stop, you can in some dive sites finish your dive seeing some sights and swimming around during your safety stop!
flots am
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> Hi all, this is the topic i want to learn. I am a new diver and found mysef hard to stay at the safety stop. I am thinking anyone here has experienced DI while not staying long enough at the SS. Also, if diving not more than 20meters if i missed the SS, is it ok?
Practice helps but so does being properly weighted. If you're under-weighted a safety stop is nearly impossible and if you're significantly over-weighted, it's much harder.
The next time you're going to go diving, take a bunch of small weights and a buddy. Start with no wieight and add 2 pounds at a time until you just sink. Then add about 6 more pounds to cover the weight of the air in your tank. This should be very close to what you need (probably just a hair over).
You can also do this with a nearly emply tank, but when you get your number, don't add anything.
You'll find that proper weighting makes everything much easier.
flots.
Practice helps but so does being properly weighted. If you're under-weighted a safety stop is nearly impossible and if you're significantly over-weighted, it's much harder.
The next time you're going to go diving, take a bunch of small weights and a buddy. Start with no wieight and add 2 pounds at a time until you just sink. Then add about 6 more pounds to cover the weight of the air in your tank. This should be very close to what you need (probably just a hair over).
You can also do this with a nearly emply tank, but when you get your number, don't add anything.
You'll find that proper weighting makes everything much easier.
flots.
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