Climbing a mountain after diving?

[Adriaan557]

Hi Guys,

We all know not to fly after diving (18hours for multiple non-decompression dives - PADI).

My question is what about klimding a mountain?

We are going to Egypt for a week next month and will do 4 days of diving. One of the 3 non diving days we want to go up Mt. Sinia.

Flying normally takes you up to 10 000metres and Mt. Sinai is only 2000 metres high.

So can we safely klimb the mountain say 14 hours after our last dive?
(that is last dive at 2pm, and start climbing the mountain at 4am to see the sunrise)

 

[Noboundaries]

Actual aircraft height isn't the issue; cabin altitude pressure is the issue. Most aircraft cabins are pressurized to approximately 1500 to 2500 metres. What you're proposing is the same as flying.

 

[ronbeau]

Hi Guys,

We all know not to fly after diving (18hours for multiple non-decompression dives - PADI).

My question is what about climbing a mountain?

We are going to Egypt for a week next month and will do 4 days of diving. One of the 3 non diving days we want to go up Mt. Sinai.

Flying normally takes you up to 10 000metres and Mt. Sinai is only 2000 metres high.

So can we safely climb the mountain say 14 hours after our last dive?
(that is last dive at 2pm, and start climbing the mountain at 4am to see the sunrise)

Aircraft are normally pressurized to a equivalent altitude of between 2,000 and 8,000 feet (600 - 2,400 meters). As a result you would be doing the equivalent of flying assuming the word 'climbing" in this context means riding up Mt. Sinai in a vehicle.

If "climbing" in this context literally means scaling the mountain on foot then I feel you are adding serious exertion in addition to the elevation. I would think this would necessitate adding additional time over and above the normal "wait to fly" time since flying doesn't include an serious exertion (unless you include going through airport security ).


I would be interested to hear what the medical experts have to say.

 

[Scared Silly]

Depending on the dives you want to wait 12-24 hours after diving before flying. Which as has been noted is cabin pressure of 8000 feet or so. Mt. Sinai is under that. My suggestion would be to do a couple of shallow morning dives and no afternoon dives. This would give you a bit more of a buffer than what you are thinking about.

The walk up the hill is along a donkey path. It is a couple of hours of continuous uphill walking. For many it is hard and there are some who ride a donkey to the top. It is not a climb in any sense of the technical word.

My suggestion would be the following - do all of your diving first or last. Four days of continuous diving is not so much that a break is needed. Trying to do a side trip like this really eats up two days. So instead, dive four days, day 5 plan a morning tour then head to St. Catherine's that afternoon, do the sunrise walk, then head for your next adventure. Though realize it takes about 3 hours from St. Catherine to Sharm.

Oh after doing the walk up. Return via the 3000 Steps of Repentance. Much nicer walk as there are fewer people.

 

[TSandM]

First off, 14 hours is a long surface interval, and almost the 18 hours that's recommending to wait before flying.

Second, walking up a mountain is a slow process. Remember that you will offgas as you go (like ascent rates from dives!) The problem with flying is that you go from sea level to 8000 feet in a very few minutes. This will not be true on your hike.

Strenuous exercise is not recommended immediately after diving, but nobody recommends against it the following day.

This is, of course, all based on the idea that you are diving with reasonable conservativism, doing careful ascents and safety stops. If that's the case, I do not see any likelihood of problems with your day hike.

 

[peterbj7]

Assuming you're going to be climbing it in the evening, so you can watch the dawn from the top, you can dive that morning pretty safely. I've done the trip a couple of times and that's what I did, with no ill effect.

 

[stefo2]

Why not do Mt Sinai first and then do your 4 days of diving?
I agree that doing a couple of morning dives will probably be o.k. prior to climbing at night, but contrary to what's been said above, you will actually be gaining altitude quite quickly, as the start of the actual climb is at St Katherine's, which is already quite high up, and you drive there in a couple of hours from Sharm or Dahab.

 

[Divingdoc112]

Many cases of DCS have been documented in divers who fly too soon after surfacing. Cabin pressure is at 8000 feet. Altitudes as low as 1,524 meters (5000 ft) have induced bubble formation in a diver who made a safe decompression to the surface. Wait twenty four hours to be safe, if your mountain is above a mile high.

The laws of physics are not subject to debate or repeal by a higher court.

The preceeding is not intended as medical advice only as educational.

 

[Kendall Raine]

First off, 14 hours is a long surface interval, and almost the 18 hours that's recommending to wait before flying.

Second, walking up a mountain is a slow process. Remember that you will offgas as you go (like ascent rates from dives!) The problem with flying is that you go from sea level to 8000 feet in a very few minutes. This will not be true on your hike.

Strenuous exercise is not recommended immediately after diving, but nobody recommends against it the following day.

This is, of course, all based on the idea that you are diving with reasonable conservativism, doing careful ascents and safety stops. If that's the case, I do not see any likelihood of problems with your day hike.

Exactly right. References to flying after diving totally miss the point.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello Readers:

Dive-Fly Testing

All laboratory tests involve [hyperbaric] dive and [hypobaric] fly intervals that involved sedentary subjects. During the surface interval, none totes dive gear bags, lugs gas cylinders, drags suitcases, or rushes up and down stairs.

As I have told the students in my Decompression Physiology classes for decades, “If you do not use the tables under the conditions in which they were tested, you might encounter some untoward results.”

Please, bear this in mind!

Caveat Emptor

Dr Deco :doctor: