Free diving between dives

[DORSETBOY]

Not naming any names but I've seen several dive companies in different regions around the world allowing both staff and customers to free dive between dives.

This is a really 'good' way of increasing the risk of getting bent as I understand it due to rapid compression and decompression of body tissues.

Has any one else seen dive companies allowing people to do this, am I getting overly concerned as to the risks?

 

[miketsp]

This is a really 'good' way of increasing the risk of getting bent as I understand it due to rapid compression and decompression of body tissues.

I think you're quite right. In addition to the rapid pressure changes there is also the issue of intense exercise causing tribonucleation.
On the other hand if the water is shallow and the snorkeller is just lying there calm at the surface observing, floating around, then I see no harm.

 

[DORSETBOY]

in one example, dm's were encouraging people to dive off the top of the dive boat (around 4 m from surface) so I guess they werecprob getting at least 3-4 m deep very quickly.

what is tribonucleation?

 

[DORSETBOY]

also just had a thought, is it bad that PADI encourages instructors to teach skin diving during the ow course?

 

[miketsp]

what is tribonucleation?

It was explained here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=701491&postcount=2

 

[DORSETBOY]

that's interesting, thanks. I didn't realise how easily and readily microbubbles can form.

 

[DORSETBOY]

also just had a thought, is it bad that PADI encourages instructors to teach skin diving during the ow course?

to qualify what I mean by that, if you're doing 2 ow dives from an ow course one day, is it risky to then get students skin diving the same day?

 

[pekka]

to qualify what I mean by that, if you're doing 2 ow dives from an ow course one day, is it risky to then get students skin diving the same day?

The OW dives are quite shallow and that's why the skin dives are allowed. The instructor encounters more stress and real risk when doing many more dives with the all stundents and classes he has during the day.

But if you do deeper dives you should avoid skin diving even after a single dive... the microbubles trapped in your lungs get compressed and get released from the lung capillaries and can reach the ateries. Next place they block the blood flow is in the capillaries all over the body, even in the brain.

More at this link http://www.wkpp.org/articles/Decompression/why_we_do_not_bounce_dive_after_diving.htm

Pekka