PerroneFord
Contributor
It's not supposed to be that hard! 
Really!
Really!
Post-dive recovery
- Thread starter Divin'Papaw
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OP
PerroneFord:It's not supposed to be that hard!
Key word there is supposed!
Some day, some day .... I'm sure it'll get easier.
cmalinowski
Contributor
Agreed. Even on those benign profiles a slow ascent is crucial. we're bubbling all of the time. I can certainly tell the difference from when I rush an ascent to when I have all of the time in the world and hang around a long time between 20' and the surface dilly dallying around.Web Monkey:
Chris
OP
Web Monkey:
I'll be sure and focus on that my next time out. Are you recommending that I hang out longer at 15', take longer to ascend from 15' to the surface or both?
How long should I take to get to the surface once I've finished my 15' safety stop? 15 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, even longer? To stick with the 30'/min guideline, I assume at least 30 seconds to go from 15' to 0'. Should I try to take even longer?
PerroneFord
Contributor
From the 15ft safety stop, see if you can spend 30 seconds per foot coming up. On long dives (nothing you'll be doing soon), some divers spend a minute per foot above 30ft.
I'd say get to 10ft hang out a minute or two... move to 8ft do the same, move to 5ft same thing, then come out slowly.
Another thing some divers do, is to stand up in about 4-5ft of water (or float there if there is not bottom and conditions allow) and debrief the dive. There has been some research into the stress on the body going from a no-gravity environment, to a gravity environment quickly. For technical divers carrying 100-150+ pounds of gear, this can be a real issue.
I'd say get to 10ft hang out a minute or two... move to 8ft do the same, move to 5ft same thing, then come out slowly.
Another thing some divers do, is to stand up in about 4-5ft of water (or float there if there is not bottom and conditions allow) and debrief the dive. There has been some research into the stress on the body going from a no-gravity environment, to a gravity environment quickly. For technical divers carrying 100-150+ pounds of gear, this can be a real issue.
A ten fpm ascent rate above 30 feet is not unreasonable. That would take a minute and a half to get to the surface from 15 feet. It's a great buoyancy exercise, too
Regarding hydration . . . water exists in three compartments in the body: intravascular, or in the blood vessels, interstitial, or between the cells, and intracellular. Water is a small molecule, and almost all cells in the body are freely permeable to it. Therefore it shifts fairly quickly from compartment to compartment. Water taken orally is picked up by the intravascular space, and moves by osmosis into the interstitial and intracellular spaces. Water is lost through urine production (taken out of the intravascular space), through sweating, and through respiratory evaporation. In the case of severe dehydration, with marked depletion of the intracellular space, rehydration would require some hours to accomplish. Generally somebody in that state wouldn't feel well enough to be involved in any sports activity.
In the case of somebody sitting in the heat at half-time, continuing to sweat, it's going to take more aggressive rehydration AND probably some electrolyte replacement to get that person euvolemic and correctly balanced. But my point is that there is no need to push fluids aggressively for days before diving, because during those days of normal activities, there are no major volume losses to replete.
Urine volume and concentration are an excellent marker for hydration status. If you are urinating frequently and the urine is pale in color, you're pretty well hydrated. If you're going eight hours without urinating and the urine is dark and strong, you're not.
Diving itself involves unusual volume losses, because of the phenomenon of immersion diuresis -- fluid shifts within the body that fool the kidneys into thinking you're "fuller" than you actually are. This is the reason why one should take care to drink generously during a multi-dive day.
Green tea has very little theobromine in it (the diuretic substance). Coffee has about ten times the diuretic effect of black tea, and green tea is even weaker.
Regarding hydration . . . water exists in three compartments in the body: intravascular, or in the blood vessels, interstitial, or between the cells, and intracellular. Water is a small molecule, and almost all cells in the body are freely permeable to it. Therefore it shifts fairly quickly from compartment to compartment. Water taken orally is picked up by the intravascular space, and moves by osmosis into the interstitial and intracellular spaces. Water is lost through urine production (taken out of the intravascular space), through sweating, and through respiratory evaporation. In the case of severe dehydration, with marked depletion of the intracellular space, rehydration would require some hours to accomplish. Generally somebody in that state wouldn't feel well enough to be involved in any sports activity.
In the case of somebody sitting in the heat at half-time, continuing to sweat, it's going to take more aggressive rehydration AND probably some electrolyte replacement to get that person euvolemic and correctly balanced. But my point is that there is no need to push fluids aggressively for days before diving, because during those days of normal activities, there are no major volume losses to replete.
Urine volume and concentration are an excellent marker for hydration status. If you are urinating frequently and the urine is pale in color, you're pretty well hydrated. If you're going eight hours without urinating and the urine is dark and strong, you're not.
Diving itself involves unusual volume losses, because of the phenomenon of immersion diuresis -- fluid shifts within the body that fool the kidneys into thinking you're "fuller" than you actually are. This is the reason why one should take care to drink generously during a multi-dive day.
Green tea has very little theobromine in it (the diuretic substance). Coffee has about ten times the diuretic effect of black tea, and green tea is even weaker.
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Divin'Hoosier:
If you can manage it, 1 1/2 - 2 minutes for the last 15' would make a big difference in how you feel.
Aside from anything else, it's great practice for buoyancy control and will make the people who just popped up to the surface jealous
Terry
OP
Awesome advice everyone. Thanks. I plan on working all of this into my pre, during and post dive routine. Outstanding stuff!
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