Where do we draw the line between true "in water recompression" versus surfacing with skipped deco but immediately returning to depth to finish it?
When I think of IWR I picture a process undertaken perhaps tens of minutes to hours after a dive, after becoming symptomatic on the surface. Dangerously high PO2s, FFM, team support.
Would we still call it REcompression if a diver skips deco due to an emergency, sorts the problem, then quickly re-descends to complete an extended schedule of stops? Perhaps not even knowing if they're symptomatic? It's my understanding that depending on exposure there is a short window (like 5 minutes) where this can be feasible with minimal bubble formation. I recall most agency training material recommending to stay on the surface and NOT go back down in this scenario. But if I blew my stops I'd strongly consider it. Someone like
@Akimbo can correct me if I'm wrong on the following - but don't commercial divers sometimes surface to 1atm before quickly getting in a chamber for deco? Or maybe that was a historical practice that isn't cool anymore.
Another question - is it reasonable to think that a "mild" in water recompression is better than nothing and perhaps a middle ground in terms of benefit and safety? Say a long dive to 20ft on O2 with a very slow ascent rather than the extreme PO2s of an in-water table 6. Theoretically better than staying on the surface, but perhaps not deep enough to crush bubbles in a serious hit? Worth doing before transport to a chamber? Just asking to move bubbles to worse places and delaying more effective treatment?
The analogy would be BASE jumpers versus regular skydivers. The risk is the whole point of the exercise.
As a tech diver who also participates in some unrelated "extreme" sports I think this is a fascinating point of discussion perhaps worthy of its own thread. To me big or solo dives are a polar opposite experience from say dropping in on a huge halfpipe. Diving is methodical, meditatively calm, precise, cerebral. There's no "send it" and no adrenaline rush. Risk MITIGATION is the objective, not pushing limits for the thrill of surviving some crazy feat. However I do know other divers who are chasing big dives for the rush or machismo. I worry about those people. Wish they would get a skateboard.