12-18 hours before flight after diving day?

[wolfen42]

After a day of no-deco diving 12-18 hours before flight should be ok typically... correct?

[Foo2]

I'm a newbie....but I thought it was 24 hours. I could be wrong though.

[Foo2]

Ok I was wrong. This is from the DAN website:

Dives within the No-Decompression Limits

• A Single No-Decompression Dive: A minimum preflight surface interval of 12 hours is suggested.
• Multiple Dives per Day or Multiple Days of Diving: A minimum preflight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested.

Dives Requiring Decompression Stops

• There is little experimental or published evidence on which to base a recommendation for decompression dives. A preflight surface interval substantially longer than 18 hours appears prudent.

[DOWNDEEP73]

I usually spend the last day sightseeing.

[Illini_Fan]

There is no absolute or definitive study on this that I'm aware of. DAN has some good stuff on their website: DAN Divers Alert Network : Flying After Diving


Revised Flying After Diving Guidelines for Recreational Diving - May 2002 The following guidelines are the consensus of attendees at the 2002 Flying After Diving Workshop. They apply to air dives followed by flights at cabin altitudes of 2,000 to 8,000 feet (610 to 2,438 meters) for divers who do not have symptoms of decompression sickness (DCS). The recommended preflight surface intervals do not guarantee avoidance of DCS. Longer surface intervals will reduce DCS risk further.

• For a single no-decompression dive, a minimum preflight surface interval of 12 hours is suggested.
• For multiple dives per day or multiple days of diving, a minimum preflight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested.
• For dives requiring decompression stops, there is little evidence on which to base a recommendation and a preflight surface interval substantially longer than 18 hours appears prudent.

[wolfen42]

Hmmm... So it looks like we should plan on timing our last dive to end 24 hours before we expect to fly... just in case.

Of course, with my luck our flight will then be delayed 5 hours and I'll be sitting in an airport somewhere thinking... "I could have made another dive! :P"

[ianr33]

A bit of commonsense goes a long way as well!

"For multiple dives per day or multiple days of diving, a minimum preflight surface interval of 18 hours is suggested."

That covers a lot of ground. Would include 2 ,30 foot reef dives or 10 days of diving yourself crazy on a liveaboard.

Pesonally after a week of diving,2-3 dives a day ,including deco dives most days I like to give it 24 hours but dont worry too much if its only,say,20 hours.

[ReefHound]

Originally Posted by wolfen42

Hmmm... So it looks like we should plan on timing our last dive to end 24 hours before we expect to fly... just in case.

Why not end your diving 48 hours before flying? Just in case...

Personally, I'm going with the 18 hours (I can't imagine flying somewhere and making only one dive) because that's what most all the agencies advise and they typically err on the side of caution in the first place.

[ReefHound]

Originally Posted by ianr33

That covers a lot of ground. Would include 2 ,30 foot reef dives or 10 days of diving yourself crazy on a liveaboard.

Doesn't much matter, you're off gassing overnight to nearly zero so any nitrogen from diving 2 or 3 or 14 days previous is gone. I'll bet the 18 hours is based on the assumption you ended your last dive at nearly full loading.

[wolfen42]

Originally Posted by ReefHound

Why not end your diving 48 hours before flying? Just in case...

Personally, I'm going with the 18 hours (I can't imagine flying somewhere and making only one dive) because that's what most all the agencies advise and they typically err on the side of caution in the first place.

Well, we'll only be able to dive for a couple days on the trip and our flight out is late enough in the day that we should be able to get in pretty full dive days and still leave a good margin. I think I'll plan on somewhere between 12-18 and expect some flight delays... No airline has disappointed me in that regard lately.