Horizontal Deco ??? .

[The Menace]

Been hearing some stuff on other forums about this being beneficial ! , not being the type to brag and having done many decompression dives in the vertical position without even a sniff of a hit I'm wondering what the hell ? .

Anyone able to shed some light on this theory ? , iv'e even seen some comments about divers being "unprofessional" for not following this practice ! .
Is this normal procedure in the UK now or is it just another elitist techie beat up about how we should all be diving ?.

[thehappychappy]

Pretty certain from my very limited perspective its about making sure your whole body is at the same pressure especially in the shallower stops however I could be wrong.


I.e I am over 6 foot so doing a vertical stop at three metres puts my head where?

Surely horizontal makes more sense ......




Davie

[abucksdiver]

Originally Posted by thehappychappy

I.e I am over 6 foot so doing a vertical stop at three metres puts my head where?

Depends where your computer/pressure gauge is... if its on your wrist, it then depends how high you raise your arm. So, I guess, for a gauge on your wrist reading 3 metres, your head could be anywhere between 3m and 2m... and your feet could be down to almost 5 metres (if your wrist/gauge is at eye level...)

Andrew

[hebails]

surely it's easier to hold a designated stop depth if you're horizontal?
It's quite comfy really as you just eyeball your buddy (or spool/reel if you're solo) and hold the stop.

[Marky Mark]

This kicked up a bit of a fuss a few years ago when it was suggested, can't remember why. I like hovering horizontally and find it comfortable so it works for me. I wouldn't have thought it would make that much difference given that all deco theory is best guess anyways. Sometimes things start off as a good idea end up in common law.

Horizontally yours MyM

[Mal Bridgeman]

I overheard in Gildenburg cafe recently that "It's to stop all the nitrogen going to your head"

I did ask about this a while ago on here and I think the physics was a little in conclusive at the intermediate stops .... shallower I can see more of a difference e.g. a vertical @ 1m stop has your head at the surface and your feet at 2m .....

The best reason proffered to me was that if your buddy needed help then a finstroke would take you straight to him .... not upwards ..... and that seemed like a really good reason to me.

HTH
Mal

[Dave Abraham]

I think the idea is that all tissues will off gas equally coz they are at the same pressure and if any bubbles do form they will not "rise" to your head giving you a brain bend. If that's the case we should do our deco inverted and lie flat on our backs for a couple of hours as soon as we leave the water.
Whenever possible I do my stops whilst swimming around mostly because it's less boring

[hebails]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

I overheard in Gildenburg cafe recently that "It's to stop all the nitrogen going to your head"

I did ask about this a while ago on here and I think the physics was a little in conclusive at the intermediate stops .... shallower I can see more of a difference e.g. a vertical @ 1m stop has your head at the surface and your feet at 2m .....

The best reason proffered to me was that if your buddy needed help then a finstroke would take you straight to him .... not upwards ..... and that seemed like a really good reason to me.

HTH
Mal

That's a great reason that is.
That'll be my stock response from here on in I reckon.
Cheers Mal.
Paul

[liamm]

If you're on a shot line then it also allows more to be at a certin depth. There's generally a current where i dive and horizontal makes the dive and deco more comfortable.

[nigelH]

Do a plan for a 7m final stop and for a 6m final stop and the 7 normally comes out longer. Much as my top might like to be back on the boat having a cup of tea it's going to have to wait for my feet to finish their deco.