Coroner Critical of Deep Diving with No Build Up

[charlie rh]

I don't see why someone can't dive to 48m after 5 months off so long as it is still in their comfort zone. Some people will see 48m as deep and some will see it as not particularily deep.

I don't know how experienced the diver was at that sort of depth or whether he was used to sending up delayed smb's. If he had done a lot of diving at that depth he would more than likely be used to send up a marker, but he may not have been used to things going wrong at the same time.

Sometimes people just don't react that well to situations when caught by surprise. Why didn't they just fill their suit/bc's at the surface as was suggested earlier. But it's very easy to say that here.

It's especially sad when there is a fatality where it seems like it could have been avoided with different preparation and reactions to problems.

[StephM]

Originally Posted by charlie rh

I don't see why someone can't dive to 48m after 5 months off

In a word 'increased suseptibility to Nitrogen Narcosis' OK thats 5 words. It has been taken as read that if you want to dive deep you work up to it. Jumping into the water after months of non diving then going deep is crazy. ScotSAC take note, have seen this countless times on dive trips with my ex club, hence why it's my ex club. Too many 'blue moon' divers out to show off.

[David Pye]

Other than a fair amount of hearsay, has anybody actually demonstrated (scientifically) an ability to build up tolerance to Nitrogen Narcosis?

If there is such an ability, has anybody actually suggested how it might work at the physiological level?

David

[JasonP]

Originally Posted by David Pye

Other than a fair amount of hearsay, has anybody actually demonstrated (scientifically) an ability to build up tolerance to Nitrogen Narcosis?

If there is such an ability, has anybody actually suggested how it might work at the physiological level?

No. Every study I've seen said that you can't build up tolerance. What you can do is learn how to cope with it, rather like still managing to get home from the pub whilst hammered, but you're really still just as narced.

Jason

[wreckweasel]

The evidence is pointing towards an ability to develope tolerance for repetitive tasks/those not needing higher reasoning. This is normally by slowing down the activity/breaking it into key steps. Theres no evidence of any true tolerance development per se.

When it comes to unplanned/emergency situations, where you need higher reasoning, you're stuffed.

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by JasonP

No. Every study I've seen said that you can't build up tolerance. What you can do is learn how to cope with it, rather like still managing to get home from the pub whilst hammered, but you're really still just as narced.

Jason

That's what I understood. Practice and muscle memory help too.

Adrian

[Conor]

Erm, but being better able to deal with it is still beneficial when fit hits shan

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by StephM

In a word 'increased suseptibility to Nitrogen Narcosis' OK thats 5 words. It has been taken as read that if you want to dive deep you work up to it. Jumping into the water after months of non diving then going deep is crazy. ScotSAC take note, have seen this countless times on dive trips with my ex club, hence why it's my ex club. Too many 'blue moon' divers out to show off.

Trimix

40-50m dives are warm up dives for early in the season. At that depth we will carry similar equipment to when we dive 50-90m. A 30m dive just doesn't prepare you properly for the deeper dives.

This said If i had been laid off diving for a few months Id jump in a lake first to make sure all my kit worked. There is no way id do even a 30m dive without a kit check after a few months off.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Crisspy Fiver]

Hi All.

Not saying its any ones fault but in my mind not diving for 5 months then diving to 48 meters is not something I think someone should take likely. If I have any time of then I always build back up to the dives im doing.

I did do a thread on the same sort of things many moons ago. I was on a dive boat once and someone filling in the form had wrote they had not dived for 10 months and were now doing a 36 meter dive out of Brighton. The time of the year we were diving the viz was very bad and it was very dark down there. Some people on the thread had though I was being over cautious and I think some had agreed. Each to their own I guess.

For what its worth im no qualified to those (48 meters) depths so maybe what im writing is total rubbish.

Jamie

[Janos]

Originally Posted by Mark Chase

Trimix

40-50m dives are warm up dives for early in the season. At that depth we will carry similar equipment to when we dive 50-90m. A 30m dive just doesn't prepare you properly for the deeper dives.

For you maybe, but I'll just point out for the casual reader's benefit that you don't really stop over the winter and will be doing 30m+ throughout the year, or at least when Ling lets you

Janos