Introduction To Scuba Diving Unit 5 Decompression
Introduction To Scuba Diving Unit 5 Decompression
Introduction To Scuba Diving Unit 5 Decompression
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Instructor Materials: Teaching notes, various training aids you can use to
demonstrate topics of decompression.
INTRODUCTION
Attention Step: Your depth, and the number of dives you have made in a
series are two major factors that determine the length of time you can stay
under water.
Importance of Value: This chapter explains the use of the NAUI Dive Tables,
the NAUI Dive Time Calculator, and dive computers. You plan your dives
with the correct time and depth limits by using either version of the NAUI
Dive Tables or a dive computer.
Main Points: See presentation slides.
Student Materials and Conduct: note taking material, student book kit, and
your undivided attention
Body: See presentation slides.
Student Performance:
Performance Statement:
Describe to the students what will be expected of them, by the end of this
lesson, and to what degree.
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Ingassing nitrogen:
Offgassing nitrogen:
Decompression Sickness:
Ingassing nitrogen:
Your body ingasses nitrogen until the pressure of the nitrogen in your
body equals the pressure of nitrogen in the air you breathe.
The different tissues of your body absorb nitrogen at different rates
when you are under water.
Dive tables and computers eliminate the need for complex calcula tions.
Offgassing nitrogen:
When you ascend the ambient pressure decreases.
The pressure of nitrogen in your body is now greater than the partial
pressure of nitrogen in the air you breathe.
If the change in pressure is sudden the nitrogen in your tissues can
come out of solution so rapidly that bubbles form in your body.
Decompression Sickness:
You must control two factors that affect ingassing and outgassing, time
and pressure.
You do this by controlling your dive time and depth.
Residual Nitrogen
Residual nitrogen reduces your time limits for any given depth on your
next dive.
You must always take the nitrogen remaining in your system from any
previous series of dives, into account when planning your next dive.
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Dive schedule.
Maximum Dive Time (MDT).
Decompression Stop.
Dive schedule.
This is an abbreviated statement giving the depth and time of the dive.
It is expressed as depth/time.
It is also called a dive profile, especially when it is one dive in a
sequence of dives
Maximum Dive Time (MDT).
This is the time you can spend at a given depth without having to do a
required decompression stop during ascent. This time is also known as
the Maximum Allowable Dive Time.
Decompression Stop.
This is a point in a dive where you stop at a specified depth fo r a
specified time during ascent to allow nitrogen outgassing before
continuing your ascent or surfacing.
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Residual nitrogen.
Letter group designation.
Surface Interval Time.
Residual nitrogen.
This is the excess nitrogen remaining in your body from any dive or
dives made before you have completely offgassed.
Letter group designation.
This letter symbol identifies the amount of residual nitrogen yo u have
in your system. The closer the letter is to the beginning of the alphabet,
the less residual nitrogen you have in your body.
Surface Interval Time.
This is the time spent on the surface between dives. During this time,
your body is eliminating excess nitrogen. Your Letter Group will
change and move closer to the beginning of the alphabet, depending on
how long you are on the surface.
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Repetitive dive.
Residual Nitrogen Time (RNT).
Adjusted Maximum Dive Time (AMDT).
Total Nitrogen Time (TNT).
Repetitive dive.
This is any dive that you make before you have completely offgassed from any
previous dive or dives.
Residual Nitrogen Time (RNT).
This is the amount of time you must consider as already having been spent at a
given depth for a planned repetitive dive. This time is based on the residual
nitrogen remaining in your body from a previous dive or dives.
Adjusted Maximum Dive Time (AMDT).
This is the Maximum Dive Time minus the Residual Nitrogen Time for a
repetitive dive to a given depth.
Total Nitrogen Time (TNT).
This is the sum of your Residual Nitrogen Time and your Actual Dive Time
following a repetitive dive. You use this total to obtain your new Letter Group
at the end of the dive.
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continued
You must understand the following dive table rules
completely.
Unit 5-Decompression, Dive Tables, and Dive Computers
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Use the deepest depth you reached during your dive to determine the dive
schedule for your dive.
For example, if you do a dive to 18 meters (60 feet), but spend most of the
time at 12 meters (40 feet), you must consider the dive to be an 18 meter (60
foot) dive.
Always make your deepest dive first when making a series of dives.
Plan each of your repetitive dives to a shallower depth than your previous dive.
This might allow you to offgas nitrogen on progressively shallower dives and
prevents you from carrying progressively larger amount of residual nitrogen on
deeper repetitive dives.
Consider any dive shallower than 12 meters (40 feet) to be a 12-meter (40foot) dive when planning your dives.
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continued
You must understand the following dive table rules
completely.
Unit 5-Decompression, Dive Tables, and Dive Computers
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At this point, you have finished planning your dive with regard to depth and time limits. Now
its time to dive your plan.
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1. Your first dive of the day was to 20 meters (66 feet). You descended at
9:40, surfaced at 10:19, and completed a 3-minute precautionary
decompression stop (ADT=36). Your second dive was to 14 meters (46
feet). You descended at 12:32, surfaced at 1:13, and completed a 3minute precautionary decompression stop (ADT=38). Your third dive
was to 12 meters (40 feet). You descended at 2:43, surfaced at 3:26,
and completed a 3-minute precautionary decompression stop (ADT=40).
2. Your first dive of the second day of your trip was to 24 meters (80 feet).
You descended at 8:35, surfaced at 8:58, and completed a 3-minute
precautionary decompression stop (ADT=20). Your SIT was 2 hours and
46 minutes. Your second dive was to 16 meters (52.5 feet) for 36
minutes including your precautionary decompression stop (ADT=33).
You surfaced at 12:20. Your third dive was to 10 meters (33 feet). You
descended at 3:10, surfaced at 4:10, and completed a 3-minute
precautionary decompression stop (ADT=57).
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Special Rules
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Decompression diving.
Precautionary decompression stops.
Required decompression.
Omitted decompression.
Cold or strenuous dives.
Flying after diving.
Altitude diving.
Decompression diving: Intentionally exceeding the Maximum Dive Time is unwise, unsafe, and
discouraged.
Precautionary decompression Stops: You should stop at 4 meters (15 feet) for 3-5 minutes at
the end of each dive for a precautionary decompression stop. Taking this action is recommended
to help prevent DCS and to maintain control of your ascent near the surface.
Required decompression stops: If you accidentally exceed a Maximum Dive Time or Adjusted
Maximum Dive Time, you must decompress by stages. You must stop at 4 meters (15 feet)
during your ascent and stay there for a specified time to allow your body to offgas nitrogen. You
must keep your physical activity to a minimum during your decompression stop.
Omitted decompression: If you surface and discover you omitted a required decompression
stop, take the following steps: 1. Discontinue diving for 24 hours no matter how well you feel. 2.
Breathe 100% oxygen, if available. If only a small, portable unit is available, breathe the oxygen
until the cylinder is empty. 3. Drink plenty of fluids. 4. Rest. 5. Watch for symptoms of DCS.
Cold or strenuous dives: If you get cold, do strenuous physical work during or after a dive, or
both, use the next greater time for your dive schedule.
Flying after diving: If you only do one no-decompression dive, you can fly after waiting 12
hours. If you do more than one no-decompression dive in a day, or do multiple days of diving,
you can fly 24 hours after the completion of your last dive.
Altitude diving: Atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, which means that the rate of
change in pressure is greater when you descend into water at altitude. To account for this
difference, you need to use altitude conversion tables.
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Once you are familiar with the NAUI Dive Tables, learning how
to use the NAUI Dive Time Calculator is easy.
Unit 5-Decompression, Dive Tables, and Dive Computers
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General organization.
Using the calculator.
Dive planning with the
calculator.
General organization:
NAUI Dive Tables 1 and 3 are combined on the baseplate. Letter Group
designations appear around the circumference, and ADTs in minutes appear in
the window. End-of-Dive Letter Groups appear to the right of the ADT
numbers in the disk window. Dive Table 2 is printed on the disk.
Using the NAUI Dive Time Calculator:
see textbook chapter 5
Dive Planning with the calculator:
You can use the NAUI Dive Time Calculator to achieve the same three
methods of dive planning as you can using the NAUI Dive Tables:
1. Limit your bottom time to the maximum number indicated for a given depth
and group.
2. Extend your surface interval to move to a group letter earlier in the alphabet.
3. Dive to a shallower depth.
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Your first dive of the day is planned for a depth of 18 meters (60
feet), begins at 9:30 a.m., and lasts for 23 minutes. The actual
depth of the dive is 16.7 meters (55 feet). You make a
precautionary decompression stop at 5 meters (15 feet) for 3
minutes, you surface at 9:56 a.m. and remain out of the water until
10:40 a.m. Your next dive is to a depth of 15 meters (50 feet) for
23 minutes. You make a precautionary decompression stop at 5
meters (15 feet) for 3 minutes. You surface at 11:06 a.m. and have
a SIT of 1 hour and 50 minutes. At 12:56 p.m., you begin your
third dive to a planned depth of 12 meters (40 feet), but you end up
reaching a depth of 13.7 meters (45 feet) with an ADT of 30
minutes. You make a precautionary decompression stop at 5
meters (15 feet) for 3 minutes and you surface from the third dive
at 1:29 p.m. What is your Letter Group?
Use the NAUI Dive Tables or the NAUI Dive Time Calculator to solve the
following dive profiles:
See sample problems chapter 5
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There are three ways to determine how long you can dive and then ascend
within the dive time limits. We have already discussed two. The third and
easiest way is to use a dive computer. This is also the most exp ensive way to
monitor your bottom times, but it is used by more divers every day.
However, using a dive computer is never a reason for failing to understand and
being able to work the dive tables.
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Ceiling:
Violating the ceiling:
Scrolling:
Ceiling:
A ceiling is the shallowest depth to which you can ascend without risk of
forming bubbles in your body.
Violate the ceiling:
You must not pass or violate this ceiling. If your computer displays a ceiling,
you have entered a decompression situation. To help avoid suffe ring DCS,
you should use your computer to prevent a ceiling from being established.
Scrolling:
Occurs when your computer continuously flashes the Maximum Dive Times in
sequence for progressively deeper depths. This feature is an aid for dive
planning and for chamber treatment, should you develop DCS. Scrolling can
also show your current dive profile history.
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Display information.
Initialization.
Scrolling.
Dive mode.
Decompression.
Planning repetitive dives.
Safe to fly indicators.
Logging your dives.
Dive computer rules.
Display information: You must read and understand the manual that is supplied with your
computer.
Initialization: When a dive computer is first turned on, it must initialize itself. This is a
process where the operating program is checked and loaded into the computers memory.
Scrolling: Between dives, the computer accounts for your residual nitrogen and the time you
have been on the surface. It shows your Allowable Maximum Dive Time for your next dive for
each depth programmed in the computer. This is called scrolling.
Dive mode: When a computer is in dive mode, it will display data such as your current depth,
maximum depth, water temperature, actual dive time, and the time you have left at your
current depth.
Decompression: You should never see the ceiling display. When your dive computer displays
a ceiling, it means that you have an obligation to decompress.
Planning repetitive dives: During your surface interval, your computer will give you credit
for offgassing. A surface interval of at least 1 hour is still recommended even if you are using
a computer.
Safe to fly indicators: The computer is telling you how long you must wait before it is safe to
fly. When you no longer see an airplane or the words TIME TO FLY it is safe to fly.
Logging your dives: Even if you use a computer, you still need to log your dives.
You must obey the following rules when using a dive computer: See textbook chapter 5
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Decompression
Unit 5-Decompression, Dive Tables, and Dive Computers
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Transition Statement: This chapter explained the use of the NAUI Dive Tables,
the NAUI Dive Time Calculator, and dive computers. You can plan your dives
with the correct time and depth limits by using either version of the NAUI Dive
Tables or a dive computer.
Review of Main Points: See this presentation slide.
Emphasize Key Points:
Nitrogen and Diving: If the change in pressure is sudden the nitrogen can come out of solution
so rapidly that bubbles form.
Dive Table Overview: The dive tables are used to plan your dives.
Dive Table Organization: The NAUI Dive Tables are composed of three tables: End of dive
letter group, SIT, Repetitive dive timetable.
Dive Planning Worksheet: The planning worksheet provides an easy way to keep track of your
dives.
Maximizing Your Underwater Time: Three things maximize your dive time: SIT, Depth, ADT
Special Rules: Situations include decompression, cold or strenuous diving, flying after diving,
and altitude diving.
Using the NAUI Dive Time Calculator: The NAUI Dive Tables are the basis for the Dive Time
Calculator.
Sample Problems: You can use either the Dive Tables or Dive Time Calculator to wo rk dive
table problems.
Using Dive Computers: Both the tables and computers are only theoretical models of what
happens in the diver.
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Student Performance:
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