Of all the Frequently Asked Questions in Scuba Diving, queries regarding the proper time to fly after diving is one of the most common asked. The dilemma usually crops up, cos as divers we are always keen to squeeze in those few extra dives just before we have to make the most of our diving trips, after-all you just heard the other divers spot a manta ray at a particular dive site, what if it’s still around this afternoon? or you really wanted to have one last look at the amazing Electric Flame Scallop you’ve never even heard of before…whatever the reasons you’re wondering whether it’s reasonable to dive on the day of departure or the evening/night before an early flight.

The U.S. Navy tables recommend that you wait at least two hours before you board a plane after scuba diving; the U.S. Air Force says you should wait 24 hours; DAN recommends a 12-hour minimum surface interval before flying; PADI Flying After Diving guidelines say that you should not go to an altitude (fly) within 12 hours of completing a single dive or 18 hours when doing multiple dives (where possible wait 24 hours)….So which guideline should you follow?
Truth of the matter is that ascending to an altitude immediately after diving causes a significant risk for decompression sickness. Flying after diving, increases this risk because of the decreasing atmospheric pressure as we ascend. You might have only a few tiny bubbles, causing no problems at all, in your body when you reach the surface after a dive. If, however, you go flying, the small bubbles can expand (due to the reduction in pressure with altitude) and could cause the onset of DCS symptoms.
So what’s the minimum time you should give before flying after diving?
Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward correct answer to the question. It all boils down to the risk you are willing to take.
The current winner of the debate is a DAN guideline which states:
a. A minimum surface interval of 12 hours is required before ascent in a commercial aircraft (8000 foot (2438 m.) cabin).
b. Wait an extended surface interval beyond twelve hours (18 hours or more is suggested) after daily, multiple dives for several days or dives that required decompression stops.
c. The greater the diving the longer the duration (some sources say 24-48 hrs) recommended before flying.
The above is for sports diving and should not apply to commercial diving or nitrox diving. Because of the complex nature of DCS and because decompression schedules are based on unverifiable assumptions, there can never be a fixed flying after diving rule that can guarantee prevention of bends completely.
Whether you wait 12 hours or 24 hrs there are no guarantees that you won’t get decompression sickness when you fly. However, the longer your pre-flight surface interval time, the more nitrogen you expel from your system which minimizes the risk of decompression sickness. We recommend you use your judgment and consider some factors before making your decision like- The number of previous dives you’ve made on this dive trip,
type of dives (decompression, non-decompression, altitude dives, nitrox etc), your general health and your age. The estimated DCS probability for the 12-hour flying-after-diving surface interval is about 1 percent. Of the 300,000 to 400,000 people who fly home 12 to 24 hours after their last dive, the estimated incidence of decompression sickness among these divers is about 0.004 percent, making the 12-24 hour rule the most followed among divers across the world.
*Photo Credits: photos by caribb, ianmyles, rsgranne on flickr
References:
Divers Alert Network









Skin Bends: In 10-15% of DCS cases bubbles form within the body’s upper tissue. Symptoms may be-
First Aid and Treatment for Decompression Sickness

Usually, nitrogen is expelled from a persons body during an exhale and through their skin. When breathing compressed air while diving, because of the ambient water pressure, the nitrogen is absorbed remains in the body’s fatty tissues and blood. The longer and deeper the dive, the more nitrogen is absorbed into the tissues. As long as the diver remains at pressure, the gas presents no problem. However, when the pressure around the diver decreases the nitrogen starts coming out of the tissues back into the blood stream. This is known as off gassing. If the pressure is reduced too quickly, the nitrogen starts forming bubbles in the tissues and bloodstream rather than being exhaled just like when you open a bottle or can of soda it releases the pressure causing the carbon dioxide gas to lose its solubility and escape in the form of bubbles or fizz.
As we saw above, nitrogen bubbles start forming the body if pressure is reduced too quickly. When diving water pressure is reduces if a diver ascends too quickly. So, getting this nitrogen out of the tissues at the correct rate is a challenge divers face. When a diver ascends at the right rate and by stopping part of the way up, the pressure is released slowly and the gas diffuses from the tissues through micro-bubbles that can be exhaled safely. Another cause for decompression sickness is diving too long or too deep as more gas is absorbed into body tissue and in higher concentrations than normal.




There’s no shame in getting sea sick. It happens to everyone once in a while, just, don’t make a mess. Carry seasickness pills with you or a piece of ginger root. If you do feel your last meal making an unpleasant appearance lean over the lee (wind at your back) side of the boat to do your business.Try hard not throw up where scuba divers will be, like off of the back of the boat or definitely not in the boat. Don’t use the bathroom or ‘head’ to hurl for a number of reasons. One, the confined space and lack or air circulation will make you feel even more sick than before and two, it’ll simply make the people who need to use the ‘head’ just as sick. 




In order to successfully complete any
Based in the United States and by far by the biggest and most recognized dive certification agency in the world, PADI was started in 1966 to improve the training into a variety of different courses rather than just the one single universal course. prevalent at the time. PADI courses are very performance based dive programs. The introductory level emphasizes practical knowledge, safety and motor skills along with the foundations of diving physics, physiology and chemistry.

Contrary to popular belief, Jaws and the endless shark attack programs shown on TV, there have been very few shark attacks on Scuba divers. Let’s just say your chances of getting hit by lightning, dying of a wasp, bee or snake bite are a lot more than becoming a shark’s supper. In the United States the annual risk of death from lightning is 30 times greater than that from shark attack.
As bad as a Shark taking a nip at you may sound and with no intention of downplaying the severity of the situation, the shark attack trauma is less common than such beach-related injuries as spinal damage, dehydration, jellyfish and stingray stings and sunburn.







