What happens if divers return to the surface of the water too quickly?

Decompression sickness: Often called “the bends,” decompression sickness happens when a scuba diver ascends too quickly. But if a diver rises too quickly, the nitrogen forms bubbles in the body. This can cause tissue and nerve damage. In extreme cases, it can cause paralysis or death if the bubbles are in the brain.

Why shouldn’t divers move up to the surface of the water after a deep dive?

If a diver ascends too quickly, the nitrogen gas in his body will expand at such a rate that he is unable to eliminate it efficiently, and the nitrogen will form small bubbles in his tissues. This is known as decompression sickness, and can be very painful, lead to tissue death, and even be life threatening.

Why do you have to wait between dives?

Staying at ground level before going to altitude is like doing a decompression stop. Deeper and longer dives will leave you with more residual nitrogen, thus requiring a longer pre-flight surface interval. The time you should wait relates directly to the pattern of diving completed.

Why does a diver not hold her breath when she rises to the surface from significant depths?

When the diver surfaces- one of the most important rules is to be continuously breathing. Never hold your breath when ascending. This is due to the air in the lungs will start to expand because there is less pressure of the water exerted on the body. Holding your breath can cause catastrophic injury to divers lungs.

Can you fly before scuba diving?

For repetitive dives, or multiple days of diving a minimum preflight surface interval of at least 18 hours is recommended. DAN (Divers Alert Network) recommends 24 hours for repetitive dives, The US Air Force recommends 24 hours after any dive, while the US Navy tables recommend only 2 hours before flying to altitude.”

Can you fly then dive?

Scuba diving immediately after being at altitude or in another low pressure environment is fine. Other than you being more tired or dehydrated than normal, there are no effects on your body if you go directly from an aircraft or mountain into deep water.

What happens when a scuba diver holds their breath?

If you hold your breath while ascending to the surface, your lungs and the air within them expand as the water pressure weakens. Overexpansion of the lungs can also lead to air bubbles in your bloodstream or too much pressure on your heart, both of which can be fatal if not corrected.

How does pressure change underwater?

Pressure increases with ocean depth. At sea level, the air that surrounds us presses down on our bodies at 14.7 pounds per square inch . The deeper you go under the sea, the greater the pressure of the water pushing down on you. For every 33 feet (10.06 meters) you go down, the pressure increases by one atmosphere .