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Talked with an old saturation diver at the union hall yesterday
He told me he never trusts a diver who brags about their bottom time because the real pros are the ones who take their time on ascent, and after my last 200-foot job I kind of see what he meant.
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the_rowan12d ago
Yeah that old timer was spot on. The guys who rush their ascent are the ones who end up with bends or worse, I've seen it happen. Bottom time is just a number but that slow crawl up from depth is what really tests your discipline. A lot of new guys get cocky after a few deep dives and start cutting corners. But the ocean doesn't care how tough you think you are, it'll humble you real quick. Respect the deco stops or pay the price, plain and simple.
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skyler_smith8511d ago
My first deep dive to 110 feet off Key Largo I thought deco stops were for over cautious divers (I was young and dumb). @the_rowan what you said about cutting corners really hit home because I watched a buddy skip his last stop once and ended up with a nasty case of skin bends, itchy red rash for days. I used to think extra bottom time was worth the risk but seeing that humbled me fast, now I never rush the ascent even if it feels like forever.
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sam1711d ago
Yeah but wait, skin bends from skipping a deco stop isn't quite like that. I mean, skin bends (the itchy rash you mentioned) is actually from cutaneous decompression sickness, and it can show up even if you do all your stops right if you're unlucky. The real danger is the spinal or cerebral stuff, which hits way harder and faster. I've heard of guys who skipped a stop and ended up with numbness or paralysis for life, not just a rash. And the thing about extra bottom time, it's not just about the ascent speed. Your tissue loading really depends on your whole dive profile, not just the last few minutes. So even if you crawl up slow, if you pushed too deep or too long, you're still at risk (no matter how disciplined your ascent is). The ocean will always win in the end, no matter how many dives you've got under your belt.
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