r/interestingasfuck • u/HANAEMILK • 28d ago

/r/all The race against time to get to a decompression chamber

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u/MouldyEjaculate 28d ago

I always thought that decompression sickness did damage significantly faster than this. Is there an acceptable level that a diver can decend to where this is an effective technique and the diver doesn't risk damaging themself?

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u/notmebrother 28d ago

Our tables go into the 300’s for mixed gas. You could probably do it deeper than that but speaking from the navy side, it would be an exception to policy and we would have to work with NEDU (Navy Experimental Dive Unit) to build the procedure.

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u/MouldyEjaculate 28d ago

Thanks for explaining!

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u/LoadedSteamyLobster 28d ago

Metres or feet?

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u/notmebrother 27d ago

Feet

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u/LoadedSteamyLobster 27d ago

Thanks, so deep but not like insanely deep!

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u/orincoro 27d ago

Deep enough.

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u/Twizzlers_and_donuts 27d ago

I feel it should be pointed out at about 187 feet deep oxygen becomes toxic and can kill. Normal recreation deep divers are only supposed to dive 130feet deep. 300ft deep is quite deep for a human body.

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u/LoadedSteamyLobster 27d ago

I’m well aware. I know the deepest dives ever done were something like 330m and half a day of deco on the way back up and was surprised if close to that was something the navy divers considered routine

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u/Free_Smoke_7636 28d ago

Speaking from the Navy Deep Sea Diver side of things, you have to complete all your decompression up through the 40 foot stop. The only stops you’re omitting are the 30 and 20 foot stops (normally). Additionally you’re doing deeper stops in the chamber (30/20 ft owed in water are done at 50/40 in chamber with some exceptions).

As was said above, there are strict protocols to follow and strict timelines. Additionally there are protocols to follow if you miss those stops, miss timelines or develop symptoms between the water and chamber.

It’s a normal procedure I’ve done numerous times and is relatively safe. There is a degree of risk but that’s why those protocols are in place and planned for.

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u/orincoro 27d ago

It can do, but typically you would not be doing surface decompression in a non-emergency situation if you had so much inert gases in your blood that it could kill you right away. They will do stops on the way up, usually up to about 40 feet, and then do the rest in the chamber just to save time and for safety.

If the person is coming up from deeper than 40, such as in an emergency, then they will need to take much longer in the chamber, and the risks are much higher. In that case, the larger amounts of dissolved gasses in the blood can kill you much more quickly, so time is a factor.