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Can freediving cause DCS?
- Thread starterfishnchips
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Re: freedive cause bend?
Welcome to DeeperBlue, fish!
The short answer to Your question is: Yes.
For a full length explanation use the search function of the forum.
Are You a freediver, fishnchips? Where do You dive? Now that the first post is up, feel free to add to the fun! :wave
Welcome to DeeperBlue, fish!
The short answer to Your question is: Yes.
For a full length explanation use the search function of the forum.
Are You a freediver, fishnchips? Where do You dive? Now that the first post is up, feel free to add to the fun! :wave
Re: freedive cause bend?
Hi Sanso, thanks for the reply.
I freedive and scuba. Mostly freedive when I was younger, after learning the danger or shallow water blackout, i'm doing more scuba. But I still can't resist the seduction of freedive...
I used the search tool in this forum but only found info regarding bend due to freedive after scuba. What I'm looking is info regarding bend after freedive only and not due to mixing scuba and freedive.
If you know of any of this info, could you pls show me the link? Thanks very much.
Hi Sanso, thanks for the reply.
I freedive and scuba. Mostly freedive when I was younger, after learning the danger or shallow water blackout, i'm doing more scuba. But I still can't resist the seduction of freedive...
I used the search tool in this forum but only found info regarding bend due to freedive after scuba. What I'm looking is info regarding bend after freedive only and not due to mixing scuba and freedive.
If you know of any of this info, could you pls show me the link? Thanks very much.
Re: freedive cause bend?
Bends by freediving alone are possible - if you have a look at some of the research and dive profiles that Herbert Nitsch has created recently, he is accounting for this for no-limits plans at the moment
however these are considerations for 100m+ dives generally, there isn't much reliable data on it to state absolutes about it....
Bends by freediving alone are possible - if you have a look at some of the research and dive profiles that Herbert Nitsch has created recently, he is accounting for this for no-limits plans at the moment
however these are considerations for 100m+ dives generally, there isn't much reliable data on it to state absolutes about it....
Re: freedive cause bend?
Look for the terms like DCS or Taravana in the search function - there are several threads with important information. There is also one thread containing decompression tables for freediving. Better told, they do not show decompression time, but rather recommended surface time beteen dives in fucntion of depth and time spent down.
Freedivers like Eric Fattah reported bends at repetitive dives to relatively moderate depths. And there were also already some accidents - look up Carlos Coste or Benjamin Franz
You can get some information also here DCS @ APNEA.cz
Look for the terms like DCS or Taravana in the search function - there are several threads with important information. There is also one thread containing decompression tables for freediving. Better told, they do not show decompression time, but rather recommended surface time beteen dives in fucntion of depth and time spent down.
Freedivers like Eric Fattah reported bends at repetitive dives to relatively moderate depths. And there were also already some accidents - look up Carlos Coste or Benjamin Franz
You can get some information also here DCS @ APNEA.cz
Re: freedive cause bend?
You make it sound like it's terribly dangerous. Freediving isn't that bad.
I think there are more ways to knock oneself out with scuba gear than without.
With freediving it's the same as with anything else You ever want to do: You just have to know what You're doing, and then You can be reasonably safe.
Where are You from? With all the info and potential buddies You can get on here and maybe a course or two I'm sure You'll have loads of - safe - fun with freediving.
You make it sound like it's terribly dangerous. Freediving isn't that bad.
I think there are more ways to knock oneself out with scuba gear than without.
With freediving it's the same as with anything else You ever want to do: You just have to know what You're doing, and then You can be reasonably safe.
Where are You from? With all the info and potential buddies You can get on here and maybe a course or two I'm sure You'll have loads of - safe - fun with freediving.
Re: freedive cause bend?
When I stopped scubadiving I was doing crazy/deep/solo/dark/OH environment stuff, started freediving and the scuba faded away over time. My fear of getting bent on scuba increased, the more I freedived. I feel a lot safer freediving, though I'm solo for most of the time.
When I stopped scubadiving I was doing crazy/deep/solo/dark/OH environment stuff, started freediving and the scuba faded away over time. My fear of getting bent on scuba increased, the more I freedived. I feel a lot safer freediving, though I'm solo for most of the time.
Re: freedive cause bend?
Hey guys,
I always thought getting bent was from Nitrogen bubbles getting into the joints as you surfaced from a Scuba dive too quickly or without de-compressing enough.
Freediving was capable of causing the bends but only after diving for years as with the early pearl divers.
I have only heard of these cases, so my thoughts are after diving Scuba and Free over the years are we are much safer Freediving than we are on Scuba.
Just another perspective.
Hey guys,
I always thought getting bent was from Nitrogen bubbles getting into the joints as you surfaced from a Scuba dive too quickly or without de-compressing enough.
Freediving was capable of causing the bends but only after diving for years as with the early pearl divers.
I have only heard of these cases, so my thoughts are after diving Scuba and Free over the years are we are much safer Freediving than we are on Scuba.
Just another perspective.
Re: freedive cause bend?
aaargh! this is where these forums sometimes really annoy me
It's not about "perspectives" - it's about facts and medical science
Yes freediving can cause bends, I had a bend from freediving.
Main ways to get bent freediving
1) Freedive after scuba - to avoid that, wait 24 hours, or until your dive computer would let you fly. I only waited 16 hours and lost the use of most of my right leg for quite some time.
2) Too many dives, too short surface intervals - follow the AIDA deco tables (which you'll learn in AIDA 4 *). Or, more simply, have at least 5 mins between dives and 10 mins between any dives to 30m or more.
3) If you go anywhere No Limits or get very good at freediving, make sure you do the research and put together a deco plan for yourself.
DON'T base decisions that can seriously affect your life on things people write on forums (even my posts!)
I still walk with a bit of a limp sometimes 5 years later. Getting bent is not to be messed with.
Sam
aaargh! this is where these forums sometimes really annoy me
It's not about "perspectives" - it's about facts and medical science
Yes freediving can cause bends, I had a bend from freediving.
Main ways to get bent freediving
1) Freedive after scuba - to avoid that, wait 24 hours, or until your dive computer would let you fly. I only waited 16 hours and lost the use of most of my right leg for quite some time.
2) Too many dives, too short surface intervals - follow the AIDA deco tables (which you'll learn in AIDA 4 *). Or, more simply, have at least 5 mins between dives and 10 mins between any dives to 30m or more.
3) If you go anywhere No Limits or get very good at freediving, make sure you do the research and put together a deco plan for yourself.
DON'T base decisions that can seriously affect your life on things people write on forums (even my posts!)
I still walk with a bit of a limp sometimes 5 years later. Getting bent is not to be messed with.
Sam
Re: freedive cause bend?
What you are referring to is type 1 DCS (pain in the joints,skin rash etc),which almost never happens with freediving.
When freedivers do get DCS ,it´s more likely to be a type 2 DCS (more serious and possibly life-Threatening) ,that is arterial gas embolism or neurological problems.
So it´s important to have long enough surface intervals and to avoid deep-spearfishing for hours.(deeper than 30m)
after a very deep dive (over -50m) it can be a good idea to breath Nitrox or pure O2 for a while ,just as an extra safety.And to do only one deep dive in a day.
What you are referring to is type 1 DCS (pain in the joints,skin rash etc),which almost never happens with freediving.
When freedivers do get DCS ,it´s more likely to be a type 2 DCS (more serious and possibly life-Threatening) ,that is arterial gas embolism or neurological problems.
So it´s important to have long enough surface intervals and to avoid deep-spearfishing for hours.(deeper than 30m)
after a very deep dive (over -50m) it can be a good idea to breath Nitrox or pure O2 for a while ,just as an extra safety.And to do only one deep dive in a day.
Re: freedive cause bend?
This is not correct. I got bent 8 times while freediving and every single one was a type 1 hit.
After years of experiments, the primary factor in my hits was the ascent rate. A dangerous ascent speed is much more likely with a monofin, and in my opinion it is much easier to get bent when using a mono.
I was able to avoid DCS by controlling my ascent rate to less that 1.0m/s, with an additional reduction to 0.5m/s in the last 10m. Even better is a short apnea deco stop at 6m, but this can increase the risk of blackout.
For me, I found that with a very fast ascent (1.35m/s), it would take just two 40m dives to get a small type 1 hit.
The worst hit I ever had was in late 2005, during a wall diving session (30m, 44m, 48m, 51m, 30m, 32m). I ended up in the chamber on Navy Table 6 for several hours. Symptoms: tingling & numbness in fingers & toes, extreme unbelievable fatigue and weakness, pain in elbows, wrists, knuckles, and clouded thinking.
This is not correct. I got bent 8 times while freediving and every single one was a type 1 hit.
After years of experiments, the primary factor in my hits was the ascent rate. A dangerous ascent speed is much more likely with a monofin, and in my opinion it is much easier to get bent when using a mono.
I was able to avoid DCS by controlling my ascent rate to less that 1.0m/s, with an additional reduction to 0.5m/s in the last 10m. Even better is a short apnea deco stop at 6m, but this can increase the risk of blackout.
For me, I found that with a very fast ascent (1.35m/s), it would take just two 40m dives to get a small type 1 hit.
The worst hit I ever had was in late 2005, during a wall diving session (30m, 44m, 48m, 51m, 30m, 32m). I ended up in the chamber on Navy Table 6 for several hours. Symptoms: tingling & numbness in fingers & toes, extreme unbelievable fatigue and weakness, pain in elbows, wrists, knuckles, and clouded thinking.
Hey, everyone.
I moved this thread over to the safety section. With all the good info on here, I want to make sure it will be found by people looking for this topic.
There still is a redirect in beginner freediving, so any beginners with a scuba background will be pointed here as well.
Thanks everyone for the contributions!
I moved this thread over to the safety section. With all the good info on here, I want to make sure it will be found by people looking for this topic.
There still is a redirect in beginner freediving, so any beginners with a scuba background will be pointed here as well.
Thanks everyone for the contributions!
Sounds like you must be pretty susceptible Eric, I've done far worse series of dives with no problems. Probably carrying more nitrogen and faster ascent rates at times too (variable weight spearfishing, great fun but easy to put yourself at risk of DCS). Scary stuff. I think the dopiest thing I did was in Dahab last year. Line was set at 90m, pulled up at 80m with an equalising problem so I waited a few minutes and did it again. Completely forgot about DCS....
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Definitely some people are at greater risk then others. I have a friend that's been bent more then once on scuba doing long dives to only 10m, and was well under the tables. With freediving I've done a few things that others may have gotten DCS from. I've done 10 40m dives in a row doing some monofin testing. I think the rests in between were around 5-8min. To me these dives were on par effort wise with a recreational dive so didn't think much of it. Probably a bit stupid now I look back on it. :t
Eric has a point to be careful whilst doing repetive diving with a monofin because of the fast acent rates. I think it's also riskier because
not only are you diving deeper with a monofin, but often you forget the depths you are doing because it doesn't feel like a big dive effort wise. To me a 40m dive with a monofin feels like a 20m spearfishing dive effort wise. I've never had any DCS symptoms with freediving. I had a minor type 1 bend from scuba in my shoulder joint a year ago. Now am a bit paranoid so I aim to be a lot more careful with repetitive freediving also. If I had access to the equipment I would definitely like to have an O2 cylinder and do a 5min at 5m deco stop after depth training sessions.
Cheers,
Wal
Eric has a point to be careful whilst doing repetive diving with a monofin because of the fast acent rates. I think it's also riskier because
not only are you diving deeper with a monofin, but often you forget the depths you are doing because it doesn't feel like a big dive effort wise. To me a 40m dive with a monofin feels like a 20m spearfishing dive effort wise. I've never had any DCS symptoms with freediving. I had a minor type 1 bend from scuba in my shoulder joint a year ago. Now am a bit paranoid so I aim to be a lot more careful with repetitive freediving also. If I had access to the equipment I would definitely like to have an O2 cylinder and do a 5min at 5m deco stop after depth training sessions.
Cheers,
Wal