SCUBA and seaplanes

[SarahLovesSeaplanes]

I had an inquiry regarding flying in a non pressurised seaplane after a scuba dive. Some divers want to reach a remote location that just can't be done by boat. We would be returning at a max altitude of 1000' and probably lower.

I know PADI says 12 hours "suggested" after a dive. I note this isn't mandatory or even recommended. It is also based on commercial flights that are pressure adjusted to 10,000 feet with the potential to have a decompression issue pushing one instantly to 30,000+ feet.

What's the theory on doing a slow ascent from sea level to 1000' after diving?

note 10 meters under water is equivalent to 1 atmosphere pressure. So in theory you could go from sea level to the edge of the atmosphere and only have ascended the equivelent of 10 meters under water.

Does anyone have any real world experience with flying at low altitude after a dive?

[Jerz]

If you and your friend are in average or better shape, you should be fine. I took commercial airlines day after scuba diving to 40-50meters with no ill effects more then ones. I also flown professional oil field divers to and from the job sides at 8-10 000ft on several occasions and never heard of any concerns other then hitting the bars ASAP.
Then there is the small print disclaimer: Use your own better judgement . This is only my very limited experience. This advise is worth what you paid for it.

[Panama Jack]

I am not a Divemaster (NAUI Advanced only) nor a medical doctor (ATP only), but I get the feeling that the dive/fly recommendations are regarding commercial airline travel where cabin altitudes vary between 6000 and 8000 feet and the risk of rapid decompression exists.

Flying in a seaplane after a dive is no different than the problem Vancouver Island divers face when driving over the Malahat Summit (1156 feet). Lots of people do this, but as thesaying goes "your mileage may differ."

If it were me (-and I am not basing it on any science or making suggestions so please don't look me up to sue me) I would likely go ahead. If you want to be cautious, consider a surface interval of an hour before takeoff or, even better, consider doing a NITROX dive.

[Rockie]

You can scuba dive in bodies of water much higher than 1000 feet and nobody gets concerned. I don't see a problem.

[sarg]

Used to do lots of flying for the fish farms on the West coast years ago. Some of their staff would spend part of the day checking the nets approx 40-60' 1hr bottom time then we would fly them out staying at 500' never saw any ill effects arise from that.

[FlyGy]

I'm a divemaster and the recommendation is simply for pressurised aircraft that may have the potential for explosive decompression. For anyone else, an explosive decompression in an aircraft would be a temporary discomfort, whereas for a diver outside dive limits it would be almost instantly fatal. However, even an 8000ft cabin for extended duration could result in decompression illness.

If you're flying at 1000ft ASL I would suggest your divers consult their altitude diving RDP tables and and plan their dives in relation to the altitude of the flight rather than the altitude of the water they will be in.

[RVgrin]

I am a SCUBA Divemaster (PADI) and a pilot, with personal experience of decompression sickness symptoms on a flight. I have a good basic understanding of the physics and physiology involved but am not an expert.

For what it's worth, FlyGuy's reply sounds most correct of all the advice written so far.

However, I would advise you against relying on advice from anonymous Internet bulletin boards on matters of personal or passenger safety.

Furthermore, I would caution you to avoid "confirmation bias". That's when you seek out (or put a higher weight on) opinions that match your preconceived idea of the truth. Or if you keep reading only until you find the advice you want to hear. That's a dangerous way to make piloting decisions.

Sadly this is how ordinary people make health and welfare decisions everyday.

Aviation professionals need to be more objective.

[RVR12]

I picked up MANY divers on the west coast from fish farms. We would fly at 500 feet home, taking the "long route" down the inlets. Its no worse then them doing something silly like DRIVING the malahat home if they were down victoria way!

[kevinsky18]

Many people are under the mistaken impression that you cannot fly for a minimum 12hrs after a SCUBA dive.

If you are a PADI certified diver you may remember reading something about a recommended 12 hour wait after one dive and 18 hour wait after multiple dives to board a plane. This rule is correct but it is based on commercial flights with cabin pressures between 2000 feet - 8000 feet. Most non pilots don't understand these finer details so to make things easy for everyone to understand they simply say don't fly period.

In short, a flight is only considered a flight aka "altitude exposure" above 2000'.

Here is a link to DAN (Divers Alert Network) they are the authority on diving and from whom PADI gets their dive table research. They explain the diving and flying rule in more detail and clearly indicate that it is safe to fly directly after a dive provided you remain below pressure altitude of 2000’

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medic ... ter_Diving

I fly to and from tropical resorts where SCUBA diving is one of the main activities. So I contacted DAN directly and got a response from.
Scott H. Smith, EMT-P
Prehospital Medicine Course Director
Medical Information Specialist
Medical Services

He confirmed that any flight below 2000 ft is safe and does not require any surface interval time prior to commencing the flight.

Just remember to keep it below 2000’ pressure altitude and you will be within a safe margin to take SCUBA dive passengers directly after they dive.

Please note these are the basics. You will want to review the full details on DAN's website if you are planning on doing this. One such caveat is that it is assuming your SCUBA dive passengers are not suffering from the decompression sickness. Another is that this is for passengers; as pilots we have our own sets of rules which may trump DANs recommendations. There are a few more technical caveats which you should review and make your passengers aware

[Doc]

For sport diving purposes, flying in a float plane to heights of 2500 feet after scuba diving to acceptable sport diving depths (say 60 feet or so) are NO problem. You can get all hung up on chest beating over who has the biggest, baddest, dive certification all you want, fact remains....it's perfectly safe. I've done it. MANY times. It's how some of us got to dive sites.

As long as you wait an hour after eating, before you go into the water.....no worries.