Changed my ascent speed and dives got way better

I used to shoot up fast after finishing a job to save time. A guy on the barge told me that was asking for trouble. So I began rising slower, like one minute per ten feet. I thought it would waste too much clock on deep dives. But after a week, I found I had more energy topside. Last job in cold water, I stayed clear-headed the whole time. Now I always take it slow coming up and feel much better after.

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyb291mo ago

Doubt the need for such a slow ascent. Many divers I've worked with ascend quickly and report no issues. Your improved energy might just be placebo from following advice. Without hard data, I'm skeptical it's that critical.

oliver_young501mo ago

Hey @nancyb29, I used to feel the same way until I got bent on a routine dive where we came up a bit fast. Felt totally fine right after, but the joint pain hit me hard that evening. It absolutely sucked and took two chamber rides to fix. That showed me the nitrogen bubbles don't always give you a warning sign right away. Slowing down my ascents became non-negotiable after that real world data point.

singh.olivia1mo agoMost Upvoted

Damn, that's scary about the joint pain hitting hours later. Which joints got hit the worst? I had a similar thing happen after a 90-foot dive where my safety stop was kinda rushed. Felt fine getting out, but my shoulder was throbbing by midnight lol. Totally learned my lesson on taking those last few minutes seriously.

-1