How to Fly After Diving

You just finished the most incredible dive but vacation time is over and you need to hop on a plane and fly home. Wait a minute. To become certified as a SCUBA diver you had to learn about atmospheric pressure on the body. You know that as you ascend through the air, the pressure on your body decreases just like it decreases as you came up through the water after your dive. How much pressure can your body take?

Instructions

    • 1

      Acknowledge what you learned about atmospheric pressure when you were certified. The Recreational Dive Planner was designed for diving at sea level and cannot be used for altitudes greater than 1000 feet. The cabin pressure of most commercial airliners is equivalent to an ascent altitude of 8000 feet.

    • 2

      Consider your bottom time or in other words the amount of time you spent at the lowest depth on your dive.

    • 3

      Wait at least 4 hours before getting on an airplane if you have gone on only one recent dive. The dive had to have had less than an hour of bottom time and you did not have to decompress.

    • 4

      For a single no-decompression dive where you spent more than an hour at the bottom, wait at least 12 hours before boarding a plane.

    • 5

      Wait at least 12 hours if you've made more than two dives without decompression. No matter the bottom time.

    • 6

      Wait 24 hours if you've required emergency decompression after a dive.

    • 7

      Be extra cautious. Wait 24 hours anyway. All the above are the minimum safety recommendations only. It is advisable to wait a full day and night after any dive before going to a higher altitude as in a plane. Plan for an extra day on your vacation. See the sights above the water.