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Chapter 14 — 6
!
Safety suggestions
(the
DC Ten Commandments
)
.
If you rely on DCs, the following recommendations are made:
1. Do not dive in the 24 hours before using the DC.
2. The DC should be used on
all
dives, if it is used on
any
.
3. Ensure a back-up documentation of the dive profile and details.
4. In multi-level dives, the depths should be progressively shallower.
5. Repetitive dives (on the same day) should be progressively shallower.
6. Repetitive dives should have surface intervals of at least 2 – 4 hours (longer with
greater depths and longer dives).
7. With multiple days diving, every fourth day should be non-diving.
8. Add an extra decompression safety stop for 5 minutes at 5 metres,
on each dive in excess of 15 metres depth, if practicable.
9. Do not do dives that require decompression or go into the decompression mode.
Stay as far away from those dives as possible.
10. Do not presume that the DC is accurate for diving at altitude or for altitude
exposure (flying).
DCs are preferably used at depths of less than 30 metres and definitely depths of less than 40
metres. Pseudo-science accompanied the technology in the promotion of these DCs, and
many claims of excellence were more applicable to the colour brochures and marketing than
any research or development activities.
For those divers who are more important, or are more susceptible to DCS (age, gender,
fitness, weight, medications, injuries, DCS history, etc.) or undertaking more hazardous dives
(depth, duration, decompression obligation, temperature, currents, repetitive, multiple
ascents, etc), the more conservative modes on the DC should be chosen.
PREVENTION of DCS
See the last page of Chapter 16