An activity appreciated by travellers, the exploration of the world of silence is practiced in the four corners of the globe. The tight schedules of our holidays sometimes encourage us to dive at the last minute. But be careful, if a certain delay is not respected between the last dive and the climb in the plane, you risk a decompression sickness!
Can we really dive before we fly? Here is a reminder of the basic rules of caution.
The pressurization of an aircraft's cabin generally corresponds to an altitude between 1800 and 2200 meters. If the body still contains nitrogen (gas that is absorbed during a scuba dive) during the air journey, the body can no longer evacuate it at this height.
As a result, nitrogen bubbles may form in the body and block blood flow. Decompression sickness has four symptoms: tingling, cramps, suffocation and collapse (circulatory distress involving rapid pulse, sweating, intense thirst, anxiety, agitation or prostration).
To treat it, the patient must be given oxygen by mask, cardiac and respiratory resuscitation, and then evacuated to a specialized centre. Before boarding the plane, it is therefore essential to respect the following rules:
-Wait 12 hours after a dive lasting less than 2 hours.
-If you dive several times during the day, the minimum time limit is 24 hours.
This 24-hour time limit must also be respected in the case of deep diving (more than 15 meters).
- Celebrating after a dive is strongly discouraged if you plan to fly the next day.
-One of the effects of alcohol is dehydration, which increases the risk of developing decompression sickness
Our advice: To avoid any risk of decompression sickness, respect an inviolable 24-hour delay between your last dive and getting on the plane.