Tech-Diving 2012 - Newsletter 25th November

Updates on Isobaric Counterdiffusion and Gas Switching During Decompression at Tech-Diving 2012

Dr David Doolette, Research Physiologist at the U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit will speak on Tech-Diving 2012 about the effects of isobaric counter diffusion gas switches on the Tech-Diving 2012 conference in Stockholm in January 2012.

- The most interesting recent finding in decompression research has been quantifying the long-suspected effect of body temperature on the risk (or efficiency) of decompression, according to David Doolette. The U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit research (Technical Report 06-07) showed that for air dives to 36 msw with 25-70 min BT but with identical decompression, a 10 degrees C increase in skin temperature during decompression reduced the risk of decompression sickness by as much as halving the bottom time.

- Technical diving today faces a number of challenges. At the cutting edge of the sport, rebreathers and improvements in battery technology are allowing extremely long duration dives that profoundly affect thermal balance, cardiovascular homeostasis, work tolerance and mental capacity in ways that are not completely understood and for which countermeasures must be developed, says David Doolette. For mainstream technical diving, increasing popularity will bring more public scrutiny of safety and the present rate of accidents is probably unsustainable.

Next diving project for David Doolette is to, along with other Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP) team members, explore windows into the Woodville Karst Plain near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Tech-Diving 2012