Surface oxygen to reduce flight times

[Capt. Tyler]

Hey guys, I was recently reading an article about breathing o2 on the surface to reduce the no fly time.

Since i only have experience breathing O2 underwater I was wondering how you go about it safely on the surface.

Is it ok to use a regular O2 reg or do you need to use a mask like at the hospital?

Thanks!

[FW]

Hey guys, I was recently reading an article about breathing o2 on the surface to reduce the no fly time.

Since i only have experience breathing O2 underwater I was wondering how you go about it safely on the surface.

Is it ok to use a regular O2 reg or do you need to use a mask like at the hospital?

Thanks!

I use an O2 regulator. It works fine, unless you are unconscious

[Kelly Jessop]

Is it ok to use a regular O2 reg or do you need to use a mask like at the hospital?

Not an endrosement of the article,but if you breathe off your regulator for oxygen on the surface,you must pinch off the nose to prevent atmospheric air from entering. Wear your dive mask or a navigational marker (aka clothes pin). I've seen many people breathe O2 because they are concerned they took a hit,but they leave their nose unoccluded,which reduced oxygen to less than 100%.

[Michael Stroeck]

Is it ok to use a regular O2 reg or do you need to use a mask like at the hospital? Thanks!

This is also not an endorsement of the article - I'm not sure you really want to do that. However, if you're planning on doing it often, get a nose-clamp like they use in free-diving: http://www.liquivision.com/noseclip.php. In a pinch (haha), use your mask.

However, just doing a 5-7 minute air-break after your normal deco and then another 25-minute round of O2 at 6m is probably going to be more efficient than a few hours of surface-O2. After that, ascend at a maximum rate of 1m per minute.

[Capt. Tyler]

Im not 100% sold on the idea from the article but it is good to know people out there have done it and it is a possibillity in a pinch.

[FW]

Im not 100% sold on the idea from the article but it is good to know people out there have done it and it is a possibillity in a pinch.

All anyone said is that breathing O2 through a regulator on the surface works, not that it will reduce time-to-fly. A safer thing is avoid deco dives if you plan to fly within 24 hours. Like Michael said, do an extra O2 stop at 6m (20ft).

[Capt. Tyler]

10-4

The whole reason I was asking is im getting ready to take a job in a country where i could dive everyday. Im sure 90% of these dives will be no deco. The dilema in it is theres a possibility i will only be given a 12 hour window to fly somewhere. All i wanted to know is if its safe to breathe surface O2 through an O2 reg without complications in order to scrub some nitrogen.

[FW]

It certainly can't hurt.

[Squirrel Girl]

You guys must all live w/in driving distance of FL. You've never driven home from your last dive (at least in the passenger seat) with a mask on, breathing off your O2 bottle or at least your nitrox bottle? Why skip Little River as your last dive just cuz you fly home the next day?

[Michael Stroeck]

Why skip Little River as your last dive just cuz you fly home the next day?

Because I really, REALLY don't want to know what DCS on a trans-atlantic flight is like...