Decompression Theory

One of the most common things that aspiring scuba divers as well as people that are simply
interested in the sport are wondering about is the idea of decompression and the effects that it
can have on a diver’s body. It is true that every responsible diver should understand the basics of
decompression theory and how to avoid decompression sickness.

A lot of literature has been written and research conducted on this matter dating back to the early
1900′s when the first famous scientific work on decompression theory was published by J.S.
Haldane, a Scottish physiologist, and his colleague. Today, most dive computers and dive tables
use the decompression model developed by Haldane to help divers plan safe and enjoyable dives.

What is decompression theory?

One can write an essay on decompression theory, but let us focus on a few basic ideas.
Decompression theory essentially deals with the rate at which a diver’s body absorbs and
eliminates nitrogen. Nitrogen, an inert gas, constitutes 79% of the air that we breathe. The
deeper a diver descends to a particular depth and the longer a diver spends on that depth, the
more nitrogen his/her body will absorb – nitrogen gas dissolves into a diver’s blood and is
carried, in solution, to different parts of the body. This process is set into motion by the increase
in surrounding i.e. ambient pressure at depth (atmospheric pressure and hydrostatic pressure). On
ascent, ambient pressure decreases and nitrogen elimination process ensues. There are two
important laws that are at work here.

Dalton’s law

One of them is Dalton’s law (John Dalton was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist).
The law stipulates that the total pressure of a gas mixture is equal to the sum of the partial
pressures of gases in that mixture. This means that with increase in ambient pressure, partial
pressures of gases in a gas mixture increase proportionately. For example, ambient pressure on
the surface is 1 ATM or 1 BAR. If you have a scuba cylinder filled with air (for simplicity’s sake
we will assume that air is 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen), then 1 BAR (total pressure) = 0.21
BAR (partial pressure of oxygen) + 0.79 BAR (partial pressure of nitrogen). At 10 metres of
depth, ambient pressure is 2 BAR i.e. 2 BAR (total pressure) = 0.42 BAR (oxygen) + 1.58 BAR
(nitrogen).

Henry’s law

William Henry was an English physician and chemist. Henry’s law states that the amount of gas
which dissolves in a liquid is proportional to the partial pressure of that gas. In other words, the
higher the partial pressure, the more gas will dissolve in a liquid. This is exactly what happens
with nitrogen – the deeper the diver descends, the higher the partial pressure of nitrogen in the air
that he/she inhales, the more nitrogen will dissolve in that diver’s body. Naturally, the more time
this diver spends at depth, the more time there is for nitrogen to get absorbed by the body.
Decompression sickness

Nitrogen itself has absolutely no effect on our body, our body does not use it for anything – it is,
indeed, an inert gas. However, as a diver ascends, ambient pressure decreases, as does partial
pressure of nitrogen, and his/her body starts to off-gas i.e. give off/get rid of nitrogen – back
from tissues to blood to lungs to exhalation. However, if a diver is not careful enough and
ascends to the surface too quickly, nitrogen, instead of staying in solution, starts forming into
bubbles and blocking the diver’s blood vessels. Imagine shaking a can of Coke and then opening
the lid – this is equivalent to what happens in a diver’s body if he/she ascends too fast. Effects
and symptoms are different depending on where the blockages occur – in the capillaries near the
surface of the skin, in the chest, in joints or muscles, in the spinal cord or in the brain. This is
called decompression sickness.

Prevention of decompression sickness

Prevention is all about proper dive planning and proper ascent procedures. This is the reason why
divers make safety stops at 5 metres for 3 to 5 minutes on every dive – just hanging at that depth
to allow ample time for their bodies to off-gas or, in other words, get rid of excess nitrogen. This
is also why divers take care to ascend no faster than 9 metres per minute, ensuring that nitrogen
does not come out of solution and form bubbles. Divers also use dive computers and dive tables
so they can plan and execute their dives safely and avoid decompression sickness. Technical
divers, in turn, are specially trained in decompression diving, which is beyond the limits of
recreational diving, and make decompression stops at various depths, sometimes for hours at a
time.

There is much more that can be said about decompression theory, decompression sickness, its
prevention and treatment. These are just the basics. Hopefully, you found this article interesting
and would like to find out more.