Diving Safety Secrets; 10 Exclusive Tips Revealed .

Good morning, Benjamin Hadfield, Technical Dive Instructor, bringing you the Friday message of the day. Now the last few weeks we've been talking a lot of great stuff about how to improve the safety of your diving and today is not like any difference. Today we've got some fascinating insights to dive into. We've got a real eye-opening topic for this Friday's video. We're going to cover 10 ways to make our diving much safer. So make sure you hit that subscribe button and ring the notification bell and stay updated with all things diving on our channel. Now as divers we've all experienced the effects of the depth and we've learned to deal with it. Today we're going to discuss a huge issue that's really coming to the forefront more and more as we dive. We're going to discuss gas density. Now whether you know the subject or not you're going to want to stay tuned all the way to the end of this video for our special 10 ways to your safety with gas density. Now gas density is one of the most underrated dangers in diving and we've all been dealing with it just not realizing it. Now gas density plays a crucial role in our diving experience. It affects our breathing, our capacity, and even our CO2 levels. And while we might not feel the difference during our dives it's there impacting our every breath. Now we've all taken steps to minimize work at depth like improving our fitness, making sure to drink lots of water, nutrition, proper rest, and as technical divers we've even added helium to reduce narcosis and the work of breathing. These are all good reactive responses but they're not enough. Gas density along with its increase in work of breathing leads to a decrease in respiratory capacity, higher CO2 production, and difficulties in eliminating CO2 from our blood. Now some agencies like GUI have been ahead of the curve modifying standards and gases and tailoring training to address these concerns but the forefront of hyperbaric research is continually pushing us forward and toward a more conservative gas choice. Now to be clear we're dealing with two key terms here work of breathing WOB and gas density. Now work of breathing measures the effort required to breathe and high work of breathing means it takes more energy to draw a This leads to increased CO2 production which can result in symptoms like drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, headaches, tremors, shortness of breath, diminished vision, hypercapnia, narcosis, and even loss of consciousness. Now gas density on the other hand is about the mass of gas in a volume given. Now a higher gas density means the gas is heavier and harder to move which increases work of breathing. This also affects the pressure gradient between breathing and breathe arterial CO2 making it harder to eliminate the CO2 effectively. It's like a domino effect leading to a ton and ton of complications. Now recent research from the University of Auckland Department of Anesthesiology has shed new light on gas density. They found that gas density near six grams per liter mark significantly increases the risk of dangerous CO2 retention during dives. Their findings suggest an ideal maximum gas density of 5.2 grams per liter and a hard maximum of 6.2 grams per liter. Now you may be wondering what can I do about this? Well just like we've dealt with in other diving risks we can mitigate the hazards associated with gas density by staying fit, minimizing work at depth, and planning our dives appropriately. We can continue to explore the safely by just doing simple things like that but treating gas density as seriously as DCS, CNS toxicity, and Nitrosicosis can help reduce the risks to divers considerably. Now but here's a kicker according to dan.org a shocking 58% of dive accidents are cardiac related. So let's put this into perspective. Who is the average diver? They're often middle-aged, not particularly athletic, and they might not realize the physical demands of diving. So picture this a 50-minute dive can be the equivalent of a very brisk five-mile walk or more. That's right diving isn't just a leisurely stroll it's a workout for our bodies. Now many divers come on vacation armed with the idea that diving nitrox will solve all their safety concerns. And while nitrox has many benefits they have overlooked a critical factor the impact of gas density they're breathing as they descend to say 100 feet on a shipwreck. Now gas density plays a crucial role in our diving experience and as we've discussed earlier it affects our breathing and our cardiac system. So imagine how hard your respiratory and cardiac systems need to work to keep up with the increased gas density as you go deeper. This is where the danger lies the mismatch between our fitness levels and our physical demands of diving especially at depth can lead to cardiac related incidents. It's vital to become and be aware of the strain that diving can put on our hearts. As we talked about earlier an ideal maximum density of 5.2 grams per liter is recommended with a hard max of 6.2 grams per liter. Now if we were to use a mix of nitrox 32 at a depth of 110 feet we would have reached a density of 5.66 grams per liter and 6.5 grams per liter at 132 feet seawater. Now very quickly you can see these deep dives look fine when it comes to the ideal mix for nitrox but become very dangerous to our cardiovascular system. So what's the takeaway from this? As divers it's critical and crucial to not only consider gas density but also our physical fitness. Stay in good shape be aware of physical demands of diving and understand that diving is a serious activity that requires preparation. So what can we do to reduce the risk? Let's try these 10 ideas to ensure that you maintain your dive safety during your next dive. By the way these will be in the comments as well. So number one we can make sure we're in good shape for diving. Getting a checkup from our doctor prior to diving activities and asking for a respiratory lung function test as well. Now this is a relatively simple test that I've very rarely asked for in any general diving physical exam. I can't tell you the last time somebody actually asked me for one of mine. So go ahead and ask for that when you go in your doctor. Let's make sure your lungs are in shape for this. Now number two before any dive you make make sure that you're eating right well rested and hydrated correctly. Get a good night's sleep before your dive. Number three a regular regimen of physical activities such as walking and exercise have been proven time and time again as excellent ways to improve our overall physical health and can be very meaningful when it comes to diving. Number four quality training for diving and regular review and practice can keep your skills up to date and ensure that you are using the best techniques possible. Now remember all diving skills are perishable. Number five a high quality balanced regulator can reduce the effort of breathing considerably and allow you to breathe more efficiently. This is like the difference between racing a Ford minivan against a Corvette. So a nice regulator definitely helps. Now along that same line servicing your current regulator is number six. All regulators should be serviced every one to two years to ensure optimal performance. It's just like changing the oil in your engine. Over time your regulator's performance will diminish and you'll be left with subpar performance from your regulator's peak potential. Taking your regulator to your local certified technician can ensure not only your safety but enhance your experience. Number seven plan your dive and dive your plan. We've heard that once or twice happening. I think we have I think I've taught that a couple times too. Now making sure to not only plan depth gas consumption ideal nitrox blend and time make sure to add gas density calculations to your mix will help ensure that you're not only on the best blend but are not diving past your gas ideal density. Make sense? Dive your plan. Now number eight monitor your gas density during your dive. Now some computers will provide live data during your dive or an alarm for when the work breathing has gone past a certain limit. Number nine when deeper diving reduce your effort and exertion as much as possible. The deeper you dive the less you should be doing. Deep wrecks are fun but make sure you plan your time wisely so you have the time to see what you want to see without rushing and always remember the ocean's going to be there tomorrow. Now finally number 10 considering adding a scooter to your diving to reduce effort. Now DPVs are a great resource especially when shore diving and reduce the work of diving quite a bit. You are still able to see all the stuff you're interested in but without the need to fend to get to it. Now it is highly recommended that you become proficient with a scooter in shallower depths first because you can easily find yourself going too deep too quickly or ascending too quickly. Now taking the time to get good at it first can really assist in your safety. Now let's make sure we're not part of that 58 statistic by being informed staying fit and making responsible choices. We can continue to explore the underwater world safely by doing just a couple of simple things. Now that's it for today's video folks don't forget to subscribe and give us a thumbs up if you find this information valuable. Stay safe out there and as always keep exploring the deep blue whenever you get a chance. Again my name is Benjamin Hatfield Technical Dive Instructor. Until next time!