O’Dive personalised decompression planning – results

/ Uncategorized

In  our last blog post, we told you about the O’Dive Doppler Sensor and how we are using it for personalised decompression planning. Here is a video sharing with you what we have found so far.

There are three parts to the video presentation:

  • an introduction to the device and the science behind it
  • a demonstration of how it works
  • a rundown of the results we have found so far

Of course, the best way of finding out more about it is to use it yourself after a dive. Or better, after a number of dives. One dive is simply one data point.  Over the course of several dives, you can start building a picture of how your decompression is working for you. 

Before we dive deeper into the results, one thing is worth stressing. These results are both preliminary and personal. We are still very much in the process of building a picture of our dives. 

‘Evolutionising’ tech diving

The recorded version of the presentation is based on two presentations given in late April. One of the questions that was asked repeatedly, was how it had affected our dive planning. As the moment, the answer is this: ‘It may not be REVOLUTIONISING our diving, but it is EVOLUTIONISING it.’

Wordplay aside, the biggest single advantage I can see is having an assessment of what is actually happening in your body. This takes some of the guess work and generalisation out of dive planning and replaces it with data. That can only be beneficial. Of course, it is not a guarantee. But it is a step forward for divers and instructors. 

Not only for technical divers

Just like decompression sickness does not only affect technical divers, personalised decompression dive planning has applications for recreational divers also. 

Especially if you are completing plenty of repetitive dives, such as weeks on liveaboards, or are working hard underwater, the data the sensor generates can be helpful. Those recovering from DCS may also benefit from having data back up their return to diving. 

Findings so far

We have been using the O’Dive since January 2021 for most of our dives. Every diving guest and student since then has had a chance to try it. The following is a summary of what is being shared in the presentation.  

  • So far, the biggest takeaway is to alter gradient factors (conservatism) more between different types of dives. This continues to be a work in progress and will be tailored more as we gather more data.
  • On no-stop dive profiles, results can vary greatly between divers, especially on repetitive dives.  
  • Adding a higher percentage of helium to the breathing gas mix generally (based on the dives analysed so far) led to fewer bubbles
  • Relatively shallow, but long CCR dives (think macro photography) proved to be harder on the divers’ bodies than expected
We are very much in the early days of working with the device, but results so far as exciting. It is certainly adding another dimension to our dive planning. 
 
Much depends on divers taking care with the positioning of the device to ensure a valid measurement. Most people require a few attempts to get this right. However, the app that complements the device, helps with feedback. 
 

Next Steps

At Dark Horizon Diving, we will continue to use the O’Dive Doppler sensor to personalise the decompression planning for our dives. It is now part of all of our tech diving courses and dives. We are also envisaging publishing regular updates on our findings here.