why do scuba divers have to come up for air slowly?

Question

Why is it dangerous to come up quickly?

Answer 1

I am going to re-word your question:

"Why do scuba divers have to surface slowly from depth?"

As you are diving, the water that is above you increases the surrounding pressure. With this increased pressure, the tissues in your body will absorb more nitrogen from the air that you are breathing from your tank. The absorbtion of nitrogen is harmless until you start to ascend towards the surface.

As you are ascending, the dissolved nitrogen starts to come out of those tissues. If you ascend slowly enough, the nitrogen will pass from the tissue to your bloodstream to your lungs and will be passed out of the body when you exhale. If you ascend too quickly, the dissolved nitrogen will form bubbles, the large bubbles could result in the following:

1. The bubbles stay in the tissue, and seem to migrate to the joints. This is what is typically referred to as the bends or decompression sickeness (DCS).

2. The bubbles enter the bloodstream and then cause an AGE or air-gas embolism. This is very dangerous if the bubbles reach the brain or heart.

As mentioned earlier, if a diver ascends slowly, the chances of bubbles forming are minimal.

Edit: I wanted to address some other people's comments:

Longtreebeard: the bends will kill you

Only in extreme cases to the bends kill people. Most of the time people can be treated in a recompression chamber (hyperbaric chamber) and return to diving.

Wbaker777: Well too rapid an ascent can lead to nitrogen narcosis

Actually, nitrogen narcosis occurs at depth. The cure for nitrogen narcosis is to ascend some and the effects will pass. Nitrogen Narcosis is not harmful, but can cause impaired judgement which might lead to something harmful.

devilgal031948: Because of the pressure it puts in not only their ears but their lungs as well.

Sort of. As you ascend, the changin pressure will need to be equalized just like on the descent. The ears normallty auto-equalize on the ascent, but a too quick of an ascent could cause ear injury. As far as the lungs, if the diver breathes continuously (i.e. never holds one's breaths) there shouldn't be any lung issues.

cinsjunglejims: depends on how deep they are but its called the benz if they come up too quickly they get an oxygen imballance that is deadly. hope I helped!

Oxygen has nothing to do with this question. Oxygen and depth is a concern for scuba divers since oxygen can become toxic at depth, but it is a completely different conversation.

t: yes, it is dangerous to come up quickly, because of if you do your lungs will explode inside of you and, it wont be fun

The first rule of scuba diving is to breathe continuously and never hold your breath. If you don't hold your breath, your lung's can't explode.

Answer 2

If you are SCUBA Diving---That Means Breathing your air Through a Regulator Valve From A Metal Bottle of Compressed Atmospherical Air Then the Answer is---As You go Deeper Underwater and stay LONGER---The Nitrogen in the air you are breathing goes into SOLUTION IN YOUR BLOOD STREAM---When you come back to the Surface Using PRESCRIBED DECOMPRESSION Scheduals---Stopping and staying at a Certain Depth for a Schedualed time---Then Rising to the NEXT DECOMPRESSION STAGE and So on till you have Allowed the Nitrogen---In Solution at Depth---to be Expelled as a Gas From Your Lungs,Breathing Normally, Before you reach the Surface......


IF YOU DO NOT Follow these Decompression tables and you return to the surface directly after a DEEP DIVE for a LONG TIME the Nitrogen WILL EXPAND BACK INTO A GAS IN YOUR TISSUES---CAUSING MORE PAIN THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE---EVEN DEATH !!! 15 Minutes is even TOO LONG at Some Depths !!! Look Up SCUBA and DECOMPRESSION for the Tables---If You Want to Dive Get the Proper Instructions from a CERTIFIED DIVER---Have Fun---Be Carefull---Signed---JEM

Answer 3

Well too rapid an ascent can lead to nitrogen narcosis Or in its more extreme ( The Bends where the Nitrogen will actully separate from the blood in the bloodstream. this requires time in a hyperbolic chamber....Most uncomfortable. Also they do not come up for air....... SCUBA stands for Self Contained Breathing apparatus.

Answer 4

Mainly so you don't get the bends, or any other kind of decompression sickness.You basically need to give your body and lungs time to adjust to the change in pressure. Hope this was helpful:)

Answer 5

depends on how deep they are but its called the benz if they come up too quickly they get an oxygen imballance that is deadly. hope I helped!

Answer 6

yes, it is dangerous to come up quickly, because of if you do your lungs will explode inside of you and, it wont be fun.

Answer 7

Because of the pressure it puts in not only their ears but their lungs as well.

Answer 8

I think because of pressure.

Answer 9

the bends will kill you