Altitude diving isambient pressure diving usingscuba orsurface supplied diving equipment where the surface is 300 metres (980 ft) or more abovesea level (for example, a mountain lake).[1][2] Altitude is significant in diving because it affects the decompression requirement for a dive, so that the stop depths and decompression times used for dives at altitude are different from those used for the samedive profile at sea level.[3] The U.S. Navy tables recommend that no alteration be made for dives at altitudes lower than 91 metres (299 ft) and for dives between 91 and 300 meters correction is required for dives deeper than 44 metres (144 ft) of sea water.[4] Most recently manufactured decompression computers can automatically compensate for altitude.
Special consideration must be given to measurement of depth given the effect of pressure ongauges.The use ofbourdon tube,diaphragm, and digital depth gauges may require adjustment for use at altitude.[2] Capillary gauges have been shown to be a conservative method for measurement of compensated depth at altitude.[5] Moderndive computers detect changes in altitude or accept it as a user input and automatically adjust their calculation of a safe decompression regime for a dive at that altitude.[6] If an altitude-aware computer is not used, altitudedecompression tables must be used.
Buoyancy control is directly affected by volume change of gas with depth. The lower surface pressure causes larger volume change with the same change in depth relative to the surface compared to sea level conditions. As in the case for sea level diving, theambient pressure at depth is the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the water plus the hydrostatic pressure due to the weight of the water column above that depth. The hydrostatic pressure increases in the same proportion to depth, but the atmospheric pressure varies with altitude. The lower initial pressure at the surface means that a mass of gas occupying a given volume will be compressed more than the same volume at sea level for the same depth. The formula forBoyle's law applies:
Example:
At sea level P1 = 1 bar (approximately), and at 10 m depth at sea level P2 = 2 barso V2/V1 = 1/2 = 0.5
At altitude 3,000 feet (910 m), P1 = 0.7 bar (approximately), and at a depth of 10 m, P2 = 1.7 bar, so V2/V1 = 0.7/1.7 = 0.412
As a consequence,dry suit squeeze,mask squeeze, andear andsinus squeezes will all develop more rapidly at higher altitude. In most cases the difference will not be noticeable, as experienced divers tend to equalise most squeezes reflexively, but as an example, a dry suit without a functional inflation system will squeeze the diver shallower than would be the case at sea level, and more for the same water depth. For exactly the same reason, barotraumas of ascent can occur for slightly lower depth changes.
Ataltitude,atmospheric pressure is lower than atsea level, so surfacing at the end of an altitude dive leads to a greater relative reduction in pressure and an increasedrisk ofdecompression sickness compared to the same dive profile at sea level.[7] The dives are also typically carried out infreshwater at altitude so it has a lower density thanseawater used for calculation of decompression tables.[7] The amount of time the diver has spent acclimatising at altitude is also of concern as divers with gas loadings near those of sea level may also be at an increased risk.[7] The US Navy recommends waiting 12 hours following arrival at altitude before performing the first dive.[4] The tissue supersaturation following an ascent to altitude can also be accounted for by considering it to be residual nitrogen and allocating a residual nitrogen group when using tables with this facility.[4]
The most common of the modifications to decompression tables at altitude are the "Cross Corrections" which use a ratio of atmospheric pressure and sea level to that of the altitude to provide a conservative equivalent sea level depth.[8][9] The Cross Corrections were later looked at by Bassett and by Bell and Borgwardt.[10][11][12][13]
Hennessy formulated that it was possible to convert standard air decompression tables for no-stop diving at altitude or from ahabitat based onphase equilibration theory.[14]
Albert A. Bühlmann recognized the problem[15][16][17] and proposed amethod which calculated maximum nitrogen loading in the tissues at a particular ambient pressure.[18][19]
Wienke proposed guidelines for decompression diving at altitude in 1993.[20]
Egi and Brubakk reviewed variousmodels for preparing tables for diving at altitude.[21][22]
Paulev and Zubieta have created a new conversion factor in order to make any sea-level dive table usable during high altitude diving in 2007.[23][22]
Repetitive dives should be conducted in the same manner as other dives including "Cross Corrections" for altitude. The US Navy does not allow repetitive diving forsurface-suppliedhelium-oxygen diving and a 12-hour surface interval is required. An 18-hour surface interval is required if the dive requires decompression.[4]
In addition to making depth adjustments using the Cross Conversions, dives at altitude often require pre- and post-dive altitude ascents which must be taken into consideration. Several methods for performing post-dive ascents are used. One is to adjust the dive times needed for an altitude ascent.[10][24] Another is to use surface intervals to allow for an ascent.[4]
Although no official records are recognized, until 2007 the highest recorded altitude at which a scuba dive had been conducted was 5,900 metres (19,400 ft), by a team led by Charles Brush andJohan Reinhard in 1982 inLago Licancabur.[26] This record was equaled by a team led byNathalie Cabrol (SETI Institute/NASA Ames) in 2006. That year, Cabrol set the highest recorded altitude scuba diving for women. She also free dived at Lake Licancabur in 2003 and 2004.[27]
In 2007, a new record was set in the small lagoon located near the summit ofPili Volcano, at just over 5,950 metres (19,520 ft), by Philippe Reuter, Claudia Henríquez and Alain Meyes.[28][29] This record stood for nine years before it was surpassed in 2016.On 7 March 2016 Marcel Korkus discovered the highest lake on Earth (Cazadero at 5985 m above sea level) and thereby set the Guinness record in diving, confirmed by an official Guinness certificate. Shortly afterwards, as a result of the Guinness organization’s change of regulations to being less restrictive, the record was awarded to a Hungarian diver and mountaineer Erno Tósoki dived a maximum of 2 meters (6.6 ft) deep, for about 10 minutes on altitude 6,382 meters (20,938 ft). His record breaking dive was supported by only one support team member.[30][25]
The current record for the highest scuba dive was set on December 13, 2019 by Polish diver and mountaineer Marcel Korkus. He dived at an altitude of 6,395 m above sea level (20,981 ft), onOjos del Salado volcano setting an absolute world record in altitude diving. He is the first person todive at such a high altitude. The dive took place in the so-called basin (a natural water reservoir, which in terms of dimensions cannot be considered alake). Theice was 1.3 meters thick and the water temperature was 3 °C. It is probable that a human cannot dive at any higher altitude.[31][32][33][34]The highest scuba dive in the continental United States was done on 7 September 2013 by John Bali at Colorado'sPacific Tarn Lake, altitude 4,090 metres (13,420 ft).[35][a]
The deepest known staged decompression altitude dive was conducted byNuno Gomes atBoesmansgat (Bushman's hole) in South Africa. Conducted at an altitude of approximately 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), Gomes dived to a depth of 283 metres (928 ft).[37] Gomes's decompression schedule was calculated as being equivalent to a dive to 339 metres (1,112 ft) if it had been conducted at sea level.
In 1968Jacques Cousteau mounted an expedition to exploreBolivia andPeru'sLake Titicaca in search of submergedInca treasure.[38][39][40][22]
The diving equipment was tested and practice dives were made off the coast of Peru, but poor weather interrupted the practice session. The expedition departed fromMatarani, Peru on the Pacific Ocean: two mini submarines were unloaded onto rail cars and transported up the Andes mountains to over 14,666 feet atCrucero Alto, then continued down the mountain by rail to Lake Titicaca at 3,812 metres (12,507 ft).
The team visited ruins in Peru before continuing south toCopacabana, Bolivia, where a parade was held in honor of the event. Ruins were visited at Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. Then dives were made in the area to minor underwater ruins.[41] The expected rich schools of fish were not found. For the next four weeks, dives were made in the area, during which many dead fish were found and collected. Large toads were also found and collected.[42] Samples of the dead fish and the toads were sent to theOceanographic Museum inMonaco for study.
To help map the bottom of the lake Dr Harold Edgerton arrived from MIT with depth mapping equipment.[43]
After mapping the lake an area was selected for the subs to dive. Floats were added to the subs to compensate for the lower density of fresh water, and the subs were launched. Jacques Cousteau andAlbert Falco piloted the subs,[44] which were accompanied by divers to a depth of 100 feet, then continued to a depth of 400 feet, where more toads were observed.
After the sub dive the results for the test on the dead fish arrived from Monaco. When trout were introduced into the lake in 1940 parasites were introduced with them.[45][46]
The effects of altitude on decompression and corrections to the tables or decompression computer settings to compensate for altitude would generally be included in entry level commercial and scientific diver training, and may be included in recreational diver training at some level, or may be split out as an additional training program for those who intend to dive at altitude, by which method the diver is not required to deal with the small addition to decompression theory if they don't need it, but have to pay for an additional course if they do. For examplePADI offer theirAltitude Diver certification.[47]
