The Safety Stop
As a SCUBA diving instructor, one of the most important safety protocols that I stress to my students is the "safety stop." This brief pause during the ascent from a dive serves as an added precaution to help prevent decompression sickness, also known as "the bends." The basic principle behind the safety stop is that as divers descend, their bodies absorb nitrogen from the air in their tanks. As they ascend and the pressure decreases, this nitrogen is released from the body. However, if a diver ascends too quickly, the nitrogen can come out of solution too rapidly, forming bubbles in the bloodstream and tissues. This can lead to a variety of symptoms, including joint pain, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, paralysis or death. To prevent this, divers are taught to make a "safety stop" at around 5 meters (15 feet) below the surface for a minimum of 3 minutes. This allows the nitrogen to be released more slowly and reduces the risk of decompression s...