ELI5- Why is it dangerous for a scuba diver to ascend too quickly?
In: 19
as you dive, the pressure increases 1 bar (1 atmosphere) for every 10M of depth. so as you go down you have more pressure on you. with that, you have gasses in your body being compressed and you are breathing air that is compressed. so air pockets, and existing air in your body will change in volume as pressure changes. because scuba tanks are generally filled with air and not pure oxygen, there’s about 71% nitrogen that usually would go unnoticed if breathed at the surface. but because you’re breathing it compressed and under pressure, it will build up an excess amount in various tissues in your body. as you ascend, if you do it too rapidly, it’ll expand from the tissue faster than your body can absorb it, causing a buildup that can form nitrogen bubbles in joints and the blood stream making it so the bubbles will disrupt the supply of blood to major organs.
TLDR: nitrogen is breathed and compressed in the body, building up. if you rise too fast, it’ll expand in your body and can create nitrogen bubbles that will disrupt vital blood flow, causing heart attacks, stroke and death.
source: certified open water diver
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