Posted by ptf on July 13, 2001 at 14:49:09:
In Reply to: Re: Flying/Climbing after diving. posted by Dalia on July 13, 2001 at 13:55:50:
slow day can't wait to hit the water...
actually the grapevine peaks at 4144 feet.
Standard atmosphere is 14.69595psi
at 4000 feet the standard atmosphere is
12.69224 psi, about a 14% change in atmospheric
pressure.
A 2 psi change in water pressure is about 4 feet.
Your lungs cannot produce 2 psi of pressure, yep
you can tear your lungs by taking a full breath at
4 feet and standing up (kids don't try this at
home).
What happens to a small bubble in your body with
a 2 psi change. Well since as one tv show said
we are ugly bags of mostly water and water is rather
incompressible, the nitrogen is very compressible
and it wants to come out. Hey just go back to that
bottle of soda correlation. Looking at it on your
desk is fine everything looks clear. Twist the cap,
reduce the pressure and looky, nice little bubble
suddenly appear (they were there all the time only
they changed state - liquid to gas). The same
can happen when you go to altitude or take a ride
on a plane with is pressurized to 8000 to 10000 feet.