Posted by Bob3 on January 18, 2002 at 13:26:58:
In Reply to: Deep Diving On Air (The reason not to) Very Long posted by DWin on January 17, 2002 at 18:35:02:
The thing to remember about helium is that while it does offgas at a much faster rate, your tissues become saturated at a much faster rate as well. Especially the deep tissues that offgas at slower rates.
In the USN heliox tables, there are some slots that incur a greater deco obligation with He than with straight air.
Bottom line: The primary benefit of helium is a clear head. Don't expect it to make a significant change in decompression times.