Saturation diving and its role in submarine rescue

Abstract

Saturation Diving is a highly technical and advanced form of diving utilized to perform dives at depths greater than 55 metres. It employs physiological principles and decompression techniques which enables the diver to have an almost unlimited stay at the depth. This requires the diver to be saturated at the requisite pressure in a diving chamber for prolonged periods. Saturation diving necessitates stringent fitness standards of divers, careful and exhaustive planning of the dive, creating tailor made breathing mixtures, a high level of medical preparedness and response, continuous scrupulous monitoring of the divers’ physiological and environmental parameters and long term follow up to obviate any unwanted outcome. The purpose of Saturation diving is to provide cost effective and extensive period of stay underwater to perform useful work at great depths. It is employed commercially for exploration and maintenance of offshore platforms such as oil rigs and militarily for submarine rescue and salvage of sunken aircraft and ships. In Submarine rescue, it provides the valuable back up and training effort. The limitations of Saturation diving are: highly technical equipment which is expensive and maintenance intensive, prolonged training of personnel and meticulous execution of the dive is mandatory.

Keywords

• Diving medicine
• Submarine medicine