What role do safety stops play in enriched air diving?

Safety stops are a critical safety measure in diving, including enriched air diving, as they help to prevent decompression sickness (DCS). During a dive, as a diver descends and ascends, the body absorbs nitrogen and other gasses from the breathing mixture. If a diver ascends too quickly, particularly from deeper depths, nitrogen in the body can come out of solution too fast, leading to bubbles forming in the tissues and bloodstream, which can cause DCS.

Implementing a safety stop, typically at a depth of around 5 meters (15 feet) for about 3 to 5 minutes during ascent, allows the body extra time to safely eliminate nitrogen. This pause helps reduce the risk of bubbles forming and can protect against DCS. Therefore, safety stops are considered an essential practice for all dives, especially when using enriched air, since the increased oxygen content can influence how divers manage their ascent and exposure to nitrogen.

While there are guidelines for deep dives and some divers may believe safety stops can be skipped under certain limits, it is best practice to incorporate them into ascent procedures to enhance safety in every dive scenario.