| Wait-to-fly Guidelines The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) suggests that divers using standard air tanks and exhibiting no symptoms of decompression sickness wait 24 hours after the last dive to fly in an aircraft with a cabin pressure of 8000 feet (2438 m) or less. The two exceptions to this recommendation are: 1. Less than two hours of dive time in the last 48 hours, then wait 12 hours before flying. 2. Following a decompression stop dive, wait at least 24 hours or, if possible, 48 hours. Both UHMS and Divers Alert Network (DAN) agree that there can never be a flying after diving rule that is guaranteed to prevent decompression sickness. Rather, there can be a guideline that represents the best estimate for a conservative surface interval for the vast majority of divers. There will always be an occasional diver whose physiological makeup or special diving circumstances will result in decompression sickness. |