Scuba diving converting Bar to PSI
Overview of scuba diving
Scuba diving is an underwater diving technique in which the diver breathes through self-contained scuba gear. Scuba divers have their own breathing gas supply, which is normally compressed oxygen. It provides them with more independence and mobility than surface-supplied divers. Covert combat divers, science divers, and media divers find it appealing.
A scuba diver travels underwater mainly with the aid of fins fixed to their feet, although you can use a diver propulsion mechanism, or a sled pulled from the sea to support your ascent. Where possible, the majority of commercial diving utilizes surface-supplied diving equipment. It can be performed for fun or a living in various settings, including science, military, and public safety positions.
Underwater, some scuba divers use a snorkel, while others use a diver-propelled boat. You may also use scuba to cut down on nitrogen consumption during lengthy or frequent dives. A breathing gas diluted with helium should be required to cut down Narcosis.
Scuba Diving Potential Injuries
During deep scuba diving sessions, there is a rise in pressure due to the amount of water that falls on us when we are submerged beneath the sea, unlike when we are on top of the ground. This strain affects the body and is one of the most critical dangers to consider while diving since it may induce decompression sickness or Nitrogen narcosis on the diver.
Nitrogen narcosis
Underwater dives can cause the brain to accumulate so much nitrogen that they can make you lose your senses. It usually occurs on dives greater than 100 feet.
Decompression sickness
The development of nitrogen bubbles in our bodies due to high pressure during dives is the cause of decompression sickness. Our bodies remove nitrogen on the ground, but we assimilate it underwater, and it flows into the bloodstream due to heat. The level of nitrogen saturation we attain is influenced by various factors, including exposure period, depth, temperature, and blood flow.
The desaturation process happens as we reach the surface when the pressure decreases, and gases are expelled from the tissues and into the blood and lungs. The sudden release of gases will result in a dangerous super-saturation, causing harmful bubbles to form in our bodies, obstructing blood vessels, and blocking circulation in some areas of the body, including certain nerve endings, potentially resulting in brain, heart, and breathing problems.
Symptoms of decompression sickness
The following are some of the symptoms of decompression sickness in scuba diving: Numbness and pain in the arms and legs, paralysis, fever, dizziness, shortness of breath, or nausea. These signs normally occur a few hours after the dive or, in extreme cases, during the final stages of your ascent.
The diver can prevent lasting injury when the symptoms are treated in a timely and effective manner. As a result, even though the signs do not seem to be severe, it is better to call a doctor even before they appear severe.
How to treat Scuba diving sicknesses
- Decompression syndrome is usually treated by spending time in a hyperbaric chamber. In this chamber, you’re subjected to the rising air pressure similar to the one encountered underwater. You’d get the best results when you treat it immediately the symptoms are noticed.
- You would normally recover from Nitrogen Narcosis when you reach the water surface.
Safety tips when scuba diving
- Do not dive alone; this is the golden rule for safety in scuba diving. At the very least, do so with another diver who is not too far away from you per time.
- It’s important to interact and communicate with your friends when submerged. It’s important to be prepared for setbacks and know what to do when they happen.
- The ascent times must be observed according to the depth and length of the dive to dive safely.
- A good rule of thumb is to ascend slower than the column of bubbles that each exhalation of air produces.
- Follow the dive computer and watch periods, as well as the instructions in the decompression charts, to avoid decompression sickness.
- If this is your first-time diving, start in calm waters with few currents and waves.
- When you’re underwater, pay attention to what’s going on around you. Harmful reptiles, sharks, and plants that will rip your wetsuit can lure other deadly creatures.
- Impacts with boats are the source of many diving deaths. Hypothermia will happen if the water becomes too cold in comparison to our body temperature.
- Knowing how to remain cool is one of the golden principles for safe diving.
- Consume a well-balanced diet that is low in calories and high in calcium and carbohydrates.
- Drink plenty of water or sports drinks to stay hydrated.
- You would be more exhausted and have a lower capacity to react to a problem if you do not get enough sleep. Keep in mind that the depth of the sea is greater than the depth at the horizon.
- Understand the disease’s signs and symptoms, as well as how to administer first aid. Ensure you have the doctor’s phone number or 24-hour assistance handy.
Recommended Scuba diving depth range
The diving regulation bodies usually determine the depth range for scuba diving. Most recreational diver certification organizations worldwide deem 130 feet to be the upper limit for recreational diving. The BSAC and SAA, among other British and European agencies, prescribe an overall depth of 50 meters. Changes in technique, facilities, and the gas mix used in professional diving broaden these depth limits. Owing to occupational health and safety issues, recreational scuba diving is usually banned. Surface-supplied diving allows for improved operation stability and reduces the possibility of losing the diver due to the shortage of breathing gas. They usually waive Commercial diving restrictions can be for media and scientific diving purposes.
Pressure changes in scuba diving
In scuba diving, pressure measurements are given in ATA. The weight exerted by the water above you on your body rises as you approach ocean depth. And this pressure can result in bodily injury, as we said earlier. An increase in pressure leads to the compression of your body and the diving gear. Hence the need to understand pressure equalization techniques.
A 1-inch column of air that reaches the atmosphere’s height (approximately 50 miles) weighs 14.7 pounds. Since our bodies are squeezed to apply an equivalent force back, we are not aware of or sense the air pressure surrounding us. Because water is so much heavier than air, it exerts greater pressure for a smaller volume. A cubic foot of water weighs 62.5 pounds, while a cubic foot of air only weighs 1/12 pounds. The relative compression of our air reduces as we move further into it.
You’ll experience somebody pinch for the first 15 feet when all air gaps are squeezed to half their original size at sea level. Hence, you’ll need to compensate for the volume deficit by “re-inflating” your body. It gets better as you get over 15 feet, and once you get below 40 feet, you could not notice the change in pressure at all. When climbing to the surface, the same is true: all of the air gaps will double in size in the last 33 feet, requiring you to leak out air as you climb.
At a depth of 33 feet, the pressure of seawater equals one atmosphere. At sea level, atmospheric pressure may be considered constant. Another atmosphere of friction builds up with every additional 33 feet of depth. The gauge pressure of 0 fsw at the surface corresponds to an absolute pressure of 1 normal atmosphere (14.7 psi). The absolute pressure at 33 feet of seawater is equal to the number of ambient and hydrostatic pressures for that depth. In that depth, the pressure is 66 feet below sea level or two absolute atmospheres. The pressures measured in fsw and msw are gauge pressures measured in comparison to a surface pressure of 1 absolute atm.
Pressure measurements in scuba diving
Absolute pressure is often used in most measurements in diving, especially for decompression and breathing gas usage. The atmospheric pressure is commonly measured in meters of seawater (msw) in metric units and then converted to bar for measurements. Feet and meters are easy-to-use dimensions that are similar to depth. The same equations and decompression tables will be used in freshwater and hyperbaric chambers if the atmospheric pressure is calculated in meters, removing the need for calibration factors when swimming in these settings. For the measurement of gas properties, the difference between gauge and absolute pressure and the pressure must be defined as a gauge or absolute.
Pressure measurements are important in the world of diving for two reasons:
- The pressure inside your oxygen tank.
- Pressure covering your body when immersed in water. There are numerous online calculators available to consult and translate your data.
Bar to PSI conversion
Bar: The bar is a metric pressure scale but not an SI unit. Its precise value is 100,000 Pa (100 kPa), which is less than the actual normal air pressure upon Earth at sea level.
Atmospheric Pressure (ATM): This is the level of pressure found on the earth’s surface. It is the earth’s atmospheric pressure at sea level. It’s also called barometer pressure. Note that 1 ATM equals 101,325 Pascal. 1 ATM equals 1.013 Bar.
PSI: This unit stands for Pounds per square inch. This is a unit for measuring pressure. 1 ATM equals 14.7 PSI, while 1 bar equals 14.5 PSI.
1 ATA (atmosphere) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch) is simply 1 Bar = 0.987 ATA or 1 ATM equals 1.013 bars. These differences may indicate a minor error in the outcome of our gas mixture. It is advised that you use at least two decimal points since the gap would be minimal. To achieve greater accuracy in the diving world, we must come very close to the conversions’ approximations as possible.
Scuba diving Air pressure tanks
Nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) make up the majority of atmospheric air, with carbon dioxide accounting for just a small percentage (about 0.03 percent). Other gases, such as argon, hydrogen, neon, helium, and others, are found in trace concentrations.
The scuba diving tanks are normally filled with dry, filtered air. Pumps and filters remove the majority of particulate matter like dust and airborne particles. Water vapor still occurs, with vapor amounts differing widely based on temperature, pressure, and atmospheric conditions. Ideally, a normal pressure tank can contain 200 bars or 300 PSI of pressure.
Bar to PSI conversations
Convert 20 bar to PSI
Since 1 bar equals 14.50 PSI,
20 bar will be; 20 x 14.50 = 290 PSI.
20 bar = 290 PSI
Follow the same rule to make your conversions.
Bottom Line
- Ensure you abide by the scuba diving safety measures, use the appropriate gas level for your dives. Use your choice bar for PSI convertors online; there are several of them.
- 1 bar equals 14.5 psi. Approximately 1 bar represents 15 pounds per square inch.
- Start your dive with a pressure of 3000 psi; (which is about 200 bar)
- You can apply Between 700 to 500 psi to the surface (That is between 50-30 bar)
- A bar is a metric unit, while PSI is an imperial unit. The imperial system is still used in the United States, while the metric system is widely used in Europe and Asia. Whichever unit is used, be mindful of filling up your pressure tank.
Check out some of our Scuba Diving Computers to take the guess work out of it.
