Suunto HELO2 Other personal injury, and death, Recommended Safety Stops, Intervals and dives

Personal adjust- Condition		Desired tables
ment value
P1	Some risk factors or conditions exist	Progressively more conservative
P2	Several risk factors or conditions
	exist
WARNING	Personal adjustment setting P0 – P-2 causes a high risk of DCI, or
	other personal injury, and death.

5.11. Safety Stops

Safety Stops are widely considered good diving practice for recreational and technical diving, and are an integral part of most dive tables. The reasons for performing a Safety Stop include: reducing sub-clinical DCI, microbubble reduction, ascent control, and orient- ation before surfacing.

The Suunto HelO2 displays two different types of Safety Stops: Recommended Safety Stop and Mandatory Safety Stop.

5.11.1. Recommended Safety Stops

With every dive over 10 meters, there is a three minute countdown for the Recommended Safety Stop, to be taken in the 6 - 3 m/10 ft - 20 ft range. This is shown with the STOP sign and a three-minute countdown in the center window instead of the no-decompression time.

WHEN STOP IS DISPLAYED,

MAKE A RECOMMENDED SAFETY

STOP FOR 3 MINUTES.

NOTE	The Recommended Safety Stop, as the name implies, is recommen-
	ded. If it is ignored, there is no penalty applied to the following surface
	intervals and dives.

5.11.2. Mandatory Safety Stops

When the ascent rate exceeds 10 m/33 ft per minute continuously for more than 5 seconds, the microbubble build-up is predicted to be more than is allowed for in the decompression model. The Suunto RGBM calculation model responds to this by adding a Mandatory Safety Stop to the dive. The time of this Mandatory Safety Stop depends on the severity of the ascent rate excess.

The STOP sign appears in the display and when you reach the depth zone between 6 m and 3 m/20 ft and 10 ft, the CEILING label, ceiling depth, and the calculated Safety Stop time also appear in the display. You should wait until the Mandatory Safety Stop warning disappears. The total length of the Mandatory Safety Stop time depends on the seriousness of the ascent rate violation.

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