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Desired tablesCondition
Personaladjust-
ment value
Progressively more conservativeSome risk factors or conditionsexistP1
Several risk factors or conditions
exist
P2
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-clinicalDCI, microbubble reduction, ascent control,and orient-
ation before surfacing.
The Suunto HelO
2
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 athree-minute countdown in thecenter window instead of theno-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 tothe following surface
intervals and dives.
5.11.2. Mandatory Safety Stops
When the ascent rateexceeds 10 m/33 ft perminute continuously for more than 5seconds,
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 totallength of the Mandatory SafetyStop time depends on the seriousness
of the ascent rate violation.
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