Marine mammals perform single deep and long dives without decompression sickness symptoms. Diving behavior should result in tissue accumulation of nitrogen, increasing the risk of decompression sickness, however, despite performing repeated and long dives, diving mammals have rarely been reported to suffer from decompression sickness during natural dives. Their physiological adaptations help to reduce nitrogen concentrations and risk. They have a compressible ribcage and stiff upper airways, so increasing pressure at depth would compress the lungs and force air into the upper airways, which reduces gaseous exchange during a dive leading to lungs to be adequately supplied with blood, but the blood is not supplied with air. Therefore, this prevents nitrogen uptake during breath-hold dives for marine mammals. Along with this respiratory adaptation in marine mammals, other possible physiological adaptations include: increased tissue and blood nitrogen solubility (mammals living with elevated blood and tissue levels), the use of a nitrogen-absorbing tissue, changes in cardiac output and varying blood flow distribution as part of the dive-response, and behavioral …show more content…
The issue is from the person's fitness. Air travel can leave divers fatigued, improperly nourished, dehydrated, stressed, and disorganized. Long-distance travel makes the problem worst, particularly when multiple time zones are crossed. The deeper and longer dives result with more residual nitrogen, affecting the person more, so these cases require longer pre-flight recovery time. Fatigue and disorganization can affect performance and safety, so the person needs to make sure he or he is well rested and ready for flight. If the person is traveling on a shorter flight or have easy travel where he or she can be properly nourished, hydrated, well-organized, then it is less of a worry to have that recovery time. Going to altitude takes a person to an area of lower outside pressure, meaning nitrogen still dissolved in the blood can come out of the solution as bubbles if the pressure reduction is not slow enough to let the body diffuse the gas. Staying at ground level before going to altitude to do a "decompression stop" is the best solution and avoid