How long must a flight attendant wait after scuba diving before inflight duties?

How long must a flight attendant wait after scuba diving before inflight duties?

• A. 24 hours
• B. 48 hours
• C. 12 hours
• D. 72 hours

Answer: (D)

After scuba diving, nitrogen can remain dissolved in body tissues. Flying exposes you to lower atmospheric pressure in a pressurized cabin, which can cause dissolved nitrogen to come out of solution and form bubbles. Those bubbles can lead to decompression sickness, and symptoms may not appear immediately. To protect crew during inflight duties, aviation medical policies require a surface interval long enough for nitrogen to off-gas safely. The 72-hour window is the most conservative choice, giving ample time for even deeper or multiple dives and for any potential symptoms to manifest and be checked on the ground before resuming flight duties. Shorter intervals exist in other contexts, but for flight crew safety this longer wait minimizes the risk of DCS during air travel.

After scuba diving, nitrogen can remain dissolved in body tissues. Flying exposes you to lower atmospheric pressure in a pressurized cabin, which can cause dissolved nitrogen to come out of solution and form bubbles. Those bubbles can lead to decompression sickness, and symptoms may not appear immediately. To protect crew during inflight duties, aviation medical policies require a surface interval long enough for nitrogen to off-gas safely. The 72-hour window is the most conservative choice, giving ample time for even deeper or multiple dives and for any potential symptoms to manifest and be checked on the ground before resuming flight duties. Shorter intervals exist in other contexts, but for flight crew safety this longer wait minimizes the risk of DCS during air travel.