The DecoChek Dive analyser is a  tool for mixed gas divers wishing to check a dive profile before using it.  There are dozens of decompression planning applications on the market, most give a different solution for ascending. Some planners give  acceptable profiles if YOU know how to use them, some give totally inadequate decompression plans, do you know which ones these are? Are You using them?  

The DecoChek Spreadsheet incorporates the CDM-18 algorithm. Developed by Stephen Burton and Mark Ellyatt, the CDM-18 algorithm has been used on some very impressive dives, most recently:

Grzegorz Dominik's World Record Deepest Wreck Dive 220 metres on the Yolanda in March 2006

Rob Lalumiere's World Record Deepest Wreck Dive 193 metres on the USS COOPER in May 2005

Dave Shaw's World Record Deepest CCR Dive of 270 metres in the Boesmansgat Cave system Oct 2004

Mark Ellyatt's World Record Deepest Scuba Dive of 313 metres in the Andaman Sea in Dec 2003
 

As you can see, the Officers don't use BUBBLE models, so why would the Troops?

Further deep dive validation's include: 170m for 21,  100m for 25, , a 195m for 10, plus 140m for 12 on 20+ occasions. During dives to HMS Victoria, 22 mutli level dives from 150/8 + 120/8 and 110/15 + 80/16 were conducted. For shallower testing it has been used 90m+/15 on 67 man dives. Shallower dives are too numerous to mention. 

Analysing a dive plan takes 15minutes...Fixing the dive plan within the DECOCHEK analyser takes as little as 10minutes...for moderate dives.
A large dive might take 2 hours to fix if the plan producing software was an older bubble model.

                                                  Any time spent on profile analysis is well spent if you consider the alternatives

Since its inception  6 years ago,  DECOCHEK is still  the only decompression plan analyser. DECOCHEK compares your dive plan against the CDM-18 algorithm.  Alternative algorithm's such as Bulhmann, DSAT,DCAP and USN are also supplied with the program. Comparisons using these established matrixes is very straight forward. The program will display decompression violations as warnings. The warnings can be removed by increasing stop times or making adjustments elsewhere in the dive plan. If you can use Microsoft Excel and have some understanding of dive planning you can use DECOCHEK.

The DECOCHEK analyser is the only program to advise when  Counter Diffusing Gas (ICD) complications are present. As technical divers descend deeper and longer than ever before, a true understanding of counter diffusing gases is paramount. The dive analyser provides ascent advice that has WORKED in the past, there is no guesswork. Its data source is based on actual man dives and data down as deep as 313m by Mark Ellyatt recently. The half times and ascent limiters were developed over many years by commercial companies and scientific / hyper baric experts.  The DECOCHEK analyser will check dive algorithms used in any software available or printed tables. Some are fine already...many are not

Many theories regarding safe decompression have come onto the technical scene, some promising radical decompression plans. Some Bubble models are so far removed from empirically tested algorithms, they defy belief in their ability to safely decompress a human being. Unless a decompression algorithm can demonstrate human testing, it should be treated with utmost scepticism. (see UHMS testing protocols)

A couple of revolutionary  bubble models have been marketed heavily recently. One owes its testing database purely to petri dishes of gel and technical diving salmon and goats! The other was tested within the confines of a supercomputer! Every dive YOU  perform using these models makes you part of the validation process. As this is often the case,  consider purchasing a personal recompression chamber for the times the fancy math is not correct.

Bad dive plans are similar to smoking cigarettes, the affects on the body are totally cumulative, but the first ones generally don't hurt! Repeating bad dive plans again and again will cause increased decompression sickness inevitability, due to a damaged or compromised circulation system. Before you dive again in to the unknown, spend some time  analysing the decompression plan looking for anomalies that could severely impact this dive, or a future one.

Long gone are the days of manned test dives, instead customers and students are the preferred means of validation. Its very easy to congratulate success, and even easier to ridicule failure. Many decompression software titles are available, all promising a great deal...

                                                                 They  cannot ALL be right, as their outputs differ enormously.

The analyser is available in 40 or 100  data point versions-
CCR is fully supported , so you can now check suitability of BAIL OUT mixtures at different depths

The 40 point version gives sufficient waypoints for analysing most advanced mix gas dives to 150metres (depending on bottom time and model used to generate original plan) 

The 100 point version has sufficient data points to plan dives of an extreme nature or track  repetitive dives.

     DecoChek 40  costs £30

DecoChek 100 costs £50 

*** DECOCHEK will be sent by email on receipt of payment ***

We have included some examples of these decompression program analysis on this website. You will see how each program predicts the ascent, and how they compare with each other and with the empirically man tested algorithm embedded in the DecoChek analyser.

To see the software comparison pages click here

Some software products give totally acceptable results but most do not!. Be aware that decompression software is the result of the programmers understanding of the subject, and usually marketed by individuals with a scant interest in how their products will be used beyond recreational exposures.

This is why decompression plan analysis is so important, and easy with DECOCHEK

See in real time how decompression stops are generated via the appropriate half times. The Cutting edge decompression matrix easily seek out the weaknesses embedded in popular dive software and even published tables. Inputting  your dive plans and intended gas mixtures will advise you how ascent gases  could influence your safety with regard to Isobaric Counter Diffusion.

The DecoChek has 5 different screens, that translate the numbers into graphs, so you can analyse your dive easily!

 The analyser becomes invaluable as explorers venture deeper and deeper.

DecoChek- Popular Software Analysis

  Back                 DecoChek-Help File

DECOCHEK in use

The dive plan in screen shot  one below,  was  generated by a popular software program. The dive plan generated went on to give significant decompression injuries both during the dive and post dive. The diver in question could have easily prevented injury by adding further decompression stops and/or breathing a more appropriate decompression gas. But how would could he have known? Technical divers are guinea pigs for software designers and training agencies! Some dive plans created by popular desk top planners can be better described as suicide notes! With proven planning advice and some empirically tested decompression parameters, we believe predictable advanced diving is within  all technical divers reach.

In the second screen shot, we see how the dive plan was simply fixed to become safer. Deeper stop times were manipulated to remove the ascent ceiling violations (DCS) (Although time deeper could also have been reduced).

Just as importantly though, was the removal of the counter diffusion warnings (ICD) triggered at the gas switch deco stops. By adopting modern deco strategy and adding sufficient amounts of helium to the  decompression gas, complications can be minimised. DECOCHEK will advise where helium should be added and how much