Sorry, I should have clarified that, but was trying to be brief.
By occasionally, I meant that sometimes after deep dives with a lot of bottom time, we’d breathe pure oxygen from a separate tank for a few minutes after surfacing. Supposedly, to help flush nitrogen from our systems…just a precaution.
I never meant I used pure O2 in my regular tank, and for the reasons mentioned above about breathing it under pressure.
Sorry for any confusion.
Good Lord, no!!
I may have pushed the dive tables on occasion, but I never exceeded them. Never even came close to decompression sickness (the “bends”).
Yep, the dive computer - greatest invention since SCUBA itself. No more folling around with the stupid (overly conservative) tables.
To further clarify what others have noted: An airliner’s cabin is pressurised (typically to an equivalent altitude of something like 7000 - 8000’) with air - it would certainly be a bad idea (as well as massively impractical) to fill it with pure (or even with elevated levels of) oxygen.
But when supplemental oxygen is needed (as when an airliner’s pressurization fails) what flows through a mask is nearly always pure oxygen. This is often somewhat diluted by ambient air because the mask isn’t designed for a perfect seal.
I’ve used supplemental oxygen on many glider flights - it’s required when you fly above 14,000’, or above 12,500’ for more than 30 minutes. I’ve never had any sense that it produces a “high”, nor have I heard any glider pilot report this.
Misinformation, hollywood BS.
Oxygen/oxygen masks are on airplanes to keep you alive if there is a loss of cabin pressure at high altitude.
PS you are already “high,” 20 or 30,000 ft?