Start time 10.00am, and finish approx 12.30

Dry diving is exactly as it sounds. A hyperbaric chamber is the perfect environment to test a diver's ability at depth, but in a safe and water-free environment.

Decompression illness DCI can result from a diver's inability to handle nitrogen narcosis.

If a diver is underwater the first time they experience narcosis, they can panic and risk DCI.

A dry dive can prepare a diver mentally for what can happen underwater.

• The divers fill in a self-declaration medical form. Any questions ticked YES must be covered by a Fit to Dive medical. (These can be done at MDC with enough notice).

• Divers change into scrubs (provided).

• After a briefing, divers (maximum of 9) enter the chamber accompanied by an MDC supervisor.

• The chamber is compressed to 40m.

• After maximum bottom time is reached, decompression begins.

• At the end of the session there is a post-dive briefing plus time for questions and logbook stamping.

Please remember that like a wet dive, a dry dive does carry a risk of DCI, although an extremely minimal one as the environment is carefully controlled. Please report any abnormal symptoms immediately.