Definition

Dive industry shorthand for decompression, the critical process where divers make calculated stops during ascent to avoid getting the bends. These mandatory pauses let dissolved nitrogen safely leave the bloodstream, turning what could be a quick trip to the surface into a patience-testing, depth-scheduled ascent. Skipping deco stops can result in decompression sickness, which is both medically serious and embarrassingly preventable for trained divers.

Example Usage

After the deep wreck dive, the team had 45 minutes of deco stops before they could surface safely.

Source: Scuba diving terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

Bulgarian split squat

A single-leg squat variation with the rear foot elevated, named after Bulgarian weightlifters who apparently enjoyed suffering unilaterally. Tests your quad strength, balance, and ability to question life choices simultaneously.

⚽ Sports / Fitness
Beginner

fartlek

A Swedish training method mixing continuous running with random speed intervals. Literally translates to 'speed play,' which sounds much more fun than it actually is.

⚽ Sports / Fitness
Beginner

Split

The way you divide your workout across the week, which gym people discuss with the same intensity that generals discuss battle plans. Choosing the wrong split is treated as a tactical error of the highest order.

⚽ Sports / Fitness
Intermediate

zone 5

The highest heart rate training zone at 90-100% of maximum heart rate, reserved for short bursts of maximum effort. Where your lungs burn, your legs scream, and your Garmin judges you.

⚽ Sports / Fitness
Intermediate

zone 3

The moderate-intensity training zone between comfortable aerobic work and hard threshold efforts, also known as 'no man's land' because it's allegedly too hard for easy days and too easy for hard days. Every endurance athlete's accidental default pace.

⚽ Sports / Fitness
Beginner

runner's high

The euphoric state experienced during or after prolonged running, caused by endocannabinoid and endorphin release. Non-runners remain skeptical this exists, while runners evangelically insist it's worth the joint damage.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Translate This Term

See “deco” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on XShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

rate lock

An agreement that freezes your mortgage interest rate for a specified period while you complete the purchase. It's finan...