Gas phase ionization mass spectrometry is shown to provide means for exploring the processes that control the retention of 10 keV He+ implanted in Si at 45°. Blistering, observed in situ, was preceded by a long period of bombardment (70% of the critical fluence for blistering) during which implanted He was released at a rather high rate (~33% of the incident He flux). Assisted by the stress due to the growing bubbles, bombardment induced detrapping allows a large fraction of the implanted He atoms to migrate to the nearby surface and escape into vacuum.