Lessons of Life: Push to the Limit

Monte's life had such a time: He had a diving record of six dive a day, and completed a two-day three-dive dive before that. He liked to say, "He only has diving in his head." The water temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit (about 16 degrees Celsius) and the visibility is very good. He feels great - or at least he thinks he is. Monte completed his safety stop at 10 feet. He began to feel dizzy and his stomach began to churning. Suddenly, he felt the whole person was not good.

diver

Monte, an avid diver, has accumulated about 150 dive records in the past 12 years. He is very good, although he smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. In his 38-year-old life, for him, life must include diving.

That dive

Monte dive with a group of divers at a local houseboat. There are an unlimited number of dive conditions. When other divers do not want to get into the water again, he changes the dive partner. Monte uses 32% of high oxygen for each dive. The plan is based on equivalent air dive depth and gives himself more underwater time.

On the first day, Monte had six potentials - including a night dive - all between 60 and 85 feet (18-26 meters) deep. The next day, he plans to repeat what he did the first day. Still using 32% of high oxygen, Monte dived 55 feet (17 meters), 70 feet (21 meters) and 73 feet (22 meters). According to his dive computer, underwater time is between 33-43 minutes.

ACCIDENT

At the end of his third day of dive, Monte's computer warned him that he was rising too fast. He began to control the air from BCD to escape, while he swam to the anchor rope to make a safe stop. Some other divers were also on the anchor rope, so he settled and stayed at 10 feet (3 meters).

When his three-minute stop was over, Monte found a stinging body and his legs were weak. Raising to the surface of the water, before Monte came out of the water, he vomited and he needed help to get on the boat. He was dizzy and unable to balance and walk.

The crew immediately gave oxygen to the coast, reported to the Coast Guard, and began to sail to the shore. Monte's symptoms improved slightly, but dizziness progressed to dizziness and he was still sick. When his sneak mate helped take off the equipment, they noticed a red pattern rash on his abdomen. It is sensitive to touch.

A helicopter sent Monte to the hyperbaric chamber for assessment and treatment. Monte was diagnosed with nervous system decompression, interventional inner ear disease, and skin curvature. He received US Navy treatment and two extensions (more time and oxygen). After the follow-up treatment, he recovered completely over time.

Accident analysis

DCI is caused by the increase of nitrogen concentration, and when the body's gas is full, it cannot be treated. Monte, although he may have done a similar scuba diving before, had no problem, but overturned the limit. Just because your dive computer tells you to dive does not mean that you should do this because they only consider depth and time. They do not analyze factors such as heart rate, respiratory rate, gas absorption, or other factors such as fitness, body type, and hydration. Like many hyperoxic divers, Monte plans to use the equivalent depth of air to dive instead of using the reduced nitrogen content to give him an extra safety buffer. Although this gives him more underwater time, it takes away any potential safety factor. He dive deeper and deeper in the next dive, but it is not enough to be considered a factor.

Monte9's series of dives increased nitrogen load and his body could no longer handle these pressures. Therefore, the symptoms appear in a dramatic way. He reported that he did not notice any problems before the last dive. Although this is entirely possible, it is also possible that Monte had mild symptoms of decompression sickness before diving, but did not notice them and linked them to diving. Divers ignore minor common symptoms, such as fatigue or pain in the joints of the shoulders and knees, treating them as working pressure rather than diving.

The general health status also plays an important role in DCI. Monte is in good health though he smokes and has asthma. He did not report difficulties during the dive, but smoking can damage the body's ability to absorb oxygen.

To avoid problems, Monte can use high oxygen just like air. His underwater time is shorter, but he will have an extra safety buffer. You cannot enjoy a longer end time in the same dive while increasing the safety factor.

Monte made his safety stop at 10 feet (3 meters) instead of the usual 15 feet (5 meters). The shallower depth and lower ambient pressure did not help, but it may not have made things worse. A safety stop is not a decompression stop. Their purpose is to reduce your gas load and add a dive safety factor, but Monte's nitrogen load is so high that a slightly deeper safe stop will not make a difference.

Reducing the amount of diving, resting between the two dive, replenishing water and eating well can reduce the possibility of problems. So, like Monte, stop smoking.

The lesson of life

1. Get and stay healthy. You don't have to be a triathlete to dive, but general health is a must. Many diving accidents occur on fat divers, including poor or dangerous conditions.

2. Quit smoking. Smoking can impair breathing and the body's ability to absorb and remove waste gases from the blood.

3. Conservative diving. Don't let yourself have too much diving load on any day. Take a break and enjoy the sun.

4. Learn about high oxygen. High oxygen can give you longer underwater time, and it can also increase your dive safety factor - but it can only be selected one at a time and cannot be achieved at the same time.

5. Slowly rise. A rapid rise will cause bubbles formed with ambient pressure to exceed the pressure of the gas in the body. Allow your body to form bubbles naturally, and have the opportunity to eliminate nitrogen before causing problems.