last weekend!!!

[DiverDown]

Hello everyone let me tell you about an experience that i had this last weekend. My wife and I went to Canada last weekend and dove with porpoise bay. And it was great we did several wall dives and the chaudier. It was great diving that reef it is a 400ft destroyer escort in 140fsw. I am going to set up a trip there this winter probably in febuary when the vis can get to 80-100ft . Anyway on the last dive on sun I had some issues with a panicked diver. I wound up doing a sumwhat of a rescue that led to a rapid ascent and short safety stop. As soon as I got on the boat I felt some shoulder pain. thinking it was nothing I played it off. In my mind i knew what had just happened. On the drive home from Canada it kept getting worse, I was still trying to avoid the inevitable.

I had taken some asperin hoping that it would go away. I felt a little better and went to sleep with my shoulder still hurting. Two hours later I woke up with severe pain, I knew I couldnt put if off any more! I went to the emergency room and they sent me to Virginia Mason to the hyperbaric chamber. Now I know what the symptems are of a dcs but I didnt want to convince myself of the truth. Two things that I fear are drowning and the bends. I spent 8 hours in the chamber and let me tell you that is no fun..

I consider myself a safety concious diver, I have dove with hundreds of students. I have been involved with two rescues, Each time with a clear head. All the training that I have had and conduct I thought would for sure give me a leg up on getting bent. Geuss I was wrong, I have never been complacent with my diving. I am not a care free diver and I am always looking out for others when im diving with them. But you can never forsee everything!!!! So anyway I seem to be fine now but I cant dive for a month now. One thing that I always preach is that you learn something everytime you dive.

Lesson learned!! always expect the unexpected and buy DAN insurance. Im about to find out how much my insurance will cover cause I dont have DAN..

[Joshua Smith]

Dude, that sucks! I'm really sorry to hear about that. Look, even if it's ME panicking and having an uncontrolled ascent, I don't want anyone chasing up after me! Just ain't worth it. I mean, good for you, helping someone out, but they're not gonna be paying your hospital bill, are they? Glad you're OK, though! (I think I'll go look into that insurance right now, by the way)

[DiverDown]

Well that someone was my wife. It kinda changes prioritys.. Sometimes you just act in situations like that..

[Maverick]

Well Jason glad to hear you are OK, One month, better than no more diving, plus you'll be ready to get wet in hoodcanal. Hows your wife doing? I bet she was scared for you, wow what an experience. See you soon

[Tangfish]

Diverdown, I'm glad to hear you're okay buddy, and also your wife. I feel bad that you didn't have DAN insurance and I hope this is a lesson to the others here that it's worth every penny. I've had it for as long as I've been diving. I think the plans start at about $35.

Can you tell us what your dive profile was, and also what the symptoms were in more detail? If you don't mind. I think the rest of us can benefit from knowing about your experience, to both prevent such a thing from happening to us and also so we know if it is happening. Man, no diving for a month. I'll do a couple extra for ya in your honor.

Did Tracie get DCS too?

[Joshua Smith]

Well that someone was my wife. It kinda changes prioritys.. Sometimes you just act in situations like that..

Wow. Yeah, that's about the only exception, that or your kid, I guess. I would have done the same thing. Glad you're OK.

[John Rawlings]

Wow, Diverdown!

I'm glad that you are now on the mend and that, apparently, one ride in the chamber was enough to eliminate your symptoms.

I'm also extremely sorry that you took a "hit", although given the circumstances it sounds like you did what absolutely had to be done. I hope that your insurance will provide enough coverage so that you do not also suffer a big financial "hit".

For you in the future, and everyone else NOW, I urge you to get DAN insurance, or an equivalent policy from another reputable carrier. I have carried DAN insurance at the "Preferred" level, (the maximum-sized policy that they offer), for years, even though I have been fortunate enough NOT to have had any DCS hits during my 30 year diving career. Truth be told, there have been MANY time that I DESERVED to take a hit because of doing something stupid, but the Lord has always smiled upon me in such cases.

There is NOTHING that beats the feeling of knowing that you are COVERED should misfortune strike. Make no mistakes about it - sometimes a diver will take a hit for NO OBVIOUS REASON.....he/she will have dived within the limits, made the correct stops, ascended at the correct rate, yet STILL ends up needing a chamber ride. Like any other kind of accident, you just never know when it might happen. I am acquainted with several divers that have unexpectedly needed coverage and they needed it in obscure, out-of-the-way places in the Third World.....DAN has always come through for them and they were all extremely grateful and glad that they had the coverage. Things like that can happen here in the Pacific Northwest as well.....

I also carry DAN's equipment insurance on my camera gear and I've had to USE it! I flooded a housed camera system a couple of years ago and was looking at a loss of a little over $5,000.00. To my pleased surprise, I received a check for the full amount of the covered loss, (minus deductible), within 5 business days of submitting my claim! I have never been so pleased with an insurance carrier in my life!

Think about it, guys and gals......everyone on this board is an active diver. You need to have adequate coverage for the unexpected!

Climbing off my soapbox now......

- John

[Scubak]

Well, I am glad you are doing ok. Yes, I can recommend the DAN Ins...everyone should have it.
Knowing what the diving is like up at Porpise Bay, by Sunday you were probably pretty well loaded. If I were you I would've told Kal what happened and asked for the O2 bottle.
A few years ago on a trip to Nanimo we had a diver have the similiar problem he had DAN and they took care of everything. Sad thing was that him and his GF had a trip planned to Hawaii and he couldn't fly for 6 months...they had travel ins...
Will see ya at the BBQ
Take care
K

[Cuppie]

Im glad you and your wife are okay. My dad got bent pretty bad when he was younger and now he wont dive. I hope that you and your wife return to diving and continue to enjoy the underwater experiences.

[Joshua Smith]

Well, I just joined DAN and got the insurance. Hope I never need it. Thanks for the reminder, Diverdown- I'm glad you and the wife are OK, and I'm sorry it happened to you. Hopefully you'll be diving with us a lot this summer! Let us know how the hospital bill and the after effects,( if any) go. If you get stuck with a huge bill, maybe we could set up some kind of donations fund here on the site, like a pay pal account or something?

[Sasquatch]

Talk about a turnaround! I started your post and while reading I'm thinking, man, I gotta get up to BC, sounds really great.

As I continue I get the full meaning of your post as it results to your health. The point was not lost on me that you tried to convince yourself that it was muscle strain instead of DCS, treating it with aspirin and going to bed a little sore. I know from experience and research that that is a very common response.

I don't EVER want to spend 8 hours in a chamber unless there's a full size bed, bartender and 52" plasma screen TV to keep me company.

Sincerely glad you and the Mrs. are OK and that you posted your experience.

Sea ya!

[DiverDown]

Wow thanks for the well wishes from everybody!! Tracie is fine no aparent side effects. My dive profile wasent that out of the ordinary the problem is that the chaudier is a square profile dive. And anyone whos been there Kal always stresses to take a five minute safety stop. we bearly did three. I had an ascent rate of 60+fpm for only twenty feet but appearently that was enough. My wife went from 70-20 at a rate of 60+fpm with that ascent rate we should have taken advantage of the 40% bottle that Kal has at 15ft. But she went for the surface and I followed.

When I went to the chamber and they started the dive to 60ft it got real hot in there. They put a hood on you so you can breath pure o2. Being that im a little claustrophbic that didnt go well for me. About an hour or so into it I had trouble breathing and I asked if that was normal. The RT checked my lungs and heart and he asked if I am asthmatic. Cause he couldnt here good breathing sounds. Let me tell you I havent been that scared in a long time. I thought for sure that things were goin bad for me. I started to shake uncrontrolably felling like i was going to pass out. I dont know if that was a panic attack or oxtox. They had to give me valium to calm down. I doubt they were gonna open the door and let me out..

As far as the one ride goes its been two days now and so far so good my shoulder still isnt 100% but I couldnt warrent to go back for another ride. I think that I got lucky that it was just in my shoulder..

As far as telling someone I didnt want to believe that I might have been bent.. I dont want anybody to know about it. But mabey telling my story people can use that info for personal gain. I know I would if was reading someone elses article.. Besides looks like DAN is gonna get a few new members..

[Dolphin_Diver]

HELLO THIS IS THE WIFE THAT CAUSED THIS AND NO-ONE KNOWS HOW I REALLY FEEL ABOUT ALL THIS I COULD HAVE LOST MY HUSBAND BECAUSE OF MY STUPIDITY. BUT IM JUST SO THANKFULL THAT HE'S ALRIGHT AND AT HOME.

[John Rawlings]

I'm glad that he's OK, and I'm glad that you're OK..... but it's important for you, and everyone else, to realize that YOU did NOT "cause" this to happen. It could have been the result of some other occurance during the dive, an accumulation of factors.....or even that he didn't drink enough water the night before or on that that day.

Blaming yourself will have only one effect - to make you feel bad.

Just be thankful that it was really a minor hit and that both of you will be fine.

- John

[Sasquatch]

Yup. What John said!

[sparky]

Diver Down :
Dont you ever scare us like that againe we love you BRO. and we still have a lot of diving to do together, thank you for your courage in shareing your experience. a lot of people out there would have just kept it to them selves.


Tracy : please dont blame your self Hon, Like John said there is so many things that can cause DCS you know it could have even ben caused by that last cup of coffie and bisket he ate at brakefast the poing im makeing here is They just dont know all the causes

and after diving with you I can honestly say you are a good and safe diver and there is verry little that you could do to prevent me from diving with you a gaine.

we are verry lucky we did not lose both of you that would make the world a much colder place.


Scott :
with asent rates like this is it posabule there was a problem with her inflator hose or maybe the inflator on her dry suit. just wondering whatcaused a good diver like Tracy to asend so fast or are you not sure?

thank god you both are ok
looking foward to seeing you guys even more now at the BBQ

Sparky

[Tom Nic]

Diver Down and Dolphin Diver! Let me echo all the best wishes, prayers, and thanks for being willing to talk so candidly about your experiences with the rest of us. We ALL need reminders like this, from newbies to old pros, and I believe that we will be better divers as a result! If you did NOT talk about it that would have been a diservice to all your diving buddies. Get back on the horse as soon as it's safe for you to do so... you both will be better divers as a result of the experience as well.

I've been thinking about getting my Insurance for some time now. You can bet I will have done so BEFORE I get back in the water again!

[BASSMAN]

I think this has been the most helpful posting yet! Thanks to your willingness to share, I too, am convinced that the DAN Insurance is an important piece of dive equiptment. Glad to read you are both okay.
This may be unrelated but:
Having a few experiences of loosing control of my own bouyency, I know how scary it can be. For me, it was all about getting vertical again, to gain control of my bouyency. Instinct, tells you to swim back down and fight it and as you ascend it keeps getting worse. One time my buddy saw that my BC was inflated and relieved it for me at the lower valve be cause I was upside down hanging on to concrete at Les Davis.
"Thanks again, Tom"
So, what I eventually learned was, If I feel myself getting even a little too bouyant, I get Vertical with head up, and all my bouyancy issues are easily corrected. Hope this helps someone. I know this seems to be elementry basics but I think it could be easily forgotton as easy it was to learn.

Bassman

[kalvyn]

I have to commend you for being willing to post up your story! Glad everything worked out OK, and a big +1 to everyone reading this that doesn't have DAN insurance to get it ASAP.

Like John said though, you just never know when it will happen to you. Though I've been fortunate so far in my diving career, I was diving with a guy that did get bent. We did pretty much the EXACT same profiles, save he was having a hard time holding his 15' stops. He didn't even really shoot to the surface, either... just fairly fast from ~20 fsw. Heck, I've seen folks pop up faster than that from their safety stops and be just fine. Anyway, he ended up in the chamber for 6 hours, and is no longer diving as a result.

To end on a happy note: the diving up in Porpoise Bay is AWESOME!!! I can't wait to get up there again. If you set up a trip, let me know and I'll sign up to go with your group.

Jimmie

[DiverDown]

Im going to set up a trip in feb, thats the tentative date. I am goin to split the trip with another diver so I will only have about 8 spots. I will post more details as the date draws closer....

[Sasquatch]

Just curious, DD. What did the chamber ride wind up costing?

Sea ya

Diver Dave

[Sounder]

I'm glad you both are ok - and this provides an excellent example where a few dollars each month can really pay off in the end... and if you flood your camera you're covered too!!! I'm glad you're both ok; I can imagine that was scary.

Warning/Disclaimer - ignorant new diver about to post about something he knows very little about...

In a past life I was a law enforcement officer and was assigned to a unit where I had the opportunity to obtain my paramedic (EMT-P) cert (I'd already had my EMT-B for 2+ years at the time). In medic class, you learn the treatment for DCS - 100% O2 and Rapid Transport to a chamber or landing zone for an air-evac (and it doesn't take a paramedic to know that!) while treating symptoms and keeping the pt. comfortable. Thinking from a dive stand-point (and perhaps this is taught in rescue... haven't gotten to that class yet and would learn it there), it seems to me that a re-compression (diving back down) and controlled decompression/acent might have aided the rescuer and the rescuee (when was it too late, requiring the full 8 hour re/decompression?). Now of course the rescuee may also be reluctant to get back in the water so that could be an issue, but in theory (and again - having an upset spouse or family member at the surface would be hard to leave) IF either or both parties could shake off the adrenline and be clear-headed enough to re-compress (perhaps with fresh tanks even) together and take the entire tank to acend if desired. Would this have aided his symptoms of DCS?

So there's my ignorant post from a novice diver who's never been in a scuba-related rescue situation (I may be WAY off - please forgive me in advance, but I just had this thought and wanted to present it for critique). I like the idea of having the world's largest hyperbaric chamber as our playground... because it's always there (assuming you're able to dive again with respect to air, injury, situational complications, etc).

Again, I'm glad you were ok and it goes to your credit for recognizing the signs and seeking treatment. I also appreciate your willingness to post and provide a real-life lesson to those of us who don't have but a handful of dives but who want to enjoy a lifetime of safe diving.

I come to the group as a VERY humble and novice diver, with no significant scuba experience, but with a strong desire to learn from those who are experienced. I just want to be clear that I am posting a question/theory for criticism and discussion, and please know that I am NOT criticizing anyone whatsoever. Someday I may be in distress, and I hope someone will come to my aid as I would them.

[DiverDown]

I found this link on in water recompression its fron DAN

[DiverDown]

Just curious, DD. What did the chamber ride wind up costing?

Sea ya

Diver Dave

Im not sure yet I havent got the bill im sure its not gonna be cheap. I do have medical that should cover 80% so we will see..

[Tattoobob]

Well, I have to say that Diverdown is one the safest divers I know. Because He has helped with my class's ever since I became an instructor. He is always thinking of the safty of the students and of course of himself. I thank everyone who is showing support Diverdown on this board. I am new to this site myself. So I really am not known here. But thanks again for showing your support for Diverdown. One of the few true Friends and Dive Buddies I have. And hopefully in the comming months he will take the next step in joining me as an instructor. Tattoobob