A Minor (TRUE) Horror Story

[The Iceni]

madmole once bubbled...
Definately a duff diver. NO computer on the market would have allowed these dives, . . . !!!!!!!

A tad OTT, as was the rest of madmole's first post but IMHO it needed to be said.

What still concerns me is the obvious denial exhibited by Peter and his buddy. OK once underwater the brain appears to stop working properly but need this continue post-dive I wonder?

In England we have invented an extremely powerful item of investigative equipment, it is known as the retrospectoscope, and it never fails, particularly if used by a third party.

As I posted above, I tend to feel that denial must be an ever present feature of (cerebral) DCI and this would almost certainly explain Peter's apparently reckless behaviour.

Indeed PFOs are quite common, and in my opinion from bitter experience far too often overlooked as a cause of subclinical cerebral DCI.

 

[terrydarc]

Bren Tierney once bubbled...
"Hi Guys,

...Peter's one of our Scottish contingent and regularly dives the wrecks of the Clyde, Oban and the Sound of Mull.

-------------------------------------------------

...We spent a couple of hours in the pub and the pain got slightly worse, but it still did not seem anything to be really worried about. I left the pub and started to drive down the road and this is when it all went f*cking pear-shaped..."

I've only lightly read these 4 pages of posts, but don't recall any mention (amonst the flames) of the fact that these divers spent a couple hours drinking post-dive. I seem to remember from BOW that alcohol is contraindicated for DCI. A beer after diving, sure. A couple hours in the pub though?
=Terry

 

[The Iceni]

terrydarc once bubbled...
these divers spent a couple hours drinking post-dive. I seem to remember from BOW that alcohol is contraindicated for DCI. A beer after diving, sure. A couple hours in the pub though?
=Terry

Ah cultural differences.

British pubs - that is public houses - are not simply bars. In fact I think they are a pretty civilised institution. You can travel just about anywhere in the UK and find meal and probably a bed at the "local" (public house or Inn).

It is not easy to describe exactly what they are but they have evolved over the years into something between a restaurant with a bar, a coffee house and a community centre. It it most certainly not unusual for a group of British divers to meet in the pub at the end of the day for a meal and a chat "over a pint".

My club Sunstar sub aqua meet in the "Nelson" public house after training every Monday and it amazing how long you can make a single drink last when you are poring over expedition planning etc.

So I am not really surpised that Peter and his buddy spent a couple of hours in the pub. It does not mean they were drinking excessively throughout. Far from it.

However, I agree with you Terry, diving and alcohol do not mix well.

One of the reasons is that alcohol is a diuretic causing dehydration, which is well known to predispose to (hangovers and) DCI. They may not have had any alcohol at all although I admit that seems unlikley.