Can anyone answer this question??

[The Chairman]

that the lungs of whales completely collapse during a deep dive allowing the entire gas mixture to dissolve into their blood stream. As they ascend the N2 and CO2 come out of solution rather quickly to reinflate the lungs. Apparently their tolerance/capacity for on-gassing and off-gassing exceeds ours to the point of being absurd. I will keep trying to find the web-site, but I did not see fit at the time to add it to my "favorites".

 

[capnvik]

Originally posted by nickjb
For the same reason free-divers don't. They are not breathing compressed air while submerged.

Theres a lot more to it than that. Here is an interesting article:
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/00/pr0018.htm

DCS DOESN'T REALLY HAVE TO DO W/ COMPRESSED GAS. THAT'S EMBOLISMS. SEA MAMMALS ARE JUST DESIGNED TO NOT OBSORB N2 LIKE PEOPLE

 

[Liquid]

Since their lungs (as do our, and other mammal's) dont hold in them enough N2 to couse DCS. When diving with compressed air, the amount of N2 in the lungs, is greater, so there is a risk of getting DCS (still, up to 9-10 meters, where you hold about double the amount, you can't get DCS).

 

[beejw]

DCS DOESN'T REALLY HAVE TO DO W/ COMPRESSED GAS. THAT'S EMBOLISMS. SEA MAMMALS ARE JUST DESIGNED TO NOT OBSORB N2 LIKE PEOPLE

DCS has everything to do with compressed gas. The reported cases of free-divers with "DCS" are those free divers making multiple free dives in a rapid sucession. I read a while ago in a diving magazine that because of the repetitive nature of the dives, each time they acsend, not all the N2 is off-gassed, leaving some residual nitrogen. As they make each repetitive dive, the amount of N2 builds up to the point that as the free divers ascend, the N2 becomes free gass to quickly, due to the excess, causing DCS like symptoms.

Free-divers dont get decompression sickness, in the sense that they are breathing compressed air, just that excess N2 is off-gassing too quickly.

Embolisms are a totally different ball game. but still a ball game. if you get my analogy.

and its absorb.
and sea mammals aren't "designed" to do anything, millions of years of natural selection (the mechanism of evolution) has produced mechanisms which allow them to effectively survive in that environment.

and capnvik, theres no need to shout to make your point.

safe diving.
Beej.

 

[drbill]

I seem to remember a scientific study that indicated whales do occasionally get DCS-like symptoms on their dives. Can anyone out there confirm my age-feebled memory?

And Green_Manelishi, please speak for yourself. I know I am made to spend large amounts of my waking hours underwater. Have known that since my earliest memories. Hmmm, perhaps my father wasn't the milkman after all... but an errant sea lion!

 

[pupdiver]

I read an article somewhere (I don't recall where) by scientists who found that marine mammals do occasionally suffer from DCS symptoms. It is probably much milder than what a human would experience because they are better adapted not to absorb nitrogen

 

[rob_za]

I also found an article about whales getting DCS.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4122119.stm

Rob

 

[GulfDiver77]

I remember seeing something on Whales getting DCS. They were doing an Autopsy on a Whale and said there were signs of past DCS. I don't remember how they said they could tell though.

 

[markr]

There was a show on the Discovery channel last night about the life of a sperm whale. The show indicated that the whales would suffer from nitrogen bubbles forming if the whale ascended to rapidly. The show didn't use the term DCS but the description sounded the same.