What to do if you ascend too quickly?

[OldNSalty]

If at the surface, it is better to get to the boat, get oxygen and get to help then go back down.

 

[Texasdivechick]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I had read that IWR was considered a "last resort" effort due to the possibility of losing consciousness, having seizures, cramps, etc.... Basically, all the DCS symptoms that one MIGHT exhibit on the surface immediately following the dive (depending on the severity of the hit) would be much riskier underwater. Especially if your buddy/ DM/ Captain is unaware of what you're doing. I can see how IWR would come into play if a diver is in a rescue scenario and bringing another diver to the surface before going back down to offload. Is there a set of guidelines where IWR would be suggested if not encouraged?

 

[Cave Diver]

Is there a set of guidelines where IWR would be suggested if not encouraged?

I would think it would be hard to set guidelines on doing recompression, considering the vast amount of variances in people and circumstances.

As a generalization, I'd think it should only be attempted if no other means of medical treatment was readily available.

For a sobering read about IWR, check out this story:

Confessions of a Mortal Diver

 

[DCBC]

It all depends (how's that for an answer). If you surface and feel anything out of the ordinary, that's one thing. If you thought s*it that was the pits, I missed my safety/decompression stop, I'd have no problem with going back down. Commercial divers do this all the time, come up on decompression dives walk onto the vessel, have a shower and go into the chamber for recompression.

A diver that has missed a stop, should just correct the problem. The damage that can be caused by a DCS hit is because too much time has been left without recompression, not because they corrected themselves by following the decompression profile.

There's a difference between correcting a decompression problem and recompressing after a DCS injury. A big difference. You did the right thing, especially because you had other diver's with you who could monitor your condition. If you hadn't gone down, you may have had a problem which you avoided by following your dive plan. In such situations it doesn't hurt to add a little more time to the safety or decompression stop to provide some margin.

 

[eponym]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I had read that IWR was considered a "last resort" effort due to the possibility of losing consciousness, having seizures, cramps, etc. Basically, all the DCS symptoms that one MIGHT exhibit on the surface immediately following the dive (depending on the severity of the hit) would be much riskier underwater. Especially if your buddy/ DM/ Captain is unaware of what you're doing. I can see how IWR would come into play if a diver is in a rescue scenario and bringing another diver to the surface before going back down to offload. Is there a set of guidelines where IWR would be suggested if not encouraged?

That's an excellent summary of the reasons to avoid IWR in favor of surface measures.

As to guidelines for suggesting or encouraging IWR, if I had all the items on the following list I might consider it--depending on the specific diver, profile, elapsed time, and presence or absence of symptoms:

• Warm water without currents or surge
• A chair or platform suspended at the desired offgassing depth
• A team of attendant divers skilled at this procedure
• An oxygen/nitrox delivery system with full-face mask and adequate supplies of gas

This may look like overkill but for divers under my care I have to honor the standard treatment called for: surface O2 while en route to qualified medical help if symptoms are present.

 

[I Dive]

I'm a new diver - 1 year, 51 dives. I just read another post titled uncontrolled ascent in which the diver overinflated the bc at 90', couldn't dump air, and shot to the surface. Once surfaced, the diver dumped the air in the bc and went back down to 90' to meet buddies and then ascend under control and with safety stops.

I don't even know where to begin... During an entire ascent from 90 to the surface, a diver couldn't find a way to dump air and slow down or stop their ascent, but they concluded they would somehow be able to on a second dive? This person's buddies were still hanging out at 90 feet during this incident? They didn't begin an ascent to check on/assist their buddy? This needs to be Stickied as an example of what should never happen...

 

[Texasdivechick]

It all depends (how's that for an answer). If you surface and feel anything out of the ordinary, that's one thing. If you thought s*it that was the pits, I missed my safety/decompression stop, I'd have no problem with going back down. Commercial divers do this all the time, come up on decompression dives walk onto the vessel, have a shower and go into the chamber for recompression.

A diver that has missed a stop, should just correct the problem. The damage that can be caused by a DCS hit is because too much time has been left without recompression, not because they corrected themselves by following the decompression profile.

There's a difference between correcting a decompression problem and recompressing after a DCS injury. A big difference. You did the right thing, especially because you had other diver's with you who could monitor your condition. If you hadn't gone down, you may have had a problem which you avoided by following your dive plan. In such situations it doesn't hurt to add a little more time to the safety or decompression stop to provide some margin.

For the record, it wasn't I who rapidly ascended from 90fsw then continued to dive. This story was a follow-up to another post made by another diver. I have never (knock wood) had any issues with rapid ascents... though I may be eating my words when I start using a dry suit.
I think the OP (and myself) were just asking general "what if" questions in order to further our edukayshun. It's always good to ask questions of those with more experience.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Cave Diver, I love your signature pic! How true.

 

[The Chairman]

If there is enough gas, and I was feeling no symptoms, I would be back down to do my SAFETY stop. This is not the same as IWR. If the diver was 20 minutes at that depth, then neural and blood tissues would be essentially saturated. Type II DCS is a much greater risk, and doing the missed SAFETY stops (3 deep & 5 shallow) will ameliorate that possibillity.

 

[Scott L]

If there is enough gas, and I was feeling no symptoms, I would be back down to do my SAFETY stop. This is not the same as IWR. If the diver was 20 minutes at that depth, then neural and blood tissues would be essentially saturated. Type II DCS is a much greater risk, and doing the missed SAFETY stops (3 deep & 5 shallow) will ameliorate that possibillity.

Dang NetDoc, you are a Gator - "Ameliorate". I must have missed that day.