Recompression Chamber Under The Boat?

[Akimbo]

… In fact, I think you both did a pretty good job of pointing out the folly of anything approaching IWR. Thank you for your input.

I think it is also reasonable to point out the folly in performing dives with higher probabilities of DCS a considerable distance/time from a properly staffed and equipped hyperbaric treatment facility. Here is an excellent article originally published in DAN’s Divers Alert Magazine: Alert Diver | Bent in Chuuk

Although the risk of DCS is far higher after advanced and technical level dives, anyone can get bent even staying in no-D limits. The issue is then what? There is no doubt that a day or more of travel to get treated dramatically increases the risk of permanent injury.

Unfortunately, a week of diving with 3-4 daily repeds also increases risk, even without incurring decompression.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Unfortunately, a week of diving with 3-4 daily repeds also increases risk, even without incurring decompression.

True. Vacation divers should be more open to the idea of building a non-diving day into a week-long dive vacation. The reason they don't, I suppose, is because people get impatient, think they need to "get the most out of" their vacation, and have to maximize time spent underwater. That's a myopic "Type A" approach to vacationing.
That non-diving day is an opportunity to rest, off-gas, discover topside attractions, decrease DCS incidence, enjoy spending time with your travel partner(s), etc.

 

[Akimbo]

I am starting to get the sense (from many threads) that discussing DCS treatment in remote diving locations is one of the industry’s dirty little secrets. We go to great extremes to preach about preventing running out of breathable gas, which is relatively within our control anywhere in the world. Same with observing decompression recommendations, but we can get bent anyway — largely out of our control.

My perception is only a minuscule fraction of divers who use liveaboards in remote locations ever even think about, let alone ask, where the nearest chamber is. Forget asking the operator if you can get O2, Nitrox, Trimix, and CO2 absorbent. First ask where the nearest chamber is and how fast could you get there!

At that point your options are vacation somewhere else or accept the fact that you could end up dead, paralyzed, blinded, or in vegetative state even when you do everything “right”. If I wanted to dive a location like that bad enough, I’d make preparations for IWR. Sometimes the choice is selecting the option that sucks the least.

 

[DevonDiver]

Solutions to diving in remote locations:

1) Plan and prepare immense logistics support and training to carry out ad-hoc IWR.

2) Invest $00,000s on a portable hyperbaric chamber.

3) Dive conservatively.

 

[smellzlikefish]

I have a stupid question that seems relevant here. Does anybody know offhand what percentage of dives involving missed deco stops results in a DCI hit?

 

[Doppler]

I have a stupid question that seems relevant here. Does anybody know offhand what percentage of dives involving missed deco stops results in a DCI hit?

Nah. Not a stupid question... far from it. When I was researching my last book, and more recently to present the topic in the title I'm working on right now, I looked for reliable data and found none.

Best indicator we have readily available is the data from DAN and that tells us that incidents of reported decompression episodes per 1000 divers has gone down in recent years. Whether of not any of this is attributable to agencies such as ANDI, IANTD, TDI et al teaching decompression techniques... well, that's your call.

I do not have a great deal of experience with MISSED decompression; however, in the past six months I have spoken with two people who missed deco but where not clinically bent. In one case the missed time was around 45 minutes (he brought a buddy who had a heart attack to the surface), and in the other, the missed time was around 22 minutes. Similar outcomes... NADA

 

[Akimbo]

… In one case the missed time was around 45 minutes (he brought a buddy who had a heart attack to the surface), and in the other, the missed time was around 22 minutes. Similar outcomes... NADA

Wow, missing 45 minutes symptom free must be some kind of record! :wow: :nailbiter:

Did he/she take any precautions like suck O2 on deck or standby a chamber? Were they on rebreathers? If so, that would be a strong endorsement of high PPO2. Do you have any details on the profile?

 

[smellzlikefish]

Part of the reason I ask is I knew a fish collector who regularly missed deco stops (then later died in a diving accident) and have since met many more who report similar practices.