The Bends

[Rhone Man]

PS. Everyone is assuming your DM is a total idiot. Whilst that is obviously a possibility, I very much doubt that the DM intended to send you to the surface like an Exocet missile. But sometimes buttons stick or clips come loose when you fiddle. I certainly hope s/he gave you a pretty thorough apology afterward.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

How do you know you're experiencng the bends? What do you feel?

A lot of times you don't know you're experiencing the bends. The main reasons are:

- the symptoms will vary, depending on what part of your body got bent
- the symptoms will often feel like things you experience for other reasons, such as tendonitis or muscle strain ... especially true for us older folks
- humans have an incredible penchant for denial, and will talk themselves out of believing they are bent, even when they are

For this reason, if you should experience any symptoms, the best course of action is to get on oxygen as quickly as possible and get yourself to a hyperbaric chamber. If you don't know where the closest one is, call your local emergency services, then contact the Diver's Alert Network (DAN) at 1-919-684-9111.

The most common symptoms of decompression sickness (DCS or "the bends) will be headache or excessive fatigue. More serious symptoms will be pain in your joints, tingling in your arms or legs, dizziness, ringing in your ears, rashes ... these are typical symptoms of a lot of diving-related maladies, and therefore hard to diagnose.

The most serious symptoms are easier to diagnose ... paralysis, unconsciousness, death. Fortunately, you didn't experience those.

On my first dive, I had no formal lessons...

Same here ... ignorance can be blissful, but in the case of diving what you don't know can seriously hurt you. Please get formal lessons if you want to dive.

only got comfortable breathing though the regulator in a pool in Mexico. After that, we donned our gear and headed out for a 60 ft. dive. I was mesmerized and loved it all but had no idea what I was doing. The DM and I descended together so he was in charge about how fast we went down and any adjustments needed for boyancy. It worked out well as I was very comfortable when we got to the bottom and didn't experience any problems swimming around or staying horizontal.

Then it came time to surface. The DM made an adjustment on my gear that literally shot me like a missle to the surface. I have to admit it was a really fun ride and my ears popped like popcorn all the way up (felt good ) and I exited the surface straight up out of the water almost to my knees. It was all fun to me because I didn't know anything but I had been told to breath constantly while surfacing. That wasn't a problem for me as I was inhaling like a mother all the way up because of the velocity I was travelling.

Now, I'm beginning to wonder if that was a really stupid thing the DM did? Could I have experienced the bends and, if so, what would they have felt like?

It was an incredibly stupid thing to do ... not so much on your part, because you didn't know any better. But the DM certainly knew better, and he gave whatever you paid him higher priority than he did your safety. For this reason, I would recommend NEVER using that dive operation again. What he did was inexcusable, and there is NO rationale for placing clients in that kind of danger.

Please don't do it again ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Hammerhead]

It was all fun to me because I didn't know anything but I had been told to breath constantly while surfacing. That wasn't a problem for me as I was inhaling like a mother all the way up because of the velocity I was travelling.

Others have pointed out the risks you took (albeit unwittingly), I'll just point out that it's "exhale all the way up". In fact, shouting sh-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-t all the way will do pretty much as well.

I hope you never have to thank me later.

 

[String]

Hang on. No formal training. First dive.. 60ft?!

Discover scuba type programmes are max 12m/40ft and most sane people wont take someone below 6m/20ft on those.

What exactly did you sign up to do?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

ANd with who? That place should be avoided like the plague!

 

[RNDIVER]

Me thinks a Troll.

 

[Rhone Man]

Me thinks a Troll.

Seems a bit unlikely as trolls like to start fights. I like to assume people are not trolls, but I do wonder if there is a bit of exaggeration in the story... No harm, no foul.

 

[halocline]

I thought it might be a troll too; not exactly a troll, but a gag of some sort. It sounds too idiotic to believe. To the OP, if you're being serious, was this a "discover scuba" course that you paid for or just a fun (illegal, but fun) dive with a "friend."

PADI DMs are not certified to teach the discover scuba unless they take some extra training (if I remember).

You never really know how accurate the description is. It could have been the DM actually deflated the guy's BC and he still corked. Unlikely, but again, none of us were there and the description is pretty bizarre. 60ft on a discover scuba is totally inexcusable, though.

 

[Jax]

Umm, guys? It was her first dive. It was in Mexico. Popping like a cork may have been what it felt like to a never-dived-before person, but isn't necessarily what happened. We don't know the depth for sure, either - just because the depth was announced at 60 doesn't mean she was taken to 60.

I imagine the whole thing was an exciting rush on the senses. At any rate, according to another thread, Di's going for certification! Congrats!

 

[DizzyDallasDi]

Me thinks a Troll.

No troll...it really happened to me. It's an experience I'll never forget and am very grateful that I lived to tell the story.