Dangers of Marine Life
Dive teams operate in the water environment, and because of this they must understand and respect it. Man can never conquer the ocean, anyone believing he can has no business on a dive rescue team. Only by working with the sea, can one strive to be one with the sea. By comprehending its flow and creatures will the rescuer safely operate within it. The creatures that reside in the waters of the world are not monsters of the deep, but...
Basics of a Dive Accident
The two most serious dive related accidents are Air Embolism (arterial gas embolism), and Decompression Sickness (venous gas embolism). Heart attack, CVA, drowning, trauma, etc. are not diving accidents, though they may be aggravated by the act of diving. Consider all pressure related accidents as directly related to diving, and all other situations as whatever their root cause is. Treat medical emergencies as any other medical...
Recompression
There are two basic classes of diving emergency requiring recompression, air embolism (arterial gas embolism) and the Bends (decompression sickness). Air embolism is the most dangerous diving accident, and is an extreme medical emergency requiring immediate recompression. When a diving accident takes place, and recompression is required, the victim should be transported to a chamber. Never undertake in-water recompression. The chance...
Decompression Sickness (The Bends)
Due to the gas laws that effect the diver he cannot go to any depth whenever he pleases. Almost everyone has heard of ”THE BENDS” from old movies and T.V. shows. The picture of the hard hat diver coming up in pain, in a storm, to have a cigarette before going back down to re-compress has been in more than one motion picture. The Bends or DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS is not the terrible monster of the deep waiting to grab every...
Air Embolism (Arterial Gas Embolism, AGE)
When a diver’s airway is shut on ascent the expanding air in the lungs can provoke a rupture of the alveoli, thereby causing air to move into the arteries. The expression arterial gas embolism (AGE) better describes the action than the general term air embolism, and is pulmonary barotrauma following voluntary breath holding, or a closure of an airway. It also can result from gas being trapped in the air passages due to diseases,...