Health & Safety

The most common medical problems are simple “squeezes.” These can affect your middle ear or face mask during descent. Squeezes cause pain in your ears. The pain is caused by the difference in pressure between the air spaces of your ears and mask, and higher water pressure as you go deeper in the water. Squeezes that affect the inner ear or sinuses are less common.

Cuts, scrapes and other injuries to the arms and legs can be caused by contact with fish and other marine animals, certain species of coral and hazards such as exposed sharp metal on wrecks or fishing line.

Barotrauma occurs when you are rising to the surface of the water (ascent) and gas inside the lungs expands, hurting surrounding body tissues. In some divers, these lung injuries can be bad enough to cause lung collapse (pneumothorax). The injuries may also allow free air bubbles to escape into the blood stream. This is called arterial gas embolism. Arterial gas embolism often causes chest pain, breathing trouble and neurologic problems such as stroke.

Decompression sickness occurs during ascent and on the surface of the water. Inert nitrogen gas that is dissolved in body tissues and blood comes out of solution and forms bubbles in the blood. The bubbles can injure various body tissues and may block blood vessels. The most common signs of severe decompression sickness are dysfunction of the spinal cord, brain and lungs.

Recreational divers must dive conservatively, whether they are using dive tables or computers. Experienced divers often select a table depth (versus actual depth) of 10 feet (3 meters) deeper than called for by standard procedure. This practice is highly recommended for all divers, especially when diving in cold water or when diving under strenuous conditions. Computer divers should be cautious in approaching no-decompression limits, especially when diving deeper than 100 feet (30 meters).

Avoiding the risk factors noted above (deep/long dives, exercise at depth or after a dive) will decrease the chance of DCS occurring. Exposure to altitude or flying too soon after a dive can also increase the risk of decompression sickness. DAN (Divers Alert Network) has recently published guidelines for flying after diving.

If you or one of your dive buddies has had an accident while diving, or if you would like to discuss a potential diving-related health problem, call the Divers Alert Network (DAN) emergency telephone line (1-919-684-8111). DAN is located at Duke Univer-sity Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Doctors, emergency medical technicians and nurses are available 24 hours a day to answer your questions. See the Emergency Guidelines below for all relevant medical facilities.