From my post in another thread...
"This past summer, I worked 50-60 hrs/week the 2 months before my annual Cozumel dive trip to get my workload in order. The day before my flight, I picked up a college friend at the airport and we had dinner with a few other buddies about an hour away. Got home around 9:00PM, finished packing and got to bed about 11:00PM. Woke at 2:00AM to drive to the airport and catch my flight (Friday). Arrived in Coz about 12:30PM and had booked a refresher dive for that afternoon.
Saturday: 2 AM dives and a night dive
Sunday: 2 AM dives
Monday: 2 AM dives
Had some knee issues before the trip and it was bothering me that day. Had some trouble getting off the boat and I sat on the dock to rest for a minute. 10 minutes later, I realized something was very wrong. Had another guest call the manager who called an ambulance and I spent the next week doing 7 chamber rides for Type II DCS.
In retrospect, there were several factors that caused the illness even though I was diving Nitrox on an air setting on my computer and was well within NDL on every dive. Slow ascent rate with a minimum 15ft/5 min safety stop (usually longer).
Stress from a large workload before my trip
Little/no rest immediately before my flight
Dehydration (No alcohol but I didn't drink enough water)
Overweight/out of shape (My knee issue kept me out of the gym for about 6 months and I had gained almost 30lbs - probably stress eating was a factor also)
Trying to pack as many dives as possible in a short amount of time
Lesson learned - vacation is for relaxing. Don't try to do too much. Drink much more water than you are used to. Stay in shape with a regular exercise program. Don't stress myself out immediately before the trip."
IMO - the last several factors I listed had a greater effect/cause with regards to my DCS than were offset by diving Nitrox with my computer set to "Air".
"This past summer, I worked 50-60 hrs/week the 2 months before my annual Cozumel dive trip to get my workload in order. The day before my flight, I picked up a college friend at the airport and we had dinner with a few other buddies about an hour away. Got home around 9:00PM, finished packing and got to bed about 11:00PM. Woke at 2:00AM to drive to the airport and catch my flight (Friday). Arrived in Coz about 12:30PM and had booked a refresher dive for that afternoon.
Saturday: 2 AM dives and a night dive
Sunday: 2 AM dives
Monday: 2 AM dives
Had some knee issues before the trip and it was bothering me that day. Had some trouble getting off the boat and I sat on the dock to rest for a minute. 10 minutes later, I realized something was very wrong. Had another guest call the manager who called an ambulance and I spent the next week doing 7 chamber rides for Type II DCS.
In retrospect, there were several factors that caused the illness even though I was diving Nitrox on an air setting on my computer and was well within NDL on every dive. Slow ascent rate with a minimum 15ft/5 min safety stop (usually longer).
Stress from a large workload before my trip
Little/no rest immediately before my flight
Dehydration (No alcohol but I didn't drink enough water)
Overweight/out of shape (My knee issue kept me out of the gym for about 6 months and I had gained almost 30lbs - probably stress eating was a factor also)
Trying to pack as many dives as possible in a short amount of time
Lesson learned - vacation is for relaxing. Don't try to do too much. Drink much more water than you are used to. Stay in shape with a regular exercise program. Don't stress myself out immediately before the trip."
IMO - the last several factors I listed had a greater effect/cause with regards to my DCS than were offset by diving Nitrox with my computer set to "Air".