DCS incident in NC

[SlowRain]

Good stuff and thanks for sharing. I am glad that you are recovering and will apparently be diving again fairly soon. I know when I went through tech and gas classes the instructor really drilled into us the importance of hydration, and in fact we brought at least a couple of cases of bottled water to dives.

 

[nereas]

If you are going to dive deeper than 50 ft, then nitrox is a really good idea, as well as the other things that you mentioned, because nitrox lowers your equivalent depth, and also gives you better off-gassing during your ascents and safety stops.

Not all boats offer nitrox, so it is always good to ask about it in advance, and then bring the extra cash to cover the added charge for each tank of nitrox.

I prefer lemonaide instead of the various sport drinks, too, btw.

 

[jeadiver]

Hi Guys:

I'm glad my exerience was one that can be of a lesson to others, particularly since I have no long lasting downsides. I'd like to respond to as many of the questions as I can:

Manbearpig wrote: "Is wilmington a pretty good spot" In my opinion, NC is the best diving in the world. Not only that, but I can drive right to the docks! I dive Hatteras, Morehead, and Wilmington. There's lots of information on this board on the operators and their trips, so head over to the NC Wreck Divers sub-forum and have a chat with those folks.

Wedivebc wrote: "Did you experience symptoms on both hands or just one" I experienced symptoms in both hands and arms. I also have to say that I have been a very long standing member of DAN, just in case something happened that I needed their service. I haven't seen all of the bills yet, but it will be pricey. That said, I also know that recompression is the only effective treatment for decompression sickness. I can't imagine having to go through the rest of my life without full use of all of my limbs if I could in any way help it.

Banjoman1948 wrote: "I was wondering how sports drinks would accelerate hydration" I have always been a little fuzzy on this myself, so I asked my doctor (he's a sports med guys and competes in cycling) and what he told me was that there is a hydration "pump" that is part of the stomach lining that is kick started with a combination of sugar and salts (i.e., the sports drinks). With the higher concentration of this stuff, this portion of the stomach will absorb water much more quickly than it will if you just drink plain water. I have always hated the super sweet flavor of sports drinks (and I can't tolerate artifical sweetners), so I have always stuck with just plain water. His suggestion is that I cut the stuff with water since it has way more sugar and salt than is really needed and that it might make it a little more palatable. I'm going to give it a try and we'll just have to suck it up (literally).

pternodon wrote: "One piece of info I couldn't find in your report is how many dives you did on Sunday?" We did 2 dives on Sunday, each in the 110' range.

nearas wrote: "nitrox lowers your equivalent depth, and also gives you better off-gassing during your ascents and safety stops" Yes, it does give you better gradient for off gassing on your safety stop, and it does provide you a lower EAD, BUT: I dive it to give myslef longer bottom times than I would get with air. That being said, the longer time spent at depth is the primary benefit I get from the mix, and it doesn't really make my diving any safer than if I dove air for a shorter period. I could dive it at the air setting and it would definitely give me increased protection against DCS, but in the past I have chosen the longer bottom times and not the increased safety factor. My choice, and I may re-think it in the future, but not yet.

Thanks for all the feedback and well wishes. This is definitely my sport, and I can't wait to get wet again.

Everyone be safe.

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

This paper goes into good detail on hydration as an adjuvant therapy.

Moon RE. Adjuvant therapy for decompression illness. SPUMS Journal 1998 Volume 28 Number 3. RRR ID: 5947

 

[realdiver7]

Thanks for posting this so that others may benefit from your experience. Yes, hydration and medication are very important factors to consider. If you dived off of Wilmington, NC a couple of weeks ago on the lobster ledge, then you were only a few miles from where I was diving the same weekend on Saturday. As you said, the thermocline was extreme (I don't think it was as extreme as 10 degrees though) and the viz looked better from the surface vertically than it really was at the bottom horizontally. Viz was about 20 ft. in the area where I was diving, which was lower than normal. It was very hot and surface conditions were exactly as you described.

I took a "minor" hit several years ago before I became an instructor, in just about the same area as you, at about the same depth, except a little closer to Frying Pan Tower. My hit was embarrassingly due to operator error from a combination of gear and training-related issues; the biggest error was I was using a new computer and accidentally set the Nitrox mix incorrectly. Like most accidents/incidents, it takes a combination of factors to occur at the same time to create problems. I still have an area on the outside of my right elbow that has slight nerve damage that I can feel after diving sometimes, but I consider myself lucky my experience wasn't any worse than it was.

Wilmington, NC is a great place to dive, but you need to catch the weather and sea conditions at the right times as they can vary a lot from day to day. Tidal changes dump greenish-brown water from the waterways and rivers into the ocean at great speeds through narrow inlets, so the further away from shore you go, the better chance you have of good viz. There are only a couple of local dive charter operators remaining, so you need to book trips in advance. Shore diving is almost non-existent, and boat rides to dive sites can range from 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours plus. Charter prices are normally in the $50-$150 range for one-half to full-day two-tank dives, depending on how far out the dive sites are located. Package deals are more than likely at lower prices.

Wreck and artificial reef diving is very good, with many different wreck sites to visit. Large groups of very large sand tiger sharks can be found living around wreck sites in 60-85 ft. of water about 12-16 miles off shore. Most ledges and reefs can be found further out, especially 20-40 miles off shore.

I hope your next visit to NC is a good one!

 

[diver 85]

You dehydrated, plain and simple....DCS happens all the time because of that.....Knew an instructor/DM on Roatan in the late 90's that got hit on a 40 foot 35 minute dive- 3rd dive of the day and the 1st 2 were well within computer safe limits......He and my son worked in the hull of one of the dive boats @ noon on a motor, sweating alot, just prior to this 2PM afternoon dive.........Scary sometimes isn't it..........

 

[openmindOW]

Thank you for posting your incident. I am glad that you are doing well. Divers can learn a lot from posts such as yours. even when you do everyting right, as you did, DCS can strike. I am diving the NC coast off Wilmington next week and will forward your post to my dive buddies. Stay well, Diver.

 

[RiverRat]

This paper goes into good detail on hydration as an adjuvant therapy.

Thanks Gene, good info. Especially if there is any delay in getting to a chamber. I recall a dive trip to San Salvador during hurricane season. Evacuation would have been delayed / impossible if it was required on that trip due to the storm. Stuff to think about when diving in remote areas. Just the basics, like grabbing some Gatorade, staying on O2 (or even nitrox if that's all you have) and even sitting in a tub of water until you can get to a chamber could make a huge difference.