In-water recompression to decompress - what are your thoughts?

[drbill]

Had a very experienced acquaintance do this years ago... and die. Glad I live near a chamber (although I've never had to use it).

 

[TMHeimer]

Had a very experienced acquaintance do this years ago... and die. Glad I live near a chamber (although I've never had to use it).

Just curious--Do you know if they determined that the in water recompression (technique, etc.) was the cause of death or was it that your acquaintance was just too bent to begin with?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Had a very experienced acquaintance do this years ago... and die. Glad I live near a chamber (although I've never had to use it).

Was that Mia Tegner, @drbill ?

Not really an O2 IWR mishap, but still a terribly sad and awful tragedy to recall over seventeen years ago. . .

Another San Diego Tragedy...

 

[drbill]

Was that Mia Tegner, @drbill ?

Not really an O2 IWR mishap, but still a terribly sad and awful tragedy to recall over seventeen years ago. . .

Another San Diego Tragedy...

Yes, it was.

My understanding (from a distance in time) was that Mia was low on air, had a deco obligation and requested a second tank to continue her deco stop below the surface. Sounds like it was similar to the question the OP asked.

 

[DevonDiver]

Yes, it was.

My understanding (from a distance in time) was that Mia was low on air, had a deco obligation and requested a second tank to continue her deco stop below the surface. Sounds like it was similar to the question the OP asked.

That sounds like omitted deco, rather than IWR. Was the victim diagnosed with DCS prior to re-entry into the water?

 

[Dsix36]

I speak from recent personal experience. IWR is a very viable tool if thought out in advance and all members of the team understand and can support it.
I did an extremely deep dive and both legs began tingling with a cute numbness just before my right leg became paralyzed during one of my deco stops. I went back down to a depth that relieved my symptoms, went 10' deeper, stayed several minutes, and began ascending again.
I got out of the water with no symptoms but my legs got soft in about 30 minutes. A chamber was available on the island and I took 6 rides over 4 days.
I do not think I would be walking right now if I would not have done the IWR to slow the onset of my DCS. I am still not recovered all the way but improving a bit every day. It has been 6 weeks since I got bent.
Do not take getting bent lightly. It is really humbling when a grown adult has to learn to walk, pee and poop all over again just because a few nerves got pinched by a gas bubble.
I am not going into more details of my incident, so do not bother asking.

 

[lv2dive]

Thanks for sharing your experience and perspective. Glad to hear you are improving daily.

I speak from recent personal experience. IWR is a very viable tool if thought out in advance and all members of the team understand and can support it.
I did an extremely deep dive and both legs began tingling with a cute numbness just before my right leg became paralyzed during one of my deco stops. I went back down to a depth that relieved my symptoms, went 10' deeper, stayed several minutes, and began ascending again.
I got out of the water with no symptoms but my legs got soft in about 30 minutes. A chamber was available on the island and I took 6 rides over 4 days.
I do not think I would be walking right now if I would not have done the IWR to slow the onset of my DCS. I am still not recovered all the way but improving a bit every day. It has been 6 weeks since I got bent.
Do not take getting bent lightly. It is really humbling when a grown adult has to learn to walk, pee and poop all over again just because a few nerves got pinched by a gas bubble.
I am not going into more details of my incident, so do not bother asking.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I'm less concerned about someone like Don, who understands the risks of IWR, weighing their options and making the decision to do it than I am the average diver, who may not fully understand their options or get just how risky IWR can be.


ps, glad you're getting better, Don.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

People who are not qualified to do decompression dives should not attempt recompression dives either.

 

[NAM001]

I'm by no means no expert but I look at it this way..... Like landing in a jet plane and cannot clear my ears. do i go to the ground in pain or have the plane increase altitude to releve the symptoms and then decend at a slower rate.