Mr Carcharodon
Contributor
Spanoca,
Both fatigue and joint pain can be signs of DCS. But as you have already determined these can be ambiguous signs since there can be non-DCS related causes. Still it is worth observing what your body is telling you and acting to reduce your risk. Slow ascent rates and safety stops will go a long way to driving down the probability of DCS. Frequently newer divers do not have their buoyancy control completely sorted out and ascend too fast. If that is your case consider using a line for now to make your ascents. Keep your ascent rate to 10 feet per minute or less for 30 feet up to the surface. And do a 3 to 5 minute stop between 10 and 20 fsw. Then listen to your body and see if the fatigue and pain has been eliminated. Ascent rate is as critical as staying away from the NDL since your “fast” tissues will be saturated with nitrogen even for relatively short dives. We decompress from all dives on air. No decompression dives are badly named since decompression still occurs. But it can be done on the surface and is not likely to result in lasting injury. Slowing down the ascents lets most of the decompression happen in the water and reduces risk. Of course DCS is not the only risk a diver faces so if you are on the ascent line and facing hypothermia or find you are not at the pinnacle of the food chain getting out of the water may be right thing to do.
Both fatigue and joint pain can be signs of DCS. But as you have already determined these can be ambiguous signs since there can be non-DCS related causes. Still it is worth observing what your body is telling you and acting to reduce your risk. Slow ascent rates and safety stops will go a long way to driving down the probability of DCS. Frequently newer divers do not have their buoyancy control completely sorted out and ascend too fast. If that is your case consider using a line for now to make your ascents. Keep your ascent rate to 10 feet per minute or less for 30 feet up to the surface. And do a 3 to 5 minute stop between 10 and 20 fsw. Then listen to your body and see if the fatigue and pain has been eliminated. Ascent rate is as critical as staying away from the NDL since your “fast” tissues will be saturated with nitrogen even for relatively short dives. We decompress from all dives on air. No decompression dives are badly named since decompression still occurs. But it can be done on the surface and is not likely to result in lasting injury. Slowing down the ascents lets most of the decompression happen in the water and reduces risk. Of course DCS is not the only risk a diver faces so if you are on the ascent line and facing hypothermia or find you are not at the pinnacle of the food chain getting out of the water may be right thing to do.
