The difficulty in determining DCS – Anatomy of a Dive Accident

[DanBMW]

I would sum up this thread with this. Use the right tool for the job. When I'm close to the bottom or need to back up, I use the GUE position with my body horizontal, feet above my chest and a frog kick. When I'm not too close to the bottom, I use what is comfortable. I'll even stand vertical and look all around. Not the prettiest picture, but the most comfortable and least damaging to the environment.

 

[dmaziuk]

Wow!!! What a great article on this "Surfer's Neck" link. Dan should speak with some of his GUE friends about doing an article on "surfer's neck" as it relates to diving for GUE people. Paddling a surfboard or frog kicking GUE style on an ocean dive, has so much in common at the area of your neck that this needs to become widely known by divers. It makes sense, given that surfing is a sport of so many millions of people, that the medical issues that go along with the sport - like this "surfer's neck", would be well documented and well dealt with by experts.

Not only surfers: Protecting Your Neck: Why Proper Breaststroke Techniques Are So Important - Premier Aquatic Services (e.g.) -- well known to competitive breaststroke and butterfly swimmers.

Glad you're OK: I had/have slightly squashed disks in the lower back, like most people, can't imagine getting that in the neck... :shudder:

 

[infieldg]

What a scare for you all, I was getting scared myself reading it expecting it to get worse until I reached the part concluding that it wasn't a DCS hit after all. I am glad that it wasn't a DCS hit and it was something else you can manage. I wish you all good health and safe enjoyable diving for many decades to come.

I am wondering however if the "GUE posture" is a cause for stress on the neck and other body parts that make it not a healthy posture for the neck/spine in diving.

Yeah food for thought alright, sidemount levels you out without trying, no sklls required at all to look like superman, and every dive my head is in the same position as when you sit down and stare at the ceiling.,Hmmm....

 

[Jay]

Thanks for sharing this story, very useful for all.
I also think that that GUE approach is really fatiguing and inefficient. I love my freediving fins and often use dolphin kick, as when using the monofin. Leave that stupid and inefficient (and inelegant) frog kick to the very rare case I enter a cavern with muddy bottom (but why the hell do I have to do this? It is much nicer OUTSIDE the cavern)...
My preferred dives are along vertical walls, and for making photos or videos, why the hell should I stay horizontal?
For me the GUE approach is too much similar to religious beliefs, you have to thrust what they say, with no usage of your brains.
Why forcing yourself to be perfectly horizontal "for reducing drag", and then keep your arms extended in that unnatural and poorly hydrodynamic "superman" position, and use inefficiently your fins in that crap frog kick? I swim much more efficiently with my long freediving fins, keeping my hands and all the equipment attached to my body, and using dolphin kick at each body rotation I come looking forward without the need of extending my neck, while during the opposite movement my head looks fully down, slightly behind me, so I see my wife following me without need to turn around...
And the neck over-extension is not the only bad thing associated to that extreme trim recommended by GUE, there are other several issues, but they would be OT to be discussed here.
Regarding "undeserved" DCS, I had knowledge of a couple of cases where the diving profile was similar to yours, but in both cases the subsequent medical examination did show the presence of pervious oval foramen, which explains the DCS. So it was not really "undeserved", albeit fully compliant with recommended NDL.
Indeed this was not your case.

It's refreshing to read your post.
I have a couple of questions.
When doing dolphin kick how does the weight of the tank feel (I tried it once with regular fins and it felt excessive -> gave up) or do you modify your kick a bit?
I'm curious if you've experimented with a mono fin and your diving gear?
Got a video by any chance?

FWIW I only use the correct frog kick if near the bottom and needing to prevent stirring it up, otherwise I drop my knees a bit (saves using butt muscle) and open hips to make it an easier, more relaxed kick.

 

[Ayisha]

...Too bad that Scubaboard won't let Dan post here himself...

FWIW, I always enjoyed Dan's "Volkerisms" and learned a lot from him. Things used to get a lot more heated back then in the DIR-non-DIR wars. It's a little calmer these days, for the most part.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Hi Pebbles,
I had something kind of similar, not in symptoms but could have been misconstrued for DCS.
About 15 years ago I had a transverse mylinitis, which is an inflammation or attack either biological or chemical to the spinal cord in the neck. It was scary stuff man! My entire body went numb and couldn’t feel a thing in my legs, arms, hands, chest, lost some control of bowels, and a bunch of other crazy stuff. After 9 MRI’s, a spinal tap, and every blood test known to man they still have no idea what caused it. I thought it was the end, but all symptoms completely resolved after about 6 months to a year. If I had just been diving or returned from a LOB trip I would have sworn it was DCS. I’m sure DAN would have been called and I would have taken several chamber rides with no resolution because my problems had nothing to do with bubbles.
But I hadn’t been in the water in weeks so diving was ruled out.
The point is, there are other things that can mimic DCS to a T and not even be close.
Say hi to Dan for me, I miss him around here. Tell him I’ll have a plate ready for him soon.

 

[DandyDon]

Too bad that Scubaboard won't let Dan post here himself... Apparently he hurt some feelings of SB moderators years ago, and they won't drop the animosity they have for him...even though Dan is much "kinder and gentler" now
Maybe some of you guys could write in and request the change...this could be a "test topic" the moderators could gauge Dan Volker's better attitude and suitability to SB rules with

I don't think that approach would work at all as you have no hope of overwhelming @The Chairman (owner, Netdoc's current username) and his hard-working Mod squad even tho they're different members nowadays. Instead, you might personal message The Chairman from your Indox asking him if he would consider giving Dan Volker another chance here, at least on probationary status perhaps. It might well help to include a note of apology and request from Dan Volker. I think it's worked before for others.

BTW, when posting about Dan Volker's work & writings, it might be helpful to specify Dan Volker or Dan-V, to avoid confusion with DAN: The Divers Alert Network.

This is my first post to this thread, I've just been reading along, as I post too often on this forum anyway - as well as having nothing to add really. I want to thank you for sharing your experience in great detail, scary as it certainly must have been, and I can see why DCS was so readily feared. I have had experiences at times now & then over the last several decades when looking up would seem to pinch something and cause me to start to lose consciousness, or maybe when I tried to push up on something heavy. One day this past week while looking for something on the top shelve in my kitchen, which I have done dozens of times before, it started to hit me again. I have learned to take a short break before trying again to look up, as that seemed like the way to cope: "If it hurts when you do that, don't do that!" Now I wonder if I should discuss this with an MD? Couldn't hurt I suppose.

 

[Johnoly]

.....even though Dan is much "kinder and gentler" now ..

I miss Dan,,,,Some of his posts had ALOT of great local knowledge and especially the history of diving near and around the WPB inlet waters.

 

[muzikbiz22]

It's only February 2020, but this thread could be the "Thread of the Year" . Fascinating stuff here !!!

 

[dmaziuk]

When doing dolphin kick how does the weight of the tank feel (I tried it once with regular fins and it felt excessive -> gave up) or do you modify your kick a bit?
I'm curious if you've experimented with a mono fin and your diving gear?

You have to modify the kick a bit and not move your butt as much a you normally would in fly. Monofin is fine if all you ever want to do is go in straight line, otherwise: not so much. (OK, you can do wide arcs and flip turns.) Search for posts by @REVAN, he had a few videos IIRC.