Truk Lagoon Death Sept 29th, 2010

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Cobra, I don't remember seeing those dives on his profiles, but you may be right. I heard a couple of different stories about the symptoms... one diver thought he had the marbling before his last dive and one thought it occurred after. There is another recent thread about the chamber at Chuuk not being available due to lack of personnel. It's posted under this category (accidents and incidents) and entitled "why having DAN is never a bad idea". The direct link is here:
http://www.thecyberdiver.com/entry.php?40-My-Experience-Getting-Bent

 

[Mantadiver]

Thats a very unfortunate accident. I could see how you would want to maximize your trip but pushing it could be dangerous...

 

[Casual Diver 1]

I just got back from Truk on the Odyssey.

1) The story I heard was (from a first hand account):
a) rebreather diver - slighlty pushing it. Very overweight. 300lbs on small frame
b) Skin bends and then on O2 and then improved
c) Next day, felt bad again, into the chamber. He was getting freaked and came out a few minutes early. First step out of the chamber and right to the floor.

The probelm with the chamber is that it is at the dive shop and there are no medical staff there.

2) As far as pushing it - I agree this can be a tempetation. However, if you have any symptoms you are sitting for 24 hours, so why push it. We had a diver that was doing 6 dives per day. However, he spent a maximum time on the deco bar and nearly reset his computer. I tried it myself, when my father skipped a dive. We were using the same computer. I was able to get to a same profile by just staying on the deco bar for another 15 minutes.

3) For Rhone Man - My father is just a little younger than yours and there was a 73 year old guy there. Neither of them pushed it (@ 3 dives avg/day) and kept hydrated. They were both fine.

CD

 

[SeaCobra]

You say you had a diver doing upwards of 6 dives per day? How many were to 200fsw? How many were required stage deco?

Jeff

 

[Casual Diver 1]

Jeff:

I probably should have used the word "claimed" in there somewhere.

I never saw his computer nor was I privy to what his dive profiles looked like. I do know that he was at least in the water 5 dives a day for a couple of days, b/c I made made them at the same time (although we were not buddies and there were 18 other divers/dive masters/guides). His gear was usually out when I went in and I would see him on or near the deco bar off the boat at the end of my dives.

CD