Visit of Amsterdam recompression chamber.

Today, we went with my Dive club (Zandokhan in Harderwijk, The Netherlands) to visit Amsterdam recompression chamber.
We had a really interesting presentation where I learned about hyperbaric medicine. I thought it was only to treat DCS, but it is also used for recovery after surgery or other things.
This chamber has been constructed in 1959 originaly to serve as hyperbaric heart surgery room (it allow more time if the heart stops) but other technical progress made it useless for this purpose at this time.
It is bis: 98m2, 16 place in the main room and 4 in the "tube".
Our guide told us that there is less accidents than before (relatively to the number of diver) but that unfortunately, they are more lethal.
We also did a "virtual bounce dive" to 15m. Strange feeling: the equalisation is more difficult than in the water. I felt the nitrogen narcosis as soon as 5 meters! I usually feel it a 32/35m... I wonder if it is the same effect underwater, and we are more conscious of it in the chamber because we are in our "normal" environment? Also funny is the cold during the decompression, going from 30 to 22 degrees in few minutes feels really cold.

We really enjoyed this visit, and hope I won't ever need a ride in it!





Specs:


Lots of space:




It's freaking cold in there! (It's me there)


Control screen:


"Don't poke the glass!"




For now I'll start to prepare for my trip in Indonesia in 2 days! Hopefully we'll get a few dive from Palau Weh!

 

Thank you for your report!