What if we get bent?

[Peter69_56]

Our dive trip to the Galapagos ended a day early,we missed out on the best places. Mainly due to our trip coordinator who had flown directly from another long dive trip without a break and dove pretty hard on both Galapagos and the earlier trip.
Thinking about the rest of the group is probably not something a lot of consider when they go on long dive trips but it was a real bummer to lose the best day of a once in a lifetime trip.

Why did the rest not dive. We have had people bent and the rest of the group still dive?

 

[Blasto]

From experience, does the LDS have pure oxygen available.

If they don't, they're more of a dive than a shop.

It costs pennies, the training costs pennies, a kit takes little space - there's no defensible reason not to have O2.

 

[Peter69_56]

If they don't, they're more of a dive than a shop.

It costs pennies, the training costs pennies, a kit takes little space - there's no defensible reason not to have O2.

And yet some dont.

Consider how much they care about you if they dont have oxygen? Also dont get caught up in the hype. My wife got bent in Brunei and before we went we were told of the deco chamber all good all organised.

Once bent we found you had to go through a local GP who knows nothing of diving and would not let her go to chamber or even use oxygen. Just a rash and heavy tanks he says and prescribes codine and anti inflamatory. Dive shops excuse was that some GP's are not up to speed. An excuse and total crap. Also they suggested they can dive about 15 wrecks, once we get there, maybe we can dive 6. Oh at a greatly increased cost maybe we can take you to a few more. Second dive is a 4m mud reef, needless to say I spat it, going for tech diving and crawling around on a 4m mud reef.

Never again.

 

[Searcaigh]

Many of the local dive boats where I am located do not carry O2, but I do usually as a stage.

I have used my own personal 50% to treat suspected DCS twice in the past couple of years because no 100% was available in one case and because the tiny 100% carried by another boat ran out very quickly on continuous flow in the second case.

 

[Diving Dubai]

We had a suspected incident in Komodo for someone on the boat.

They were put on O2 by the dive staff, Dan were contacted as was the shore office. A fast boat started off to meet us while Dan were talking so as not to delay any evac. A heli was on standby too for the chamber run. As it happened it wasn't a The guy was Evaced to see a diving physician on DAN's advice, in the end it wasn't a DCi, but I could see the Boat had a plan and executed it.

The Dive op was Wicked divign and I'd recommend them to anyone

 

[tracydr]

W

Why did the rest not dive. We have had people bent and the rest of the group still dive?

24 hours by boat to the town, no helicopters available for medevacs according to the captain. Our boat had to turn around and go all the way back and by that time it would have been too far to go back to Wolf and Darwin Island.

 

[Dan]

As someone who got bent (DCS Type 1) after my first two short shake-down dives of our trip to Dauin last year, this thread interests me. At the time it happened, I had over 350 dives. I have done hundreds of dives with similar profiles (as well as some I would consider to be more aggressive) without incident. I always dive Nitrox, don't push my NDLs, focus on hydration and always extend my safety stops when possible. Never thought it would happen to me and I guess it was just my unlucky day, but it just goes to show you that sometimes, sh*t happens.

We're taking a LOB trip in Raja next January and it's definitely been in the back of my mind that the chamber is a long ways away...

I read about dehydration & lack of sleep problem during &/ after a long flight that could lead to DCS during the 1st day of diving, as mentioned in this old thread: Diving after flying

I've been diving in Indonesia just about every year for the last 10 years. Flying from Houston to Jakarta or Denpasar can take up to as much as 24 hour flight or longer, before continuing with Indonesian domestic flights. Having a day rest in Jakarta or Denpasar or Makassar for rehydration & sleep before diving have served me well (knock on wood).

 

[Rred]

"What if we're way out there, in RA or Alor, or elsewhere in Papua or Indo and we get bent?"
This is why, here in the US of A, before DAN ever existed, I had the phone number of every hyperbaric chamber within several hours on the covers of my dive log. Today, in "civilization" the USCG or DAN will update and coordinate with who's got space and staff to take you even while transport if being arranged.
But if you are four? six? hours away from any chambers, and your choices are a long day in a speedboat, a longer day on the next ferry, or a pricey air medevac?
It comes down to not trusting anyone, and planning this as part of your dive. A good dive operator would have contingency plans for this, but it never hurts to know your options, including medevac or transport, and to make sure that they are documented and known to your travel partners, just in case. And, perhaps, to dive with a bit more caution, knowing that if an accident happens, help is not going to be close or cheap.
It pays to have things printed out, because even if there's web service where you are, paper goes down less often than the web.

 

[highdesert]

'....separate travel medical insurance ($1 million, 0 deductible that is so inexpensive) that is separate from my Stateside insurance which also covers int'l but not 100%...'

Can you share a source for this?