Trip Report Why I Won't Be Returning to Cozumel-Part 1,2&3

[Jcp2]

I think she does care, but has no obligation or desire to share her personal private plans with random internet strangers. Is that not reasonable?

 

[boulderjohn]

GF = Gradient Factors
SS = Safety Stop

35/75 is considered a High conservatism setting for Shearwater computers in recreational dive mode.

The GF (gradient factor) on their computer is a way to make it dive more conservative. Think of 100 as being completely full of nitrogen. With a setting of 85 you will surface with 85 percent of full. With 75 you surface 75 percent full.

SS is short for safety stop and longer means more off gassing before you surface.

The first GF number (35 in this case) sets the first stop depth for a decompression dive. It has no effect on an NDL dive. The second number (75 in this case) determines your NDL by setting how close you will come to the Buhlmann limits when you surface. In this case, 75 is pretty conservative. If you have a Shearwater, there is more you can use to determine your conservancy during a dive.

 

[Living4Experiences]

Jeez, folks. This was a trip report, not an invitation to critique the report. I've only been a member of SB for about a year and I have found the trip reports from other divers to be immeasurably helpful, so I wanted to give back by contributing with my trip reports. They may not always be rosy, but I think reporting honestly about the good and the bad of dive travel is important. As the reader, it's easy to give armchair opinions and make judgments from the comfort of your home, but you did not live the experience with me. Like I said previously, I have a low bar for human behavior these days, and some of these comments have proven that.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Jeez, folks. This was a trip report, not an invitation to critique the report. I've only been a member of SB for about a year and I have found the trip reports from other divers to be immeasurably helpful, so I wanted to give back by contributing with my trip reports. They may not always be rosy, but I think reporting honestly about the good and the bad of dive travel is important. As the reader, it's easy to give armchair opinions and make judgments from the comfort of your home, but you did not live the experience with me. Like I said previously, I have a low bar for human behavior these days, and some of these comments have proven that.

Good reminder. It is a TRIP REPORT not an ACCIDENT REPORT. Although in fairness the report does somewhat blend the two but still it's not in the Accidents forum.

Most scuba divers are Type A personalities and we instantly switch into "problem solving" mode. I think a good bit of that happened on this thread.

Hope you're doing better!

 

[Okcdiver2]

How did you get the full blown bends? I certainly don’t want to be in that situation ever, if it’s avoidable. Any lesson learned that you can share with us?

@living4experiences sound like unusual case, as the dive profile seemed normal (following the DM) and no other divers in the group got skin bend.

Well I am a special case I decided. I used to weigh over 500lbs and lost 250lbs. I had alot of loose skin and also had surgery to take skin off so i have large scars around my body that get no good circulation. I think the nitrogen just doesnt get out of me like it should. It builds up in the skin and I have alot of it. I tried nitrox and longer safety stops and staying shallow but I still would get skin bends. When I got the bends I had pain and I just thought I banged myself up climbing in the boat or something I went diving the next day and off to the chamber i went. I have done a lot of research on skin bends scarring and blood circulation they show no direct effects but the last time I had skin bends the pain was mainly around my large scars.
If you take anything from my experience it's if u dont feel right say something. I got a good lecture from dr piccolo. I do some shore diving at tikila and sometimes a one tank shallow dive but I am careful. I enjoy fishing alot so I do that alot to. I currently stay in a little Mayan village on the mainland with my family I met in cozumel 15 years ago so I've found other things to do than dive. Stay safe

 

[Scuba Client]

I drink a lot of water and bring Powerade Zero from home to drink on the boat during the surface intervals.

I've heard that drinking sugar water laced with electrolytes can cause dehydration. I drink pure coconut juice. The effects are immediate invigoration after a dive.

 

[boulderjohn]

I've heard that drinking sugar water laced with electrolytes can cause dehydration. I drink pure coconut juice. The effects are immediate invigoration after a dive.

This is all in dispute.

I was a coach of several sports for years, and I liked to keep on on issues like this. I even took a graduate school course in sports nutrition. Things have changed over the years. The theory on Gatorade was that by ingesting a liquid that contained the same balance of water and electrolytes as the sweat you are losing, you maintain a good balance in the body. When I took my sports nutrition class, they shot that theory down hard. They said that the balance in your sweat is not the same as the balance in your body--you lose water proportionately faster. That means an expercising body actually has too much electrolytes in terms of balance, so ingesting more early on makes things worse. The theory then was take straight water first, then replace the electrolytes later.

That eventually morphed into the advice to take plain water for shorter, more intense activity and add electrolytes for longer term activities.

This summer while doing technical dives in a 100°F+ environment, I got dehydrated after a long day. I talked with my new (to me) family physician, who specializes in sports medicine, and he told me that taking something like Gatorade under those conditions could help me retain fluids as my body tried to achieve the proper balance. So under those conditions I will do that. I suppose that is consistent with the "longer term activities" advice.

That being said, I think the threat of dehydration and resulting DCS while diving is overblown. There are many people who will tell you (and I was once one of them) that dehydration is the number one cause of DCS. Knowledgeable people have since convinced me that there is no research to support that--it is just a common belief that gets passed on and on and on in scuba circles. Dehydration is certainly not good and can be a DCS factor, but it is not the huge bugaboo some people think it is. It would be worse to slam water to the point of getting water poisoning (yes, there is such a thing) because you are afraid of dehydration.

Another dehydration myth involves caffeine. Yes, caffeine is a mild diuretic, but there is more than enough water in a standard American style cup of coffee or cup of tea to offset it, so the net effect of drinking both is hydration, not dehydration.

 

[Scuba Client]

I've heard from sportsmen that drinking half a glass of water mixed with apple juice is the right balance. I prefer something natural like oranges/grapefruit/watermelon to sugar water. Yes, I've read dive medicine journals on dehydration. I'm not going to chance DCS, and will stay hydrated with fruits and water. Fatigue is the first symptom of DCS.

 

[Jcp2]

Over hydration is associated with IPE as well.

To get proper electrolyte replacement try pedialyte. It’s super salty, but at least there’s flavor. There are other medically proven oral rehydration solutions that are rather unpleasant to drink.

 

[-Moe]

I've heard that drinking sugar water laced with electrolytes can cause dehydration. I drink pure coconut juice. The effects are immediate invigoration after a dive.

However Powerade ZERO is not a sugary drink.