Dan
Contributor
From @living4experiences profile page, it shows that she only has 200-499 number of dives, not 3000 that you pointed out. Could you be barking on a wrong tree?
Trip Report Why I Won't Be Returning to Cozumel-Part 1,2&3
- Thread starter Living4Experiences
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OP
I'm not sure what you mean, but as I said, I've never been treated for skin bends until last month's incident. I'm not a doctor, but my understanding from DAN is that the residual nitrogen has dissipated from your body after the first 24 hours, so there is no treatment once you've come back home. However, if you have other DCS symptoms along with the skin bends, like neurological issues, foggy brain, then the urgency for more treatment in addition to oxygen is warranted. I was administered oxygen for roughly 6-7 hours, which greatly helped, and I had no other DCS symptoms.
OP
OP
The dive guides in Mexico don't care if you're on air or Nitrox. You're left to dive your own profile as you see fit. The only thing they really organize is making sure that the divers that surface sooner than later stay with the sausage on the surface. I am really good on air consumption and usually one of the last ones going up.
OP
I'm not savvy about all the different algorithms, but it's whatever the Shearwater Peregrine comes with.
Soloist
Contributor
Sorry to read your unfortunate experience @living4experiences. What NITROX percentage were you diving? We dive with Tres Pelicanos (3P) and have a choice of 32% or 36%. Typically I dive 32% on the first (deeper) dive and 36% on the second, but if MOD is not an issue just dive 36%. Looks like the default gradient factor setting for the Shearwater Peregrine is medium conservatism with the Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm. You may consider changing your GF from 40/85 to high conservatism of 35/75.
OP
Well, this turned out to be an interesting response to my post. I didn't expect any replies, really. For a catch-all type of summary to some of the questions and replies: Yes, I changed my computer from Nitrox to air on the last day. Yes, this was my 8th or so trip to Cozumel, not my 8th lifetime dive. Yes, my choice not to return to Cozumel is based both on the condition of the reef and the medical care I did (and did not) receive. Yes, I've had nurses in the U.S. give me a bad poke with a needle, but none of them treated me like this nurse did. My bar is pretty low for human behavior these days, but my bar is very high for medical care, no matter where I am in the world. I put forth a lot of effort to stay safe, healthy, and injury free when I travel outside the U.S. so I don't end up needing medical care. That means not drinking the local water, not eating from street vendors, not walking the streets at night, and not getting injured under or above the water.
Since I started diving, I am mostly a single traveler/diver and my dive buddy is usually the guide rather than an insta-buddy. I always request this of the guide and it's never an issue. I take responsibility for my own life and safety underwater very seriously. I'm always willing to learn from those who are better than I am at whatever sport I'm engaging in, and the dive guide is generally a good example of how to be a better diver. You can't learn anything from an insta-buddy/total stranger (usually) and I, frankly, don't want my life in their hands should something go wrong underwater.
My first dive trip to Cozumel was in 2010 and I loved it! There was a lot of color to the reef and lots of fish, eels, turtles, nurse sharks. While going through my videos from this trip, I looked back on some old footage from 2015 and there is a visible, stark degradation of the reef and marine life by comparing 2015 to 2021. I love diving and I want to experience the best of what the underwater world has to offer, so I look forward to trying new places when the world opens up again.
To address Salty Endeavors' comments, thank you for the self-correction to the accusation of my trip report being false. Indeed, the diver you described is a hot mess, and that is far from the kind of diver I am. The hospital never asked me who the dive operator was. Having never been in a hospital for a dive accident, I don't even know how that would be relevant. Perhaps it's for statistical purposes? I'm accountable for my dive style and I don't in any way have any ill-will or negative comments to your operation. It's not your fault I got skin bends. I'm not the kind of dive traveler that complains about every little thing that doesn't go as planned. Life experience has taught me to let a lot of hassles just go by. Not having Nitrox on the last day was not ideal, but it wasn't worth complaining about to you. Isidro is the DM on the night dive that handled the pufferfish. Following that, he poked at a crab with his stick to get the crab into fight mode so its claws were swatting at the stick. While I have a problem with this type of harassment to the marine life, it's not unusual behavior by DM's in Cozumel. On past trips, the DM has picked up marine life to show the diver. Maybe they're hoping for a bigger tip. At any rate, this kind of inconsistency of following the laws and rules is a common practice in Mexico, so I just let it go.
Salty Endeavors had timely pickups from the pier for every dive. Sometimes the day ran long or behind schedule because we were getting 60-minute dives. Who's going to complain about a 60-minute dive (or longer)? Not me! I never felt hurried or rushed and I appreciated that. The boats had only six divers per trip, except for two trips, which had eight divers because of a class. No problem. Loved not being on a cattle boat! All in all, my experience was positive with Salty Endeavors and I would recommend them.
Since I started diving, I am mostly a single traveler/diver and my dive buddy is usually the guide rather than an insta-buddy. I always request this of the guide and it's never an issue. I take responsibility for my own life and safety underwater very seriously. I'm always willing to learn from those who are better than I am at whatever sport I'm engaging in, and the dive guide is generally a good example of how to be a better diver. You can't learn anything from an insta-buddy/total stranger (usually) and I, frankly, don't want my life in their hands should something go wrong underwater.
My first dive trip to Cozumel was in 2010 and I loved it! There was a lot of color to the reef and lots of fish, eels, turtles, nurse sharks. While going through my videos from this trip, I looked back on some old footage from 2015 and there is a visible, stark degradation of the reef and marine life by comparing 2015 to 2021. I love diving and I want to experience the best of what the underwater world has to offer, so I look forward to trying new places when the world opens up again.
To address Salty Endeavors' comments, thank you for the self-correction to the accusation of my trip report being false. Indeed, the diver you described is a hot mess, and that is far from the kind of diver I am. The hospital never asked me who the dive operator was. Having never been in a hospital for a dive accident, I don't even know how that would be relevant. Perhaps it's for statistical purposes? I'm accountable for my dive style and I don't in any way have any ill-will or negative comments to your operation. It's not your fault I got skin bends. I'm not the kind of dive traveler that complains about every little thing that doesn't go as planned. Life experience has taught me to let a lot of hassles just go by. Not having Nitrox on the last day was not ideal, but it wasn't worth complaining about to you. Isidro is the DM on the night dive that handled the pufferfish. Following that, he poked at a crab with his stick to get the crab into fight mode so its claws were swatting at the stick. While I have a problem with this type of harassment to the marine life, it's not unusual behavior by DM's in Cozumel. On past trips, the DM has picked up marine life to show the diver. Maybe they're hoping for a bigger tip. At any rate, this kind of inconsistency of following the laws and rules is a common practice in Mexico, so I just let it go.
Salty Endeavors had timely pickups from the pier for every dive. Sometimes the day ran long or behind schedule because we were getting 60-minute dives. Who's going to complain about a 60-minute dive (or longer)? Not me! I never felt hurried or rushed and I appreciated that. The boats had only six divers per trip, except for two trips, which had eight divers because of a class. No problem. Loved not being on a cattle boat! All in all, my experience was positive with Salty Endeavors and I would recommend them.
While it's debatable where US healthcare quality ranks among various countries', I set my expectations lower in many of the places outside the US I dive, and that includes Mexico. My expectation of a lower standard of healthcare is a factor I take into account in setting my dive conservatism. In some places, there's no ambulance, no chamber, no nothing. Nevertheless, three typical Coz-style dives per day for five days would be within my comfort zone. Sorry to hear about your experience, @living4experiences .
robd
Registered
living4experiences, per DAN, "Any skin change that might be DCS-related should be evaluated by a physician." I am only bringing this up again because diving found my PFO before I had the stroke. I have been diving since I was 25, and 3 years ago while diving in Cozumel I began to have back and abdominal soreness, and the signs of skin bends came 2-3 hours later. After speaking with DAN and going to the hospital, I was informed by both, skin bends should always be evaluated. The strange thing was I never blew my computer or dove outside of any protocols, yet I got bent. After being evaluated by the doctor in Cozumel, they discovered my PFO. I had never heard of a PFO before, nor could anyone explain why after all these years it suddenly caused an issue. I am lucky, because scuba diving may have saved my life. After learning more about PFO's, I found 3 out of 10 people have one and are not normally tested for unless symptoms arise. (If you don't know what a PFO is, basically an opening between the upper two heart chambers does not close - either partially or completely - upon our first breath into the world. If you have one, I was told you are 300x more like to have a stroke before the age 50.) If you, or anyone else, have questions about PFO's, I would be happy to answer questions.
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