Bend it like Bolt

[Jay]

Well, just got home this afternoon after spending 6 hours last night in the recompression chamber at the Wirral - had a bend in my right elbow and a skin bend across my shoulders / back. Not going to go too much into details as to what happened but the lessons learned the hard way are:

1. Diving a computer to its limit is NOT sensible - plan dives using tables and use a computer as backup - NOT the other way around. On US Navy tables, I missed approx 24 minutes of stops - my computer was clear all the way.

2. Be aware of what to do if you SUSPECT you may have something wrong. Tingling fingers & itchy shoulders was all I had to start off - 5 hours later I was sat in the pot wondering what the hell was happening!

3. Know the contact details and routes to the NEAREST chamber (many thanks to Andy Hayhurst for guiding me to the Wirral)

4. Realise that it could EASILY be you!

I now got a 4 week dive ban (I'm going to do 6 to be sure) and a pair of sore shoulders for the next week to remind me to heed the above advice.

Many thanks to ALL the staff at the North West Emergency Recompression Unit for their professionalism and dedication - no recriminations from any of them despite having to sit with me till after 1am this morning.

Also thanks to Andy Horsley (2tanx) for dropping everything at 5pm last night and driving me for 2 1/2 hours to the unit - a true friend indeed.

Am feeling fine (if a little sore) and have a lot to take from this experience. We will be putting together a list of all the chambers, contact numbers and so on for all YD'ers to print off and keep with them on every trip (thanks again Andy Hayhurst for providing this info)

Regards (and dive safe boys and girls!)

Jay

[MATTBIN]

Glad to see you are OK.

Absolutely agree about the staff at the pots, all they want is to fix us up and the best way for them to do that is if we get there asap.

Matt

[peter k]

Glad to hear you're OK. I know how you feel(Pissed off and stupid). 6hrs, pah, do that standing on my head. Seriously though I'm glad you're safe'n'sound. That's the main thing. Stupidity goes away, death doesn't!!!!!!
  I know exactly what you mean about computers. I missed roughly the same amount.

Take it easy
Peter

[abucksdiver]

<font color='#000080'>I would be keen to have a copy of the Deco Chamber list, probably to selotape it onto my dive box, and another copy to keep in my logbook...
It would be a great idea to have this availalbe from the site...

abucksdiver

[Mr T.]

'Kin Ell &nbsp; &nbsp;

And big enough to review the gig in front a festival crowd as well!

Well-in mate and glad to see you're all in one piece.

There, but for the grace of God.....

[Gavin Yates]

<font color='#000F22'>Glad you're OK Jay - and nice one Andy 2tanx too - I know he's a mate but he really came through for you.

I can understand why you don't wanna go into much detail but as someone who uses a computer for deco calcs most of the time it's got me worried

Hope your recovery is quick and as painfree as poss and you're back doing what you wanna do as soon as you want.

All the best

[peter k]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Gavin Yates @ April 10 2003,15:59)]I can understand why you don't wanna go into much detail but as someone who uses a computer for deco calcs most of the time it's got me worried

Hi Gav,
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The chambers keep telling us this but trying to get people that havn't been through it to listen is an impossible task. It's a shame that folk need to learn the hard way instead of listening to what previously bent divers are trying to tell them. It's almost a bury their haed in the sand thinking that it wont happen to them, untill it does. This isn't a pop at Jay, just a general observation.

Peter

[Davey Willo]

The things you'll do to toss it off from work..

[Lou]

Jay, all the best. &nbsp;Hope that you recover in double-quick time. &nbsp;Understand you not wanting to go into details but anything that you can post to help us learn will be truly welcome. &nbsp;I think alot of people did take something away from Peter's incident (no matter what he thinks !)

Best of Luck

Lou

[Jay]

Lou - nothing secretive but the main points are detailed in my first post. I didn't breach any limits - well within deco obligations, slow ascent rate, 1.5 hour surface interval but that was all according to my computer which is a well conservative Suunto (there are MUCH more liberal computers out there). No identifiable reason for my bend unless you use the US Navy tables which don't recognise the 1.5 hr surface interval and clump both dives together giving a square profile of 35m for nearly an hour.

Apart from that, heavy workload at the surface could have contributed (almost certainly in my opinion now) - twinset and stage cylinders on a walk from Stoney carpark down to the water and back up. Didn't drink any alchohol the night before, was well hydrated but was diving air instead of nitrox. Basically though, it was not planning the dive on square profile tables I reckon - plain and simple.