4 minute read
Divers Alert Network: Asia-Pacific
from Scuba Diver ANZ #41
Next Article
Divers Alert Network, widely known as DAN, is an international non-profit medical and research organisation dedicated to the safety and health of divers.
WWW.DANAP.ORG
IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE
As international borders slowly start to re-open, DAN Member Brad Wall shares his story and provides a timely reminder that accidents can happen
Ifirst became certified a long time before diving
became a big part of my life. Since associating myself with a local dive shop in the early 1990s, I became a Divemaster and instructor. I usually take two dive trips a year with my wife and sometimes our son, who are both experienced divers. We almost always go to Cozumel, Mexico, which is where I first experienced decompression illness (DCI).
I was 68 years old and had completed more than 900 dives when we travelled to Cozumel. On the first full day of diving, we started in the morning with a 29-minute dive to 25m with a one-hour surface interval before a second, uneventful dive. The following day we were ready for my favourite site, Santa Rosa Wall. After descending to the sandy bottom around 15m, you drop another 9m or so to move northward along the wall. Large swim-throughs dot the house-sized boulders as you drift beside the reef.
When it was time to end the dive, my buddy and I ascended to 6m for our safety stop. Everything was normal, as was the rest of our ascent. As soon as we surfaced, I thought I saw the boat moving away from me, but quickly realised I was disoriented, and the boat wasn’t moving. It felt like vertigo, but I managed to get on board the boat.
I removed my gear and was talking to my buddy when I started involuntarily leaning forward until I lost my balance and collapsed face-down on the deck. The problem was in my spine, and I felt paralysed and couldn’t get up.
Our Divemaster immediately gave me 100 percent oxygen and notified the captain. We quickly returned to the resort dock. At some point during the ride back they had called to shore and contacted DAN, who seamlessly arranged for everything that I needed. When we arrived at the dock, a paramedic was waiting to transport me to the local hospital, which was only a few minutes away. They had to drag me off the boat, with one person under each arm, because I could not walk. We arrived at the hospital where they did an echocardiogram, then after performing a neurological assessment to rule out an embolism, they admitted me to the hospital and determined that I had decompression illness (DCI).
I removed my gear and was talking to my buddy when I started involuntarily leaning forward until I lost my balance and collapsed face-down on the deck
The first US Navy Table 6 chamber treatment did some good, but I was hospitalised overnight and spent almost five hours in the chamber for the same treatment again the next day. After that recompression, I didn’t pass the walking test, so the doctors determined the DCI wasn’t fully resolved.
I spent another two hours in the chamber that day and another two hours on the third day, receiving IV fluids and rest after each treatment, but no other procedures were necessary. The doctors finally released me after four long chamber rides over three days, and I walked out of the hospital without any assistance.
DAN made all the arrangements for my care behind the scenes. I was grateful that I didn’t have to worry, especially since I probably wasn’t fit to have those discussions anyway. I’ve been a DAN member for more than 20 years, and my membership and dive accident insurance were vitally important on this trip. Even when you are well-trained and conscientious and you do everything right, you can still get bent at any time.
After reviewing my dive profile from my dive computer, I concluded that I had done nothing wrong — no fast ascent, no missed safety stops — but I got DCI anyway. My experience taught me that whether you’ve made nine or 900 dives and whether you’re a beginning diver or a Divemaster, you need to be prepared for anything to happen. The final hospital bill for my treatment was more than USD$22,000, but I never had to pay a cent.
When I was cleared to fly, I returned home and met with my cardiologist to review the images from my stay in the Cozumel hospital and to take some additional tests. I didn’t have a PFO, and later that year I was cleared to return to diving.
I had DAN dive accident insurance coverage for a long time before I needed it, and even if I never need it again, it has more than paid for itself. As I continue to dive for as long as I am able, I will never be without DAN. DANAP.org
DAN EMERGENCY HOTLINE
In the event of a diving incident, we encourage all divers to call the DAN Hotline promptly for advice: • Within Australia: 1800 088 200 • Outside Australia: +1 919 684 9111 • Within Indonesia: 21 5085 8719
