DAN Medical Q&A

DAN medical specialists and researchers answer your dive medicine questions

When DAN receives calls from divers who have symptoms after diving, decompression illness (DCI) is often on their mind. Cases of DCI, however, are incredibly rare.

From ear problems to dehydration, vehicle accidents to lacerations, there are many kinds of problems a diver or traveller could face that are more common than DCI. In the course of researching and analysing incidents, DAN has learned a lot about dive safety, risk mitigation, and accident prevention. Here’s how you can apply what they learned to your dive adventures and travels.

Drowning is the leading cause of death in dive fatalities; however, there are triggering events that lead to these tragic incidents — and these provide insight into how such accidents can be avoided. Health-related problems like heart disease and human-related issues like running out of gas, entrapment, or equipment failures can lead to drowning incidents, and these are also all examples of how dive fatalities stem from human factors that can be mitigated.

Personal readiness is the foundation of personal dive safety, and this encompasses health, physical conditioning, skills, and equipment. Your training, equipment, and health status should match the type of activities you plan to do. Fatigue and exhaustion may lead to poor decision making and are common triggers for incidents. These can be avoided through a weekly fitness regime.

With properly working and maintained gear and appropriate training, human-related incidents can be mitigated, too. Read the manuals of your equipment to see when service is required and ask a professional if you have any problems or questions. With an upcoming trip, make sure your skills match up to the environmental conditions and requirements of each dive destination.

When rough currents, gear troubles, and poor physical fitness are combined, they set divers up for trouble — which can be fatal underwater.

Physical health and equipment are just a small part of the preparedness equation. Thorough dive planning can work in tandem with a dive computer and should not be overlooked. No-decompression limits set by the computer’s algorithms should be viewed as guidelines. Mental preparedness is a key factor in incident prevention, too. Fear, apprehension, and anxiety are all emotions that can compromise decisionmaking abilities. If you’re feeling frightened or have doubts, call off the dive.

Decompression-related problems are just a fraction of the injuries and medical problems divers face. Because of this, a shift in focus is imperative to keep travelers and divers safe. Divers must not ignore other aspects of their activities and travels — no matter how mundane. The best defense against accidents is education, which will promote behaviour that reduces their likelihood. A heightened awareness and a mindset of prevention will help you stay safe above and below the water. DANAP.org

Monthly round-up of news from our SSI dive centres and professionals www.divessi.com

For divers seeking to leave their large scuba

The Mares Horizon is in a class of its own among scuba rebreathers. Enjoy a new experience diving with fewer bubbles, improved buoyancy, and increased dive time and, for those that still shiver in the warmest of waters, diving with an SCR uses warm, moist air and therefore you shouldn’t feel as cold. The Mares Horizon semi-closed rebreather is also the perfect companion for avid photographers and wildlife enthusiasts - get up close and personal with marine life.

You will need to be over 16 years old, have completed your Open Water Diver programme with a recognised Training Agency, and have 12 logged dives.

The Try SCR programme is run by an SCR Instructor and can be done in a Pool/Confined water environment with a maximum ratio of 2:1 with your Instructor. If you would like to experience the Mares Horizon SCR in Open Water after you have completed one Pool/Confined water session, you can then do an Open Water dive at a ratio of 1:1 with your instructor.

Once you have completed all components of the Try SCR programme, you will be issued with a recognition card. You can dive with your Instructor using the SCR unit for up to six months after completing the programme. Better still, you can register to do the full SCR programme and receive your SSI Horizon SCR certification and dive with your buddies whenever you want!

The recommended time for this programme is four to six hours, however your SCR Instructor may wish to spend more time with you based on your needs and the logistics of the Pool and OW location.

In a word, yes! This lightweight system is the ideal travel companion and does not require dedicated cylinders or weights. The unit’s simple logistics allow you to use standard nitrox cylinders that are easily obtained from most dive destinations.

Yes! The Mares Horizon SCR offers incredibly extended dive times compared to open-circuit dives, giving the diver more time to take in the wonderful underwater environment.

You can go to the Dive Centre locator on the SSI website and search ‘Try SCR (Horizon) or ring your local SSI Centre and ask them about it. Try SCR Diving today! n

Contact your SSI SCR training centre for more information on the Mares Horizon SCR programme or the TRY SCR program if you want to experience the benefits of diving with the SCR without committing to a full course.