DEPTH Blog

The most useful snippets from our authors, all in one place. DEPTH discusses topics of diving, equipment and environment, physics and physiology, technique and technology, and hyperbarics.

Diving First Aid

"The ability to manage a diving emergency and provide care to an injured diver does not come from experience alone. The best thing you can do to prepare for the dive-related injuries is to learn everything you can about such injuries and the situations that lead to them.

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The Signs of a Dive Emergency

"The signs of emergencies are varied and can be subtle. They may be apparent before or during the dive. A diver's ego or peer pressure may cause the diver to disguise a problem, such as a lack of competence, inadequate experience, overconfidence, anxiety, illness, or distress. Such problems may show up on the boat before anyone gets in the water. All divers should adopt the credo of the cave and technical diving communities: Any diver can call any dive for any reason at any time. No question are asked - and the credo applies before the dive even begins. All divers should agree to this as part of the predive briefing. If more divers felt comfortable not making a dive because it was beyond their experience, or they didn't feel well, or their karma was all wrong, or whatever, there would probably be fewer problems."

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The Rescue of a Convulsing Diver

Convulsions in the Water: Dive Accident Management and Emergency Procedures

A convulsion in itself rarely causes injury, but the secondary consequences for a scuba diver can be disastrous. First, the intense muscle contraction of the neck and jaw can cause the diver to spit out the mouthpiece, which is difficult to reinsert. Consequently, the diver is likely to drown unless rescued quickly. There is a risk of pulmonary barotrauma leading to AGE (arterial gas embolism) if a diver ascends too rapidly or out of control; however, the threat of drowning outweighs that of AGE.

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© Best Publishing Company

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Divers Should Never Leave Home Without It...

When you prepare for a dive trip, there are things you pack that are on the "must have" list, such as mask, fins, BCD, and regulator. Then there are the things that you "should have" such as wetsuit, defog, and sunscreen. All of the other items typically fall onto the "it would be nice to have" list, such as snacks, sunglasses, and a camera. The question we have for you today is, onto which list do your dive rescue and dive accident management skills fall?

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Copyright

© Best Publishing Company

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