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Phil Under Pressure
Introduction
Some of you may well be wondering, when you read this article, why it is from a different branch from Hellfins - do not panic I am a just a bit polygamous due moving up north.
The following article is my experience on a dry dive and hope it will encourage HSAC members, who have not already experienced a dive in a hyperbaric chamber (pot dive). As far as I can tell hyperbaric units love to get divers in to spread the work about their good work and educate us for the better.
12 members of Hartford Sub-Aqua Club visited Murrayfield Hospital in the Wirral to take a dry dive to 50 metres. This was both a unique experience and a really valuable education into Decompression Illness (DCI) and related issues. I wish I had not left it 25 years since I started diving until visiting one!!
Hyperbaric Treatments
We started with a presentation on the centre and its purpose. Diving incidents only take about 10% of their time, serious conditions like Carbon Monoxide poisoning account for 20% whilst the bulk of the treatments (40%) look after Osteoradionecrosis. I have to admit I am no expert on this however the conditions are very serious and the work is reassuringly comprehensive.
Expertise and Quality of Service
Dave, our presenter, went to great lengths to sell the importance of high quality treatment in specialist centres. Apparently the government is looking into recompression treatment on site and whilst at first it seems to have some merits the lack of support (chest drains, X-rays, Cat scanners etc.) starts to raise some major questions. In a nutshell this is not first aid, recompression is follow-up support for diving incidents.
Diver Considerations
For us as divers Dave had a simple message - Carry mobiles when we go diving to support our VHF (in case of failure). Plug into them key numbers (see suggested actions 2 and 3 below).
Do not delay in calling for assistance when divers are not feeling normal after a dive. We all tend to do this to save alerting others, wanting to avoid embarrassment, belief we will get better, lack of understanding of our bodies and poor training (which BSAC is working to address).
Remember just because our computer are not complaining does not mean our bodies are OK. After all computers do not take into account pulse rates, breathing rates, work rate, dehydration, different tissues and if you are male or female.
The expert services actually welcome the call not only for our benefit but to keep their skills sharp.
Diving Physiology
There was some great coverage of diving conditions and explanations of Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), DCI, bubble formation and reduction as well as some of the cutting edge thoughts on Diver First Aid.
To really aid the hyperbaric units we should be providing dive information in the form of records of any incident we are involved in. Use Airway, Breathing and Circulation (ABC) of resuscitation to do this (see suggested action 5).
And now the Dive
In two groups we descended to 50 metres the key points are:
- On descent you need to clear your ears more of less continually.
- As you descend it gets very warm.
- At 50 metres (equivalent pressure) your voice changes (becomes Donald Duck like)
- At 50 metres (equivalent pressure) when waving your hand you can actually feel the air pressure.
- At 50 metres (equivalent pressure) nitrogen narcosis effects us all. Basically we do not think straight which has major implications when diving.
- You get cold on ascent
- Throughout the dive you are carefully monitored by the expertise of the chamber staff.
Suggested Actions and Action Parties
1) Waterproof telephone carry cases are available at BSAC HQ. I have bought 7 for Hartford members and if HSAC would like them let me know (normally £17.50 but £15 to you) - used mine yesterday with 2 mobile phones and a set to keys. If you want them please organize one order to make it as efficient as possible. Action: Phil
2) Put these phone numbers in your mobile phones Institute of Naval Medicine 07831 151 523 and when in Scotland 01224 681818 Action: All
3) Take mobiles when we go diving. Action: Marshals
4) Go on one of these sessions. Action: All who have not done so
5) Run sessions in the club to compliment our First Aid and Rescue Management skills. If the DO and TO support this see if you can get some sessions running in the branch.
Action All
Hope this motivates you to attend a pot dive and I am sure experienced HSAC members will be able to supply more information if need.
Phil Clifton
Dear old fart and still keen HSAC member.
New Trip Reports
South China Seas May 2006
Swanage Megatrip June 2006
Eastbourne trip July 2006
Mid-Channel August 2006
Baby Corner
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Looks like a new generation of hellfins is on it's way!
Congratulations to Nic Oatridge on the birth of his son Freddie (right)
... And to Christine Burgess on the birth of her daughter Amelia (below)
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Book Review: The Dive Pipin Ferreras
by Helen
Pipin Ferreras is driven by the desire to know how deep a man can go on a lungful of air. Audrey Mestre, in love with Pipin, is driven by the need to feel at one with the water. He is a brash, intense young man. She is a placid, inquisitive younger woman. Together they are ying and yang and, like opposites, are attracted to one another in a beautiful love story.
You know the fairytale, man meets woman, they fall in love, they share each others world, then one of them dies. You all know Audrey passes away while free diving. But that doesn't stop the pain when the story is told.
It also raises the debate over who was responsible for Audrey's death. Any one who has ever loved will feel outraged that some believed it was a publicity stunt by Pipin. Some will believe the team let her down through it's own failings to check equipment thoroughly. Others will blame Audrey for not checking her own equipment. My view - it was a terrible tragedy from which lessons can be learnt.
This book brought tears to my eyes and makes me hope that no-one will ever blame those I dive with for any misadventure which may occur in the future.
Published by CollinsWillow, Available through Aquapress
Special Feature: Martha the Club RIB
Who is Martha?
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Stylish boat entry
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Martha is the club rib! A sturdy blue rib based in Shell Bay. We've neglected Martha a bit over the last year or so, and she's lonely...
So here's 10 good reasons why you should organise a trip involving Martha
1) You get to zoom around on a rib and look cool (see ‘looking cool, 1,2 & 3')
2) You get to laugh at those less talented people *trying* to get into the rib (see below!)
3) It's a whole lot cheaper than diving off the hardboat (£15 per DAY!!)
4) It's great for developing your diving skills -you get to do all the stuff you probably don't usually think about
a. Tide planning
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Not-so-stylish boat entry
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b. Weather assessment
c. Locating dive sites using GPS/ transits
d. i.e. actually thinking about the diving before getting to the site!
5) You gain new and useful skills
a. Deploying shots
b. Retrieving shots
c. Moving shots
d. Helping other divers de-kit and get back onboard
6) You learn about buoys and what they mean (buoys, not boys!) and all sorts of knots that come in handy
7) You get to choose the dive site/s, not just go with what the hardboat has planned, so you can tailor the diving to your group, from trainee ocean divers through to first class divers
8) She costs the club a lot of money and it's a shame not to make the best possible use of the cash spent on her!
9) She's been recently (ish!) ‘refurbished' with GPS and radio, she also has backup hand-help radio. She's got a radar thingy too.
10) If the diving is off (sea state, surface vis etc) then you can often still take Martha out for bit of rib driving practise, shot deployment etc (see Helen's 2003 report in ‘features' on website)
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Looking cool 1
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The club spends a LOT of money each year on upkeep / updating of the rib, so get your money's worth and use her!
She can get you out to the aoleon sky, middlePoole patch (fossilised trees), the kyarra etc. We have an O2 kit which goes out on every rib trip, so you're not compromising safety.
So how do I get a date with Martha?
To organise a diving rib trip you'll need:
Sunglasses to look cool in
A diver cox'n (+some charts + tidal info)
A VHF radio operator
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Looking cool 2
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A marshall (email / ask at pub)
Some divers (max capacity 6 divers + 1 non-diving cox) (beat them off with a stick)
We're putting together some ‘group' email addresses to get in touch with all the club's cox's, but until then ask at the pub! or email divingofficer@hellfins.com and they can put you in touch with the relevant people.
To organise a non-diving rib trip you'll need:
A diver cox'n (+some charts + tidal info)
A VHF radio operator (email VHF@hellfins.com)
Email the relevant group address (once it's ready!) to get in touch with cox's etc or ask at the pub! or email divingofficer@hellfins.com and they can put you in touch with the relevant people.
To organise a boat handling course you'll need:
A boat handling instructor
Up to 3 pupils
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Looking cool 3
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The diving officer - divingofficer@hellfins.com can give you more info on who to contact to organise this
To organise a diver cox'n exam you'll need:
A Diver cox'n assessor
Up to 3 examinees
The diving officer - divingofficer@hellfins.com can give you more info on who to contact to organise this
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