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To Call or Not to Call: What to Do If You Suspect Decompression Illness

You come up from a dive and notice a headache, shoulder pain, tingling or a rash. Could this be the bends? Simon Pridmore provides some insights into what to do if you suspect decompression illness.

Words:
Simon Pridmore
Images:
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Medical & Fitness

First things first. I am not a doctor. Nor am I qualified in any way to dispense medical diagnosis. Everything in this article comes from what I have learned from expert diving doctors over the years. My main aim in writing it is to try to clear up what I have noticed is widespread confusion over what to do if you think you may have decompression illness (DCI) and, at the same time, banish a few common myths.

Press Release
Received from: DANcast

The DANcast Marks Fifty Episodes of Diving Knowledge and Community

DAN

Since its launch in January 2025, the podcast has evolved from a new initiative into a trusted platform for diving knowledge and storytelling. Created to support DAN’s educational mission, The DANcast delivers safety insights through engaging conversations that combine practical knowledge with firsthand experiences. The podcast aims to help listeners deepen their understanding of diving and make more informed, safer decisions.

Hyperbaric Contracts Restore Northern England Coverage

New NHS contracts for hyperbaric facilities in Hull and Wirral have secured commissioned recompression services across northern England, following a period of uncertainty over access to emergency treatment for divers.

UK hyperbaric chambers
Medical & Fitness

NHS England has put new contracts in place for hyperbaric oxygen therapy services covering the North West and North East and Yorkshire, maintaining access to specialist recompression treatment for divers suffering decompression illness.

The contracts follow an extended procurement process that had raised concerns within the UK diving community about geographical gaps in emergency hyperbaric coverage.

Deepest Blood-Gas Study Probes Freediving Physiology

Researchers have taken arterial blood samples from freedivers at depths down to 80m, revealing how oxygen and carbon dioxide levels change during deep breath-hold dives—and producing some unexpected results.

Professor Simon Mitchell takes blood gas at a depth of 80 metres.
Medical & Fitness

A study involving elite freedivers has provided the deepest direct measurements yet of arterial blood gases during breath-hold diving, challenging assumptions about what happens as divers descend beyond about 40m.

Researchers took arterial blood samples from three highly experienced freedivers during dives to 20, 40, 60 and 80m off Dominica. The divers included multiple world-record holder William Trubridge.

Press Release
Received from: DAN

DAN and Garmin Work Together to Enhance Remote Diving Emergency Response

DAN
Garmin

The new integration connects Garmin’s global satellite-based emergency coordination capabilities with DAN’s dive medicine expertise, potentially enabling more streamlined access to specialized consultation during dive-related emergencies. 

For DAN members who include their DAN member number in the Emergency Notes section of their inReach account, Garmin Response coordinators can contact DAN’s emergency hotline and consult directly with dive medicine professionals while continuing to coordinate local rescue resources.

Hyperbaric Safety Director Jailed After Fatal Chamber Fire

A former safety director at a Michigan hyperbaric facility has been sentenced to prison following the death of a five-year-old boy in a chamber fire, after prosecutors said established fire-safety procedures had been disregarded.

A Sechrist monoplace hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The photograph is illustrative and does not show the chamber involved in the Oxford Center fire in Michigan.
Medical & Fitness

Jeffrey Mosteller, former safety director at the Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, has been sentenced to 19 months to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter over the death of five-year-old Thomas Cooper.

Cooper died on 31 January 2025 when a monoplace hyperbaric oxygen chamber caught fire while he was undergoing treatment. His mother was injured while attempting to rescue him.

Safety protocols disregarded

The case centred on safety precautions intended to prevent fire in the oxygen-rich environment of a hyperbaric chamber.

Press Release
Received from: DAN

Divers Alert Network Releases Statement About Legal Filing

DAN

The circumstances surrounding the pending litigation involve a tragic loss, and the entire DAN organization extends its sincere concern to all those affected. Out of respect for the family, the parties, our insureds, and the judicial process, we will not comment on the facts of the underlying litigation, the merits of any allegations, litigation strategy, or specific insurance coverage positions beyond the public court record.

Press Release
Received from: DAN

DAN Announces Support for Rescue Diver Ready Initiative

DAN

DAN’s mission to serve divers in need and promote dive safety aligns with Rescue Diver Ready’s aim to strengthen diver preparedness. 

The new initiative helps divers move beyond their initial certification and pursue rescue-readiness as an ongoing commitment. It aims to advance divers’ preparedness through education, training, community engagement, and industry partnerships.

Press Release
Received from: DAN

DAN Announces 2026 Interns

DAN

DAN launched its internship program in 1999 to give qualified candidates valuable experience in dive safety research. 

While the three-month program remains rooted in research, its scope has expanded to include projects that support other aspects of DAN’s mission to help divers in need and to promote dive safety through education. 

Today, DAN interns participate in a range of activities, including field work, communications, and training program development.

Press Release
Received from: DAN

DAN Debuts Continuing Education for Dive Professionals – Course 3: Barotrauma Legal Drama

DAN

This new, free course is now available through DAN E-Learning.

Barotrauma Legal Drama follows a fictional ear barotrauma incident from open water training through a legal deposition, showing how an instructor’s decisions and documentation could be scrutinized in a lawsuit. The course combines a cinematic narrative with commentary from DAN’s safety and legal experts.

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