Not forgetting the more important reasons for getting DCS.
The main one being diver error… Below some points to remember. Diving is a very safe sport as long as you look after yourself and your buddy..
Too many deep dives in one day. Stagger your dives from the deepest in the morning through to shallow in the afternoon.
Staying within table and computer limits.
Longer surface intervals and making safety stops after every dive.
S.A.F.E. Slowly Ascend From Every dive..
AGE. As you age, your circulatory system becomes less efficient, affecting nitrogen elimination. Some people also tend to gain weight and have more fat tissue.
FAT. Nitrogen dissolves easily into fat tissues. Individuals with a larger ratio of fat to body weight may absorb more nitrogen than normal when diving.
Heavy Exertion. Exertion during or after a dive increases the heart rate and affects circulation, and therefore nitrogen absorption and elimination.
Injuries and Illness. Both can affect local circulation and the body’s ability to handle excess nitrogen. Chest congestion can trap air in a lung or portion of a lung, creating the same condition as holding your breath.
Dehydration. Dehydration reduces the quantity of blood available to help carry off excess nitrogen.
Alcohol. Alcohol before or immediately after a dive accelerates and alters circulation. It also contributes to dehydration.
Cold Water. Diving in cold water can cause your extremities to receive less circulation as they cool, which affects nitrogen elimination.
Hot Showers/Baths. Hot showers and baths after a dive cause the skin capillaries to dilate, drawing blood away from other areas. These areas will eliminate nitrogen more slowly, while the skin experiences higher than normal circulation.
Carbon Dioxide Increase. Improper breathing and breath holding while scuba diving can cause carbon dioxide builds up in the blood, lung overexpansion injuries, and interfere with nitrogen elimination.
Flying after diving is another important thing that should not be forgotten towards the end of you trip.
For just one dive a preflight surface interval of 12 hours is recommended. For multiple dives over several days an 18 hour interval is recommended… For conservatism.. 24 hours is still the best way to be safe and symptom free..
Be a safe diver, dive conservatively.. ENJOY the underwater world..
DCS Signs and Symptoms.
As nitrogen bubbles can form in many places in your body, therefore signs and symptoms can vary to some degree.
Symptoms include.
Unusual fatigue or weakness
Skin itch
Pain in arms, legs (joints or mid-limb) or torso
Dizziness and vertigo
Local numbness, tingling or paralysis
Shortness of breath and/or pain breathing
Signs include.
Blotchy skin rash
A tendency to favor an arm or leg, rubbing a joint.
Staggering
Coughing spasms
Collapse
Unconsciousness.

A Day on the Boat or a Day in the Chamber

The truth of the matter is that dehydration is the most common factor in these climates for decompression sickness.
So if you would prefer to make a reservation for a day trip to the chamber and the rest of your stay in the shade and no more diving, then this is what you need to do,
A recipe for disaster,
First: Sit in the sun all day.
Second: Only drink a little water or no water.
Third: Drink plenty of soft drinks, tea and coffee. ALCOHOL.
For chamber reservations or any other inquires/ further booking information please speak to one of our staff.

For a full week of diving, dehydration can be the key to unnecessary decompression sickness, which is the most commonly forgotten fact.
You may hear word around the place you are staying any were around the world, that an individual was taken to the chamber this afternoon because of DCS ( decompression sickness). Your first thought, must have been diver error…. How deep, how long, did he ascend too fast? It wouldn’t happen to me, I’m a safe diver. Then you find out it was through not drinking enough fluids. It could happen to anyone even you. “Drink more water”, you hear us say. “I’m alright”, is your reply. “I have drunk plenty today”. Dehydration causes the blood to thicken which affects the release rate of nitrogen, causing an excessive build up of nitrogen in the body. This can become a problem with multiply diving days or even just a couple of dives. Surface intervals and safety stops become useless, as the body is not returning to its normal level.
Fact
You can loose up to a liter of water just in one dive. In an average day the human body will loose at least 2 liters of water through urine, sweating and breathing. If the air you breath is very dry (scuba tank air, or a dry climate. E.g. desert.), it’s another half a liter. For heavy sweating in a hot climate assume another 2 liters. So that’s at least 3 liters more than what you would lose at home, diving and staying at a popular dive destinations.
Reports also say that we should not release more than 12ltr in one day, so in tropical and warmer countries you can imagine the change in these figures.
So perspiration even in the shade, with the added factor of the wind drying your skin, you will tend to forget how much fluid you loose. So staying in the shade is not an excuse for drinking less water. Also spending a day out on a boat causes faster dehydration due the sun reflecting and magnifying, having a stronger effect on your body especially between the hours of 10am and 3pm.
It’s important to drink in excess of your normal amount of water or even supplement with electrolyte. Making your own, in a bottle of water and adding fruit juice.
1 liter of water
1 level teaspoon of Salt
6 level teaspoon of Sugar

Finally!
After so many months of hanging out in Roatan we finally saw a whale shark. 2005 was not a good year for whale sharks. Only 1 or 2 were spotted around Roatan, and none of them by us. But today, on the way to the wreck, Jose, the boatman, noticed a lot of fish jumping on the surface. It was "boiling" with fish, and we went to investigate. And there he was, 30 Ft long but not too willing to socialize. But nearly everybody had a good look before more boats arrived and he or she took off. We still went on to the wreck and had a good dive there.
What a lovely day.