W
e were on a seven-day adventure in Chuuk,
Micronesia, diving the wreck capital of
the world. Our base of operations was the
luxurious liveaboard Odyssey, and most
of my fellow divers were alike in skill and dive plans. The
majority of us were diving using rebreathers, allowing for
longer bottom times.
My trip had started with a flight from Miami, Fla., to
Houston, Texas, then on to Hawaii for a one-night layover.
From there I boarded another flight to Guam for, finally,
the last connection to Chuuk. It is an exhausting trip to
paradise, but we’d arrived and found every promise fulfilled
when we boarded the boat.
The onset of symptoms
The next morning we hit the water to explore our first
wreck. I didn’t want to do anything too aggressive, as I was
still tired from the long trip and adjusting to the 14-hour
time difference. I dove to 90 feet for 45 minutes, following
with an afternoon dive to 95 feet for 55 minutes.
I went a little deeper the next morning, diving to 151 feet
with a total bottom time of 110 minutes. After a three-hour
surface interval, I completed a mild second dive to 127 feet for
76 minutes. Each of my four dives had gone according to plan.
After I reboarded the boat I cleaned my gear, readied it for the
next day and went to my cabin for a little rest before dinner.
After about an hour I started to get stomach cramps and
feel very nauseated. It was a feeling akin to food poisoning.
The cramps got worse, and I started to feel extremely
lightheaded. I got up to go to the bathroom, where I
vomited. I made it back to the bed, but my condition was
worsening; my entire body ached, and the stomach cramps,
nausea and dizziness persisted. I wanted to tell someone I
wasn’t feeling well, but I didn’t have the motor skills to get
out of the cabin and climb the stairs.
About two hours later, my roommate, Richie Kohler,
returned to the cabin and immediately evaluated my
condition with me. We started me on oxygen, as by that
time I had a very bad marbling pattern all over my body,
indicating skin bends or Type I decompression sickness
(DCS). Despite the oxygen, I started getting a dull throbbing
pain in my back. I tried to get up again, but my left leg was
numb and limp. The progression of symptoms indicated
signs of Type II DCS. It was clear I needed help.
Not your typical transport
The nearest chamber was on Chuuk, and we made the
30-minute trip to the island where an ambulance was to
D A N WA S T H E R E F O R M E
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RESEARCH, EDUCATION & MEDICINE
Bent
in
Chuuk
B y G A R Y M A C E
www.alertdiver.com
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35
Gary Mace explores a wreck far
below the surface in Chuuk.
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9/30/11