It's Not Always the Bends

A British diver had made two dives to 72 feet for 30 minutes each on the first day, and the next day, he went to 78 feet for 32 minutes, rose to 46 feet and descended again, then ascended in stages for 16 minutes.

Exiting the water, he was desperate to visit the toilet and rushed up a long set of stairs in his gear. In the bathroom, he stripped off his gear and wetsuit, sat on the toilet, and felt wobbly when he stood. Afterward, he drank a soda and felt nauseous and disoriented.

The dive manager took him to the on-site shop and gave him oxygen, but he was now shivering, so they contacted a hyperbaric doctor who advised him to go to a recompression facility. All his tests were normal.

The conclusion: he was dehydrated, and running up the stairs to the bathroom had exhausted him.

From the 2020 British Sub Aqua Club
Annual Accident Report.