Technical Diving

At DEMA one year, I met an elderly Frenchman based in Bonaire who exhibited paintings of all manner of wrecks that lay there. When questioned about them, it seemed that most lay well beyond one-hundred feet deep. When I asked him if he used trimix for these dives he retorted as only a Frenchman can, … Read more

Looking Back On Innovating Decompression Protocols To Expedite Water Exits

The era of dive tables as the only method of calculating dive plans is one that is largely forgotten by many in the “modern” world of electronic diving computers and the plethora of algorithms and deco models that now are available. I have long been an advocate for embracing innovation and new technologies, including being … Read more

Remote Dive Site Contingencies: When Evacuation Is Not An Option

As secret agent James Bond once sagely observed to Q, who supplied his special equipment and was complaining that he was bringing it back damaged, “It’s hell out there in the field.” Divers aren’t dealing with jet-packs, ejection seats in Aston-Martin sports cars, or the best way to use the strangling wire released from the … Read more

Have you been visited by Uncle DON without knowing it?

Dysbaric osteonecrosis (DON) is caused by a reduction in blood flow in the shafts of long bones secondary to breathing compressed air. This reduction may result in damage to such structures as the humeral head of the shoulder and the femoral head of the hip. Osteonecrosis has been associated with a variety of causes other … Read more