Well the first dive of the season seems to have gone very well. There was a possibility of a storm overnight but after careful consideration and lengthy discussions with the skipper we decided we could risk it and so the club went on its first dry dive in the Recompression Chamber at Whipps Cross hospital !! None of us had done this before so we didn't really know what to expect. It was not only great fun but also very informative and very interesting After a safety briefing we were given a dexterity test that would be repeated when we had been compressed so that we could compare our results and see how we are effected at depth. Once we were in the chamber and they started to put us under pressure it got very hot as the chamber was filled with compressed air to simulate depth. We were quickly taken to a depth of about 42m but long before we got that deep we all had fits of giggles. One aspect that we didn't expect was the effect on our voices!! At about 25m-30m our voices got very squeaky and high pitched which obviously caused great amusement for us all, especially when you remember that by that stage we were all beginning to feel the effects of nitrogen narcosis!! Once we hit the bottom we found it very difficult to breathe as the air was so dense. I am sure a good set of Oceanic regs would have been easier to breathe on than that. We then repeated the dexterity test which some of us found to be very difficult. After 10 minutes down there we started our slow descent and at 9m we were all put on 100% oxygen to accelerate the decompression process and to make the dive safer. Also as we came up the temperature changed again and dropped very rapidly from 32 deg down to 8 deg in a matter of a few minutes!! Obviously our heads cleared very quickly and the giggles stopped almost instantly as we started to come to the surface. We then had a tour of the facility and learned more about the services the hospital offers. This really was a very interesting and fun day. If you haven't done it we will try to book another dive later in the year. Don't miss it !!! If you would like to see the pictures please follow this link |
