Audie Tarpley leads an active lifestyle outside of his work in Indiana’s construction industry. When he is not managing business development and project design as the president and owner of Dillon in Indianapolis, Audie Tarpley enjoys golfing, flying and scuba diving.
Scuba diving is a unique pastime, providing individuals with an opportunity to explore natural environments inhospitable to human life. Recreational scuba divers can swim at depths of up to 130 feet, though this requires achieving the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Deep Diver Specialty certification. Beyond the chance to spend time in some of nature’s most beautiful settings, scuba diving benefits cardiovascular health, respiratory function, strength and flexibility, and even weight management, to say nothing of diving’s stress relief. That said, divers must also familiarize themselves with and prepare for various challenges and potential dangers.
Decompression sickness (DCS), also known as “the bends,” represents one of the best-known and most serious health risks of scuba diving. DCS occurs when the body absorbs extra oxygen and nitrogen at extreme depths. The body processes the surplus oxygen, but the nitrogen dissolves into the bloodstream, where it remains for the duration of a dive. Divers must carefully ascend back to normal depths, taking safety stops as needed, so that the body can appropriately acclimate.
If divers ascend too rapidly, the nitrogen creates bubbles in the bloodstream and bodily tissues, which can lead to a variety of health conditions. Common DCS symptoms range from joint and muscle pain to uncontrolled shaking, hence “the bends.” Depending on where bubbles form, divers may experience nausea, hearing impairment, memory loss, and confusion. Divers should take extra precautions against DCS if they have any heart muscle defects or lung disease. Harvard Health Publishing found that females and divers over the age of 30 have higher odds of DCS, with additional risk factors including obesity, fatigue, poor cardiovascular fitness, and diving in cold water. Certain injuries can also increase the risk of DCS.
Scuba divers face several other health risks, including nitrogen narcosis, barotrauma, oxygen toxicity, and air or gas embolism. All of these conditions underscore the importance of completing comprehensive PADI training courses while also conducting independent safe-diving research.
Beyond these threats, scuba divers need to constantly monitor and assess the condition of their equipment. Running out of breathing gas is perhaps the most serious issue that can arise from faulty equipment, though inexperienced divers may also deal with limited breathing gas due to poor gas management. Even accomplished divers may face the issue of decreased breathing gas if they find themselves putting in unexpected effort during a dive.
Dive planning is extremely important and should include determining how much gas divers require. PADI training will help divers understand how to estimate breathing gas needs and to calculate gas availability as a dive progresses. Faulty tanks and poor gas management can undermine careful dive planning. A safe ascent can take more than five minutes, so it is never as simple as a diver noticing that their breathing gas has run low and quickly making for the surface.
Finally, while they are rare, unsafe marine life encounters can drastically alter the course of a dive. As mentioned, one of the biggest benefits of diving is the opportunity to explore natural wonders, from coral reefs to the ocean floor. But these environments serve as homes and hunting grounds for a diversity of plant and animal life.
Coral, jellyfish, stingrays, and various shark species represent a few of the most common dangers encountered underwater. Divers should never directly interact with marine life, showing respect to all underwater flora and fauna.