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There seems to be a trend of reports from chamber operators indicating that
many of their patients are diving computers. There are several reasons for
this...
a) most divers (60%+) own dive computers and others rent or borrow them,
i.e., most divers are using computers.
b) many divers feel that using a diving computer amounts to wearing a magic
amulet which protects them from the bends
c) many computer users are not genetically predisposed to read the manual and
have no idea of acceptable ascent rates
d) using a computer (even air integrated models) does not prepare most divers
for gas supply management
e) when they get back to less than 40 feet and their computer allows "a
bizillion minutes" time remaining, they forget about everything
f) suddenly inhalation is difficult, they look at a pressure gauge and find
out there's only 120 psig and they bolt for the surface like a polaris
missile (ascent rate again!)
g) if the diver is fortunate, nothing happens (this time) and this pattern
becomes part of every dive until suddenly (for no known reason) the diver
gets bent.

Scuba instructors who teach computer assisted diving to recreational divers
need to include gas management techniques, proper ascent rates, and a
conservative approach to using the computer.

Some things that we don't commonly know:
how many repetitive dives were conducted? Ascent rates? Final gas supply?
hydration condition of the victim? Physical condition of victim? Length of
surface intervals? It's easy to blame a dive computer for a bends hit. Sort
of like blaming the speedometer for a car going over a cliff. I remember a
discussion with a chamber operator who argued that power inflators should be
banned from diving because they caused divers to "blow up" to the surface. He
was unwilling to accept the concept of regular equipment maintenance as a
preventative measure. With that type of mentality, he might as well have
argued that diving should be banned.
Face it, computer assisted diving is here to stay. It's not using the
computer that causes problems, it's misusing the computer that causes
problems.

John Wall

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