Hazards of Diving
Diving has allowed the public to discover the many underwater wonders of the world. However, visiting these majestic sites underwater hides a risk that is often a trade-off between the wonders and the risks of diving. It isn't sharks or boats or anything else that may exist on or in the water. The real danger to divers is decompression sickness sometimes referred to as Caissons disease or the bends.
Also known as the bends, the disease can afflict anyone who goes from a high pressure to low pressure environment. The illness results from Henry's law, which says in short that when the pressure goes down, gas will form bubbles in a fluid. In the case of the bends, the fluid is the blood and the gas is typically nitrogen.
When the process occurs slowly, such as in an airplane cabin, the lungs can remove the gas before bubbles form. When it occurs quickly, such as a diver coming up too fast, it can result in itching skin and rashes, pain in the joints, paralysis and potentially death.
The Solution
Preventing the bends requires the diver to come up slowly, giving the gas a chance to naturally de-gas. The number of variables to consider can make most calculations of the time required to come up very difficult to determine. That is why the dive computer was invented. It uses timers and sensors in order to determine how deep the diver is and how long the diver was at that depth. A diving computer performs calculations in real time and determines how the diver needs to come up in order to prevent the bends.
A dive computer in just about every brand and model is able to sense the exact duration of divers being at certain depths. The diving computer can then estimate the blood gas level of the diver and figure out: the time period in which the diver can surface without having to worry about the bends; the duration of the divers stop at each depth in order to surface safely and the maximum depth the diver can reach amongst other things.
Integrated Diver Display
Visual displays which should be read clearly and visible while diving, are present on many forms of divers computer. To ensure that the diver does not experience information overload, the dive computer display should be uncluttered. Better models of diving computers, in addition to the information provided above, will display information such as the speed at which the diver is rising, the temperature of the water and the time of decompression at each depth. For analysis afterwards, many high end models can transmit the entire dive onto a computer.
There are also other features that can really set the dive computer ahead of the pack. Once a diver has surfaced, these upper end diving computers will display the time before a diver can board an airplane. That is one of the quickest ways to achieve the bends, is to board an airplane too soon. Other upper end models will also keep track of the air supply available from the diver's tank.
When it comes to buying a dive computer for yourself, you should check to see how much information is provided on the display and whether or not the display is clear and visible, for practicality underwater. You should also check for other features and see what underwater variables are being kept track of in terms of dive quantities. A recommended choice of an excellent diving computer would have to be the Suunto D9.
