‘Shrunken Brain’ from SCUBA?

July 16, 2009 Dear DocV, My father was a US Navy diver/Submarine Service from the late 40’s to the early 70’s. His duties included escape training tank instructor and saturation diving as a member of the original Deep Submergence Group. He is currently 77 years old and previously diagnosed with Alzheimers. Recently, that diagnosis was … Read more

The Problem With Younger Divers

Take a good look at yourself before you critique any “old fart”. While cheap essay writing services at the DEMA diving trade show awhile back, I met an old French diver who lived in Bonaire. He was exhibiting some paintings he had made of various wrecks around that Caribbean island. They were beautifully contrived scenes, … Read more

Demystifying Recompression Chambers

Many divers have seen a chamber either in photographs or in real life, but very few have ever had occasion to be in one unless they were being treated.  As a result a certain “mystique” has developed about chambers and many divers regard them as hostile and menacing environments.  Briefly, we would like to acquaint … Read more

Nightmares of the Scuba Police

Diving used to be a fairly laid-back and non-confrontational leisure activity. In fact, in the early days most divers were generally considered to have a few screws loose but that was part of the appeal. The idea that diving was inherently a flirtation with a real or perceived danger was pretty much a “given” by … Read more

Be-Brief

In July I was fortunate enough to yet again venture along the Great Barrier Reef north of Cairns and out into the Coral Sea. I’ve made this cruise several times on various boats including Mike Ball’s Spoilsport, the private Super Yacht Bullish, the now sadly missed Nimrod and Underwater Explorer, and this time on Taka. … Read more