ELI5- Why is it dangerous for a scuba diver to ascend too quickly?
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Effectively, you get a condition commonly called “the Bends”, but is properly known as decompression sickness.
Basically, the oxygen tanks used by divers have compressed air which includes nitrogen gas. With the higher pressure exerted by the water below a certain depth, that nitrogen gas gets absorbed into the body’s tissues.
When you ascend out of that pressurized underwater environment, and the pressure decreases, the nitrogen begins to form little bubbles in your body.
These bubbles can cause an excruciating amount of pain and can require medical treatment. Hence why planning and self-discipline when you dive is key — if you take the proper amount of time to ascend to the surface, you won’t get the decompression sickness, and you’ll feel fine.
Or course, there are exceptions to this rule and there’s far more to it than that basic little outline I gave. But generally, that’s the simplest way to describe it. In extreme circumstances it can be fatal, though this is rare. Nevertheless, I’ve talked with divers who had it, and they highly recommend never attempting to get the bends, unless it’s an emergency situation. Even then, it’s dangerous.
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