Norwegian deep diving trials.

Abstract

In 1983 NUTEC, together with two diving companies, completed two dives with 12 divers (6 in each dive) to pressures equivalent to 350 m s.w., one dive lasted for 17 d, and the other, 24 d. The purpose of the dives was to demonstrate that the diving companies were prepared for diving to 300 m depth in the North Sea. No major medical or physiological problems arose during the dives, although all divers had minor symptoms of high pressure nervous syndrome during compressions. During decompression three decompression sickness incidents occurred, which involved pain only, and all were successfully treated. All divers went through comprehensive medical physiological examinations before and after the dives. No significant changes from values measured before diving have been found in the six divers who have so far been examined after diving, except that five of them were considerably more sensitive to CO2 after the dive than before. Several problems arose in connection with the divers' breathing equipment, thermal protection and communication, which need to be improved.