'Bends' diver flown for treatment

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/8031352.stm

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An RAF helicopter from Valley on Anglesey took a 52-year-old diver suffering from the bends to a hyperbaric chamber on Saturday.

Holyhead Coastguard said the man, from Liverpool, was picked up from the sea by a boat about a mile from Bull Bay, Anglesey, at around 1800 BST.

He was experiencing pins and needles in his legs which is classic sign of the bends, and transferred to the shore.

He was flown for treatment to Murrayfield Hospital on the Wirral.

The man had dived to 52 metres over the course of 24 minutes and his dive computer read that he had not made enough stops in resurfacing, said the coastguard.

The crew of the boat, Tangerine Dream, picked him up from the water and were given instructions on how to look after him until the rescue helicopter arrived.