Two scuba divers have been hospitalised, one with a critical case of decompression illness (DCS), following a dive on the Kreidesee, a flooded quarry situated in Hemmoor, Germany.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday, 27 July, when a 56-year-old male diver surfaced quickly after struggling a medical emergency at a depth of round 24m.
The second diver, believed to be a 53-year-old lady and the accomplice of the male diver (preliminary stories mentioned each divers have been males) adopted him to the floor, the place the 2 have been capable of make their technique to the shore and alert the emergency medical companies.
In accordance with an eyewitness assertion posted on German diving discussion board Taucher.internet, the 2 divers have been supplied with emergency oxygen on the web site.
Whereas each have been initially responsive, native police mentioned that the male diver’s well being ‘deteriorated progressively’ and he was airlifted to a hyperbaric facility in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, roughly 400km southeast of the Kreidesee, with ‘critical accidents’.
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The feminine diver, who was reportedly displaying a lot milder signs, was taken by ambulance to a close-by hospital.
Decompression illness – also referred to as ‘the bends’ – happens when nitrogen fuel that has been absorbed into the physique’s tissues throughout a dive is launched too quickly throughout ascent.
An uncontrolled launch of nitrogen can result in the formation of bubbles inside the tissues, the outcomes of which might fluctuate from delicate aches and pains to life-changing and generally deadly accidents.
Though DCS is often related to deeper diving, a fast ascent from any depth after sufficient nitrogen has been absorbed may cause bubbles to kind.
The Kreidesee (which interprets as ‘chalk lake’) is a well-liked dive web site situated in Decrease Saxony in northern Germany.
Initially an open-cast chalk mine that flooded after mining on the quarry ended within the late Nineteen Seventies, the lake is known for its clear water and has a most depth of 60 metres.
Over time, quite a few autos together with automobiles, boats and a small plane have been sunk to draw guests, who make an estimated 35,000 dives within the lake annually.
Kreidesee has had its share of accidents through the years, with not less than 12 fatalities since 2010. In 2023, a 30-year-old lady died as a consequence of a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) following a fast ascent from 35m throughout a coaching dive. An uncontrolled ascent was additionally blamed for the demise of a 34-year-old diver in Could 2025.
Crowley (identified to his mum as Mark), packed in his IT job in 2005 and spent the following 9 years working as a full-time scuba diving skilled. He began writing for DIVE in 2010 and hasn’t stopped since.
