Decompression Illness

Divers often say they fear decompression sickness, or getting bent, but often don't really understand its causes, affects and the conditions that signal a case of the bends. As well, many divers are very cautious about how they dive, making sure they remain conservative with their depths and times, while others take a much more cavalier attitude about their dive profiles. In reality, relatively few divers get into trouble, although higher-risk diving should be avoided to minimize the likelihood of decompression sickness.