DEVON, UK (14 June 2007) -- Scuba diving accidents over the weekend injured 13 UK divers. All of the divers were treated for decompression sickness at several hyperbaric chambers in Plymouth. The Diving Disease Research Centre (DDRC) blamed the rash of scuba diving accidents on the good weather, good visibility and lots of people scuba diving for the first time this year. "When you get a combination of all those things together, the diving population increases because they haven't been diving for some time and they were fresh and new which is why there was (sic) some accidents," said Phil Bryson, medical director of DDRC. Decompression sickness (the bends) is usually caused by divers ascending to the surface too quickly and it can kill or permanently cripple people. Two of the injured divers told reporters about their close calls over the weekend. "After the first dive I was faced with the possibility of being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life but due to the fantastic treatment I've had here, I'm going to make a full recovery," said Chris Manning. "I was really, really stressed," said Linsi Kilminster who said she felt light-headed and nauseous after her dive. CDNN recommends that divers who resume diving after a non-diving interval of more than six months should dive under the supervision of a professional scuba diving instructor. Most scuba diving certification agencies including BSAC, NAUI, PADI, SSI and YMCA offer refresher scuba diving courses. "Safe diving equals fun diving," said CDNN Managing Editor Freeman Washington. "Save divers never stop training and never, ever allow themselves to become complacent about effectively reducing the inherent risks of scuba diving." | 
