A 33-year-old Bronte woman was flown to Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital on the morning of Sunday, October 5, to be treated for the bends after suffering cardiac arrest while diving at the ex- HMAS Adelaide dive site off Terrigal.
The woman, an experienced diver, was deep diving in 30 metres of water at about 8:30am when her diving partner saw that she was in distress. He performed an emergency ascent and the woman went into cardiac arrest when she reached the surface. Once aboard the dive vessel, members of the group performed CPR as she was brought to shore. CareFlight’s rapid response trauma team were despatched to the scene, landing in the Esplanade Park at Terrigal, to take over resuscitation efforts. CareFlight’s doctor placed the woman in an induced coma and provided intubation and ventilation, continuing treatment in a road ambulance on route to Gosford Hospital. Once she had been stabilised, the decision was made to airlift her to Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital, where hyperbaric oxygen therapy was available in a recompression chamber; however, she died shortly after 4pm. The bends is a decompression sickness suffered by divers where bubbles form in the blood stream due to changes in pressure.
Media release, 6 Oct 2014
NSW Police Media
Media release, 5 Oct 2014
CareFlight