In Reply to: Question posted by MJG on June 22, 2006 at 16:53:42:

It is one of the risks of diving. I firmly believe that I could have done the exact same profile on another day and been fine.

It is amazing what you learn when you experience the bends. The attitude that "if you were bent once - you must be an idiot - is perhaps one of the most damaging attitueds out there. It keeps some people from seeking appropriate chamber treatment. That said - what did I learn?

1. I think if I were "bent" again I would recognize it a whole lot quicker and could cut through one of the most dangerous symptoms of being bent - denial - faster.
2. I look at my limitations more. I don't exceed my comfort level. I don't cut corners. If I feel I need to stay at 15 feet or where ever longer than a dive table or a computer says I need to, I do it.
3. Getting bent doesn't mean that you are a stupid diver. It means that "today was your day". You can get bent in 30 feet of water and 130 feet of water. You can get bent on conservative profiles and on "stupid" profiles. You can get bent on air, on nitrox, and on tri mix.
4. I do not have the associated heart defect that usually means repeated bends if you continue diving.

I'm not giving advice on deep diving. I'm defending recreational dive limits.