• An unresponsive diver was rescued from Mākara Beach near Wellington after showing symptoms of decompression sickness.

• The diver was flown in critical condition to hospital and put in a hyperbaric chamber in Christchurch.

• He has thanked his diving buddies, police, Wellington Free Ambulance, and Life Flight Trust for their help.

An unresponsive diver who was rescued from a beach near Wellington says his diving buddies realised something was wrong with him and brought him to shore.

The man was flown in a critical condition to hospital in the weekend after police said he was found by boaties off the coast of Mākara Beach.

But it has now been revealed the man was brought to shore by friends when he began showing symptoms of decompression sickness.

Decompression sickness, or “the bends”, occurs during a dive when nitrogen bubbles are absorbed into body tissue and the bloodstream. In extreme cases, divers can die if untreated.

The man has since contacted the Life Flight Trust to thank the team who rescued him.

“I’m very grateful to my diving buddies who knew something was wrong and brought me to shore, to Simon from the police, Wellington Free Ambulance, and Nigel from the Life Flight team. Thank you for getting me to care,” he said in a statement shared by Life Flight.

Intensive care flight paramedic Nigel Stephens said the man was companion diving and developed decompression sickness upon surfacing.

“His companions recognised the seriousness of his condition and called for help. They motored to shore where they were met by WFA paramedics who then activated the Life Flight Trust Helicopter.

“The diver was in a serious condition and transferred to the nearest available decompression chamber which happened to be in Christchurch.”

The diver was flown to Christchurch where the nearest hyperbaric chamber was. Photo / Life Flight

He described the diver as “acutely unwell” and said the most “definitive” treatment would be to fly him to the hyperbaric chamber.

“The sooner recompression therapy for decompression sickness is begun, the better the result is likely to be,” he said.

“It’s not uncommon for us to retrieve patients with mild to severe symptoms from decompression sickness. Summer’s fast approaching, so we are expecting the presentations to increase.”

Westpac chopper pilot James McKinstry said when the mission came in they immediately checked if the patient was onshore or at sea to know whether a sea winch was required.

“Knowing that the patient was being treated by Wellington Free Ambulance, and that the condition was likely ‘The bends’ we prepared for a flight to Christchurch,” he said.

The man was companion diving near Mākara Beach.

“Police and Wellington Free Ambulance were on scene when we landed on the Mākara shore.

“Flying at high altitudes for someone with decompression sickness can pose a risk, so I maintained a low-level flight of 500 feet. We ended up getting a few waves from people on the ground as we flew down to Christchurch.”

He said the winds were favourable and they were able to fly to Christchurch without stopping or needing to refuel at Kaikōura, “which helped us get the patient to care as soon as possible”.

Symptoms/signs of decompression sickness

• Unusual fatigue
• Skin itch
• Pain in joints and/or muscles of the arms, legs or torso
• Dizziness, vertigo, ringing in the ears
• Numbness, tingling and paralysis
• Shortness of breath
• Paralysis, muscle weakness
• Difficulty urinating
• Confusion, personality changes, bizarre behaviour
• Amnesia, tremors
• Staggering
• Collapse or unconsciousness

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice, and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.