The transition from warship to artificial reef did not go smoothly for the HMAS Adelaide.  Now roughly 100 feet below the surface, the popularity of the reefed ship has created new problems – a dramatic increase in the cases of the bends.

In 2008, the Australian guided missile frigate, HMAS Adelaide, was decommissioned.  In 2009, plans were underway to sink the ship as an artificial reef off New South Wales.  This was delayed by opposition from environmental groups which claimed that the ship still contained toxic materials. After lawsuits, mediation and further removal of wiring and insulation from the ship, HMAS Adelaide was finally scuttled on April 13, 2011 off Avoca Beach, New South Wales, in 32 metres (105 ft) of water.  Now, medical experts are reporting a record high number of divers in New South Whales suffering from decompression sickness, often referred to as the bends, due to diving on the wreck.

DIVING SICKNESS RISES AFTER NAVAL SHIP SINKS

Medical experts expect the number of scuba divers suffering the bends to reach a record high in New South Wales this year, because of a new diving site on the state’s central coast. The ex-naval frigate HMAS Adelaide was sunk off Terrigal and Avoca beaches last year to become an artificial reef and dive site.

Since then, doctors are reporting significant increases in the number of divers with decompression sickness. The wreck lies about 32 metres below the surface, which is around the depth limit for many recreational divers. Figures from the hyperbaric medicine unit at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital show 27 patients were treated for the bends up until August this year. In comparison there were 19 cases in total in 2011 and 28 in 2010. Glen Hawkins from the University of New South Wales, who is also the medical director of private firm Hyperbaric Health, says the dive season has only just begun.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on the news.