I’m not here to show off six-pack abs (which I’ve never had) or post GoPro footage of me doing backflips off dive boats in Bora Bora….let’s be honest, I’ve never done a backflip nor been to Bora Bora. I’m here because I’m deeply, interested with what happens to the human body when we mess with pressure and different gasses—and how we can make it safer, smarter, and more fun for the people who choose to dive headfirst (literally) into that world.
Welcome to Happenstance Hypoxia.
I’m Darrin—a paramedic, nurse, and critical care educator with a growing addiction to dive medicine. I started diving back in 2009 as a public safety diver. It was part of the job. But over the years, I found myself less interested in the diving for stuff part and more fascinated by the diving does what to your body?! part. For those of you visiting here from the critical care transport world that might hold an advanced certification like the FP-C or CFRN, remember those pesky gas laws we had to memorize? Let’s see what they really do the body!
Turns out, the human body has a lot to say when you drop it under 3 or 4 atmospheres of pressure. Some of it good. Some of it… explosive.
Why This Blog Exists
This blog isn’t here to deliver textbook-perfect answers.
It’s here to ask questions—some smart, some dumb, and some I’ll probably regret googling at 2am.
I want to explore:
- How different types of dives affect the body (depth, duration, gear, temperature, different gasses, etc.)
- The connection between dive medicine and altitude physiology
- What prehospital, transport, and other healthcare providers should actually know when the rare dive emergency comes through the door
- How we can teach this stuff better—especially to those who aren’t near a coast
This blog is also a selfish project—I want to grow. I want to learn. I want to build a community of people who don’t pretend to know everything but are curious about what they don’t know yet.
What You Can Expect
Posts here will range from:
- Bite-sized breakdowns of dive medicine concepts
- Deep dives (yeah, I said it) into research and real-world case studies
- Real dives, planning, and prepareness for emergencies
- Gear and training reflections
- Discussions with real-world experts
- Updates from my own learning path—mistakes and all
If you’re into nerding out over physics, physiology, asking “what if?”, or you’re a clinician wondering how this niche corner of medicine applies to you, you’re in the right place.
Let’s Get Started
First up: I’ll be exploring decompression theory basics, why altitude and dive medicine are weirdly connected, and how we can teach this stuff without putting people to sleep.
Thanks for being here.
Let’s figure it out together.
—
Darrin
Happenstance Hypoxia 