Hey there—welcome to Happenstance Hypoxia.
I’m Darrin, a paramedic and nurse with a background in critical care transport and education. I started diving back in 2009, mostly as a public safety diver, and like most good obsessions, it spiraled from there.
While I’ve been neck-deep in medicine for years, it wasn’t until I started paying closer attention to why diving does what it does to the human body that something clicked. The physiology, the risks, the gear—it’s all a weird, beautiful science experiment every time we drop below the surface. And I’m hooked.
These days, I’m just a recreational diver, though I’ve got my sights set on growing into technical diving soon. Living landlocked doesn’t lend itself to a ton of emergent dive calls , but I stay close to the science through research, education, and shamelessly bugging smarter people with questions.
Why This Blog?
Happenstance Hypoxia exists because I couldn’t find a space that was part exploration, part education, and part “well, let’s figure this out together.”
I don’t pretend to know everything—and honestly, I’m not interested in pretending. I want to understand how different types of dives, environments, and equipment impact the human body, especially from a prehospital and transport perspective.
If I ever get something wrong (which I will, because… science), please reach out. Let’s learn together. That’s the whole point.
What You’ll Find Here
- Dive medicine topics broken down for humans—not just researchers
- Ramblings, reviews, and reflections from a critical care nerd in fins
- Notes from the field: what I’m learning, what I’m questioning, and what I’ve royally screwed up
- A growing community of people who are passionate about safety, physiology, and curiosity underwater
Thanks for being here. If you’re into dive medicine, high-altitude physiology, or just like hanging around people who ask “what happens if…?” a lot, you’re in the right place.
Happenstance Hypoxia 