Research

    A question we get asked a lot is “what sort of exposure protections should I bring when I visit South Florida?” The answer we give is always the same – it depends.   Of course a person’s personal tolerance to cold is the main factor to consider. It’s not uncommon to see a boat with local South Florida …

  Add Helium stocks and sells both indicating and non-indicating carbon dioxide absorbent from Molecular Products. Recently, we have been receiving several questions regarding the use of indicating carbon dioxide absorbent:   What is it? How does it work? Is it safe to use? Why did the Navy say it isn’t safe? Why does my rebreather manufacturer not recommend it? Here are …

DCS can happen to anyone, and when it does, it can be a frightening, and frustrating event for the diver in question. What makes matters worse, is often a diver’s time to hyperbaric treatment can often be delayed by medical staff who are unfamiliar with barotrauma and DCS.  Add Helium’s Dive Team Doctor, Claudia Roussos has written a DCS fact sheet …

  The matter of hydration and diving is certainly unresolved. Current practice stresses prehydration and completely ignores the importance of posthydration. Some scientific papers encourage mild to moderate dehydration prior to diving while others warn against it. Some dive experts counsel against drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks, but there is scientific evidence to the contrary.   This article provides …

It is not a secret that obesity is a growing problem in the United States. Obesity is getting daily exposure on the TV networks, radio stations, newspapers, and magazines. While standing in the supermarket checkout line, one is tempted to read magazine headlines promising wonder-diets and exercise routines to transform the overweight in only a few weeks. Unfortunately, it is …

In today’s world, navigating available rebreather information can be confusing, frustrating, and misleading. Consumers enquiring about rebreathers are often surprised by how disconnected the industry is. Over the years the Add Helium staff has had the pleasure of speaking with many people that wish to purchase a rebreather. Usually, we are not the first rebreather retailer they have spoken to. …

Getting into diving with a history of migraines? Have you been diving but are developing migraines? Is this something a diver needs to why worry about? This article explains the relationship between migraines and the presence of a right-to-left shunt. We know that the presence of PFO’s (patent foramen ovale) increases the risk of type II DCS. However, PFO’s are …

  By October of 2007, I had become an Optima diver. Trading in my doubles for a rebreather was a careful decision; one involving research and asking questions. I certainly did not want to buy a “garage made” rebreather and Dive Rite, a major manufacturer of technical diving equipment, was presenting a “factory made” rebreather.   Eventually, I sold it …

  Training agencies and rebreather manufacturers have advocated pre-breathing the rebreather prior to diving. The rationale has been that CO2 bypass and scrubber faults can be detected prior to jumping into the water. As one instructor told me: “Better to pass out on the boat deck than underwater”. This practice appears to have common sense but does it actually pan …

  The possibility of developing oxygen toxicity remains a concern for us deco and Nitrox divers. Although the exact mechanism is still under debate, the primary theory is that too much oxygen over too much time can induces seizures.   Research in neuroscience might provide us with new insights to reduce the risk of oxygen toxicity. It was found that …