A temporary lack of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in Bermuda has made international headlines.

ScubaNewshighlighted how the facility at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, which provides oxygen at a rate two to three times higher than normal air pressure, is closed until February 1.

The Bermuda Hospitals Board said the chamber was closed “due to the unavailability of qualified patient diving attendants”.

Unexpected staffing issues forced the chamber to close in February and again in August.

The ScubaNews article stated: “The implications for divers are serious — without a functioning recompression chamber, Bermuda is unable to provide local hyperbaric treatment for diving-related injuries such as decompression sickness (DCS) or arterial gas embolism.

“In an island nation renowned for its wrecks and coral reefs, this gap in medical capability leaves the local dive community and visiting divers particularly vulnerable.”

It added: “For divers, every minute matters when dealing with decompression illness.

“Prompt access to recompression therapy can mean the difference between full recovery and permanent injury.

“In remote or island locations, chamber availability is not a luxury, it is an essential component of dive safety infrastructure.”

Sam Bennett, owner and instructor at EcoDive, said two groups have already cancelled their trips to Bermuda as a result of the chamber’s closure.

He explained: “These were ones where we were looking at some more advanced diving in the caves, or whether it’s technical, just from a safety aspect, I don’t want to operate my business if we don’t have that safety net here.”

Mr Bennett and Mark Diel, of DiveBermuda, highlighted the how the chamber is used to treat more than diving-related conditions.

Mr Diel said: “The amount of injuries that are treated in the chamber on a daily basis are considerable: diabetic ulcers, soft tissue infections, delayed radiation injury, wound healing and cancer treatments.

“This is not just a diving issue, this is, which was in fact unknown to me, far wider and greater concern.”

Christopher Gauntlett, of Blue Water Divers and Watersports, said volunteers used to operate the chamber until it was upgraded to a larger and more complex facility.

He explained: “The same type of people who used to volunteer on the old system, could be properly trained on the new one, unless the hospital has a different view of that possibility.”

Mr Diel added: “As a diving community, it benefits us if the chamber is open, we want to be able to help when we can, we would offer our assistance.”

Mr Gauntlett said the chance of divers needing hyperbaric treatment is low, but never zero.

He explained: “If a diver needs hyperbaric treatment, they could be anyone from recreational beginners to professionals and including commercial and construction divers, any of whom might be diving at any time throughout the year.

“If the Chamber isn't going to be available all the time, then Tourism stakeholders in general, and diving operators specifically, need to consider whether or not they are able to offer diving as a product.”

The BHB spokeswoman said last night: “We understand the concerns of the diving community and are working hard to ensure we can offer safe hyperbaric treatments reliably once more.

“Training is already under way with some existing staff and additional recruitment for casual/on-call staff is starting that will cast a wider net.

“Having more trained hyperbaric patient attendants will ensure more people are available to support the service and avoid this type of issue in the future.”

Local nurses and emergency medical technicians could undergo additional training, provided by BHB, to become chamber attendees, and should e-mail jennifer.phillips@bhb.bm or burnell.phillips@bhb.bm to learn more.

• UPDATE: This article has been updated online to include information from ScubaNews and local divers (POSSIBLY REMOVE)