A 10-year estimate of the incidence of decompression illness in a discrete group of recreational cave divers in Australia.

Introduction: The vast majority of freshwater cave diving in Australia occurs within the limestone caves of the Gambier karst in the south-east of South Australia. The incidence of decompression illness (DCI) in cave divers is presumed to be higher than open-water recreational divers because of the greater depths involved, but has not previously been reported. Our aim was to determine the incidence of DCI in cave divers, the patterns of diving and the outcome of hyperbaric treatment.