Experienced Diver Suffers Heart Attack During Eilat Dive, Rescued Safely

An experienced diver, identified only as Yossi, experienced severe shortness of breath and a feeling of suffocation during a dive to approximately 25 meters off the coast of Eilat. He described the sensation as if someone was simultaneously blocking his nose and mouth, preventing him from breathing. Realizing his condition was worsening, Yossi ascended rapidly to about 10 meters, inflated his buoyancy compensator, and surfaced without performing the required safety stop. Upon reaching the shore, he was immediately taken to the emergency room at Yoseftal Medical Center. Tests revealed he had suffered a heart attack, and his rapid ascent increased the risk of decompression sickness. Medical staff at the center provided him with cardiac stabilization and extensive treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. Following stabilization, Yossi was transferred to a hospital in central Israel for further cardiological evaluation. Dr. Dahar Agabaria, director of the emergency department and a diving medicine specialist at Yoseftal, explained that diving places significant physiological stress on the heart and respiratory system due to pressure changes. He noted that a heart attack at sea presents a complex medical challenge, requiring immediate cardiac response alongside preventing and treating decompression sickness from a rapid ascent. Yossi, now recovering, urges fellow divers to heed their body's warning signs and react quickly to any discomfort, emphasizing that prompt action can save lives.