Why don't whales get the bends, when divers can?

If a diver surfaces too quickly after a dive, they can get the bends, or decompression sickness, causing excruciating pain and sometimes even death. In this Naked Science...

06 September 2011

Presented by Sarah Castor-Perry.

Naked_Scrapbook_Whales_Bends.jpg

If a diver surfaces too quickly after a dive, they can get the bends, or decompression sickness, causing excruciating pain and sometimes even death. In this Naked Science Scrapbook, find out what causes the bends, why human divers can get it and why (usually) whales don't...