Woman diver's helicopter rescue

Version 0 of 1.

A diver believed to be suffering from the bends (decompression sickness) has been lifted from a boat by helicopter.

Brixham Coastguard said the alarm was raised by the dive boat Fintan at about 1215 BST after a woman diving off Plymouth became unwell.

A search and rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose and Plymouth all-weather lifeboat were sent to the scene.

The woman has been taken to the Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC) in Plymouth. Her condition is not known.

Symptoms of the bends include joint pain in the arms and legs, rashes and itching of the skin.

The DDRC is a medical research and training charity which uses a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to treat diving diseases and other medical conditions.