Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamber Reopens, Providing Life-saving Treatment for Divers

Divers in distress can once again count on life-saving pressure at the Pacific Grove Fire Station.

As of Aug. 3, the station’s hyperbaric chamber – which operated from 1963 to July 2012, when it was abruptly shut down for insurance reasons – is back up and running.

P.G. houses the only multi-place emergency chamber for Central Coast divers. “The divers around here are just used to it being there,” says Scott Kathey, spokesman for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

But last year, city officials discovered their liability insurance doesn’t include medical services. They shut down the chamber while seeking funds for malpractice insurance. With donations and a crew of trained volunteers, they finally secured the additional insurance needed to reopen the chamber, Assistant Finance Officer Cathy Krysyna says.

The reopening was a collaborative effort, Kathey adds. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funded technical repairs; chamber volunteers, dive-community donors, city officials, the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation and other marine research institutions also pitched in.

Officials are planning a grand opening this fall.