What does "getting bends" mean in diving?

Answer 1

The bends is a shortened way of saying decompression sickness. Divers get this if they come up from a dive too quickly without allowing sufficient time for their bodies' to adjust to the pressure change that comes with a change in depth. Nitrogen bubbles in the body form from the decrease in pressure while returning to the surface. They are stored in tissue and other body materials but the gas becomes a physical state (bubbles) when the decrease in pressure occurs. The bubbles can form almost anywhere in the body and due to this the symptoms are a wide range depending on where the bubbles have formed.

Answer 2

It is a slang term for decompression sickness. It occurs from nitrogen bubbles getting lodged in your circulatory system and cutting off the blood supply or worse rupturing blood vessels and tissue. This usually is a result of ascending too rapidly to the surface. VERY PAINFUL!

Answer 3

Basically it is air bubbles in your blood, usually happens to divers who are at a certain depth and come up too quick. Very painful and can cause hemorrhaging and can be fatal if not treated.