QuickCheck: Is it true that whales can get the bends?

ONE of the first things you are taught in scuba diving is that you should not rise too fast as it puts you at risk of getting a deadly condition called decompression sickness, commonly known as the bends.

This is when the dissolved nitrogen in your body becomes gas again due to a sudden decrease in water pressure, making it form tiny bubbles inside your body that can cause everything from joint pains and dizziness to strokes and heart attacks.