I hope somebody posting in this thread can expand on why Hot Water showers and diving can cause DSC.
from The Decompression Matrix ~ Dr Bob Cole
"The solubility of nitrogen within the human body is affected by temperature. If the temperature is increased then tissue gas tensions will rise. On the surface, at the end of a dive the diver is supersaturated with nitrogen and providing this supersaturation is within the design temperature constraints of the decompression model all should be well.
However, if the skin temperature is allowed to rise significantly by say, the diver taking a hot shower/bath or sun bathing then tissue tolerance to gas tension may be compromised and free-gas can form. Hence a normally safe dive can become problematic."
I'll have to read up on my Deco theory again on this one...I think "gas tension" is a measure of the concentration of a dissolved gas. So as the skin increases in temperature during sunbathing or a shower, the concentration of dissolved gas in the tissue also increases, possibly beyond the point that it can be transferred into the blood stream safely.
Another factor is that the blood flow to a tissue can affect the efficiency that it can off-gas, the more blood thats flowing to a tissue the safer the nitrogen elimination. So an increase in skin temperature can lead to blood getting diverted away from other tissues and make them less efficient at off-gasing. Conversely when you are cold, blood will be diverted away from the skin to the body core to conserve heat, making it less efficient at off-gassing and possibly lead to a skin bend.
So I guess its best to make sure you stay warm after getting out of the water... but not too warm The Goldilocks mentality - not too hot, not too cold... just right