The Bends is an illness that arises from the rapid release of nitrogen gas from the bloodstream and is caused by bubbles forming in the blood when a diver ascends to the surface of the ocean to … ... Ocean-going mammals, even though they are air breathers, still function a little differently from humans. The Bends is the slang term used for decompression sickness. The bends, also known as decompression sickness (DCS) or Caisson disease, occurs in scuba divers or high altitude or aerospace events when dissolved gases (mainly nitrogen) come out of solution in bubbles and can affect just about any body area including joints, lung, heart, skin and brain. Dolphin’s lungs, for example, are capable of holding more oxygen than humans but they can also process more gas.