A Mililani resident was partially paralyzed last week while rescuing another diver during an underwater video shoot in Tahiti.

Mike Prickett, an underwater cinematographer, was filming for a commercial Wednesday when he noticed another diver on the same project in trouble.

"I dove down to 220 feet to save him, but he used up all my air," Prickett said in a statement. "I’m glad I was able to rescue him and he could walk away from the incident."

Prickett, 47, sustained a severe case of decompression sickness in the rescue and was paralyzed from the chest down. He was receiving treatment in a hyperbaric chamber Tuesday in Papeete, and has regained some sensation in his legs, said family friend Jodi Wilmott.

"It comes as no surprise that he would save someone’s life at the risk of his own," Wilmott said. "It’s in his nature."

Wilmott said Prickett doesn’t know the other diver, who hasn’t been heard from since, possibly because he was stunned by what happened.

Decompression sickness, or the bends, is usually caused when a diver rises to the surface too quickly, causing nitrogen gas bubbles to form in body tissue and create severe pain, according to WebMD.com. It can be fatal.

"He’s not a novice diver," Wilmott said of Prickett. "I know that what he had to do to save that guy, he knew what was going to happen."

She said since the incident, Prickett has been thinking about future projects and coming back "with a vengeance."

"He’s a really inspired kind of a guy," she said. "He’s one to see the silver lining in everything."

She said he probably won’t be able to return to Hawaii until at least next week.

Prickett, who owns Prickett Films, has been involved in the international surfing scene and films for 25 years, Wilmott said. He has won numerous awards for his work, and his feature film work includes "Riding Giants," "Step Into Liquid" and "Ultimate Wave Tahiti."

A fundraiser to help pay for his recovery will be held at Surfer, the Bar, at Turtle Bay at 6 p.m. March 28.