['Diving is associated with long-term effects on several organ systems.', 'The objective was to investigate the impact of decompression sickness (DCS) and diving exposure on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in former Norwegian North Sea divers.', 'HRQL was recorded by a questionnaire in the cohort of 375 Norwegian North Sea divers registered before 1990. Demographic data, relevant health data and data on diving education, history of DCS and SF-36 were recorded in 230 divers.', 'All SF-36 sub-scores were significantly reduced compared with Norwegian norms. Reduced scores were seen for all scales among divers who reported previous DCS compared to those without DCS. A decreasing trend in scores was seen when comparing no DCS, skin or joint DCS and neurological DCS. There was a decreasing trend in scores related to number of days in saturation and maximal depth. Stratification on DCS showed that the impact of saturation diving was present only in divers with DCS.'] Is reduced health-related quality of life in former North Sea divers associated with decompression sickness?