The St Augustine's Hospital Hyperbaric Medicine Centre was officially opened in late 2000. In November 2000 this centre became Durban's first hospital-based hyperbaric oxygen therapy centre, and only South Africa's second such centre with a multi place chamber. Strategically placed in St Augustine's Hospital below the level 1 trauma unit and in close proximity to the operating theatres and ICU, this centre is ideally situated to attend to any of the clinical indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

The centre houses a ten-man multi place chamber, certified to a pressure of 7 ATA (equivalent to a depth of 60m of seawater!). The chamber has a custom-built "walk-in" door, allowing for the easy access of wheelchair and trolley patients. Also, the chamber is well equipped for the management of ventilated patients requiring intensive care-level monitoring. The chamber and the control panel were manufactured in South Africa under the ASME II and PVHO guidelines.

Patients are treated under the supervision of hyperbaric medicine physicians, Drs Michael Marshall and Craig Springate. Qualified technical and nursing personnel, who operate the chamber and tend to the patients during the treatments, staff the centre. The centre is on 24 hours standby throughout the year for any diving or medical emergency that may require hyperbaric oxygen therapy.