Going through certification

[kyral]

Hello, sorry if this is in the wrong area. I am new to the site and to diving.

I have a question. I am going through my certification process. We had our first dive in a pool on Saturday. The deepest we went down was 10ft. After the first time going down to 10ft and staying there for a while we came back up. After I reached the surface I immediately felt sick to my stomach. So much so that I was instructed to get out of the pool and take a rest. I did so and everything was fine.
We then finished the class off again going down 10ft and running through a series of excersizes underwater. Once again we came up. This time I felt sick again and had to rush out of the pool with before vomiting in a trash can near by. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to subside the nauseous feeling? Am I coming up too fast? No one wanted to pull me to the side and see if we can find a solution I was simply told to take my gear off and let them know if I was coming in the following week to finish certification.

 

[kyral]

A little more info
I drank a whey protien shake as part of my breakfast and again for lunch before going into the pool. Could this have something to do with what I am dealing with? Or is that not a thing. Thank you

 

[johndiver999]

Being in the pool and "diving" for the first time is probably somewhat stressful. Presuming that you have some sort of exercise regime, I would try to eat similar to what you would do before that activity. If you can jog with a belly full of chocolate, you should be able to dive like that too.

It is possible that you were a little dizzy from the pressure changes and this can quite possibly make you nauseous. Something to consider for the next time, but getting sick after diving in a pool is not part of the normally scheduled activities.

Curious if you had any discomfort in the ears?

 

[rhwestfall]

lets see if we can get this moved to the medical forum for some introspective...

@doctormike
@Duke Dive Medicine

Inner ear? vertigo?

No, what you experienced it isn't "normal"...

 

[kyral]

Being in the pool and "diving" for the first time is probably somewhat stressful. Presuming that you have some sort of exercise regime, I would try to eat similar to what you would do before that activity. If you can jog with a belly full of chocolate, you should be able to dive like that too.

It is possible that you were a little dizzy from the pressure changes and this can quite possibly make you nauseous. Something to consider for the next time, but getting sick after diving in a pool is not part of the normally scheduled activities.

Curious if you had any discomfort in the ears?

I did have mild discomfort in my left ear. The first time I had a hard time equalizing it. The second time (longer duration at 10ft) I was able to equalize it with not issue. When I was down that time I could feel my stomach bubbling a bit and burped a few times. Whey protien makes me a bit gasy. This coming weekend I'm not going to consume whey before the dive and see if that helps at all.

 

[Boarderguy]

Eat a banana and some oatmeal or toast
Drink your coffee or tea and leave it at that. Your ear concerns me though. On your way to the dive (even now while watching your phone or TV) practice clearing your ears. Do this with jaw movement or the tried and true vassal method. The more often you clear your ears the easier it will be when you have to. Start clearing early and often when you dive. The first few feet set your pace. If you can't fully clear in the first 3-5 feet you need to surface and work your ears more until they clear. Some of us here (me included) take a 6-12 hour Sudafed about an hour before our dive to reduce the chances of not being able to clear. The downside to this is if the Sudafed wears off during your dive you could get a reverse squeeze during ascent and your ears and sinus pressure will build until something gives. This is why I take the 12 hr one. I'm not a doctor and only play one when my wife let's me. Take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[Rob9876]

Are you experiencing any kind of sinus/mucus issue as you ascend? I sometimes get that, and I imagine that could cause nausea especially if swallowed.

A little troubling that your instructor did not discuss more with you. If you are trying again next week, I'll just remind you that it is possible to vomit into a regulator at depth without too much problem -- hold the reg in your mouth if that happens, so it isn't spit out. If that reg gets clogged, remember you can switch to your own octopus if necessary (you can purge your main 2nd stage regulator while breathing from your octo, if needed). Just stay calm and don't shoot to the surface too fast in any event (even at shallow depth).

 

[OTF]

Could be mild alternobaric vertigo from an ear equalization issue. It can certainly present as more of a "seasick" feeling than the classic "dizzy/spinning" feeling.

Were you equalizing frequently? If so, was one ear going more easily than the other? Did you notice any uncomfortable pressure in your ears? Were you making many trips up and down from the surface? Was your head cold in the water? Were you congested or do you have any history of ear or sinus problems? Any of those things or more can cause it. If you google "alternobaric vertigo" does the information fit what you felt?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Alternobaric vertigo was my first thought as @OTF mentioned. It usually resolves quickly and spontaneously. Another possibility is GI gas that expands on ascent. If you have foods that you know can produce gas, it's best to avoid them before diving.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[kyral]

Could be mild alternobaric vertigo from an ear equalization issue. It can certainly present as more of a "seasick" feeling than the classic "dizzy/spinning" feeling.

Were you equalizing frequently? If so, was one ear going more easily than the other? Did you notice any uncomfortable pressure in your ears? Were you making many trips up and down from the surface? Was your head cold in the water? Were you congested or do you have any history of ear or sinus problems? Any of those things or more can cause it. If you google "alternobaric vertigo" does the information fit what you felt?

Thank you for all of the info and feed back. As we decended I would try and clear my ears. My right ear equalized just fine. My left ear however did give me issues equalizing.
The first time down I was unable to get it to equalize which resulted in minor ear ache until resurfacing. On the last decent down I was able to get both ears to equalize. No ear pain at all. Upon resurfacing I felt mild dizziness and then I felt sick.
I can also not that when ever I went to the bottom, my stomach would bubble and I needed to burp, which I did several times. As I stated before going into the pool I drank a whey protien shake. Not thinking that the gas produced from that would cause issues.
As I sit here writing this I have tried equalizing my ears. My right ear equalize fine the other one lagges and then equalization.