Is it OK to snorkel?

Hey guys, quick question. So Ive heard it can be problematic to snorkel after diving, is that true? Also, my buddy got bent about a week ago, ( I was right next to him the whole time, and I never felt any effects at all...thats another story though.) and I know if he finds out Im going snorkeling tomorrow, he will want to go. Nothing would make me happier than to tell him he can go, but since he is banned from diving for 3 weeks cause of his hit, I dont know if that includes snorkeling, we only dive about 15-20 ft while snorkeling but I feel so incredibly bad about him getting a hit that if anything else happens I will feel totally responsible. So just let me know what you guys think! thanks

so long as you stay at the surface it's usually considered ok - the primary problem comes with freediving where you recompress the nitrogen bubbles down, and in effect simulate a bounce dive with a rapid ascent. Snorkeling before a dive may allow an excess of carbon dioxide in your system which may give you the feeling of being out of breath, but this would mostly be if you are breathing shallowly through the snorkel, in effect rebreathing a lot of dead space air.

Someone can correct me if there are errors in this, but that has been my understanding from the reading I've done.

Aloha, Tim

Courtneyf82:

Hey guys, quick question. So Ive heard it can be problematic to snorkel after diving, is that true? Also, my buddy got bent about a week ago,...

Click to expand...

Well, it wouldn't be problematic after a week. However, if your friend was bent, he shouldn't engage in any pressure-related activity without talking to the hyperbaric doctor that treated him.

Thanks guys i guess no one else wanted to respond? lots of views no comments. Guess its a solo mission this morning

You have two fine answers... what more do you need?

Courtney,

I'm with Rick on recommending an injured diver stay out of the water.

As far as freediving before scuba, there is really no problem from residual CO2. In the normal time it would take you to suit up for a recreational scuba dive, residual CO2 would be gone. In a 3 minute breathe up, a normal freediver is oxygenated enough to make another 1.5 minute breath hold dive.

Kidspot is right about a possible problem with scuba and then freediving or vice versa, that is nitrogen related. Problems have occurred when either activity has been to the extreme.

No training agency, to my knowledge, has made a statement about any acceptable depths or time limits for combining these activities. There is little to no research to look at here.

As an instructor I will make no recommendation.

I will only say that I know many healthy freedivers and scuba divers, that have casually and occasionally been freediving to shallow depths, before or after nonaggressive shallow depth scuba dives, over many decades with no problems.

Can I be more vague or ambiguos?

Chad

There was a good Q&A on this topic in the November issue of Dive Training mag. Here's an a link:

http://www.dtmag.com/11-05-NoDumbQuestions.shtml

As previously stated, nice relaxed surface snorkeling is OK ... free diving or strenuous swimming is not recommended after SCUBA diving.

Snorkling after scuba. no prob.

Freediving after Scuba: look up "Bounce Dive".

It is OK to freedive immediately before going SCUBA diving but no cheating on the deco or ascent rate (this is where 30 fps means something). Regardless, you will have to add a fudge factor, especially if your DC meter or elapsed time is in deco or pushes against the no deco margin-- 10 additional minutes at 15 feet should do it. If using Navy tables suggest you figure Group C as your entry point and follow the calculated bottom time. It is possible to freedive after a SCUBA dive but the maximum depths not to exceed 33 feet. The exercise will speed circulation and blow off N2. The shallow depth is a precaution against various (predicted but unproven) issues.

Both styles of diving are very dehydrating. After freediving, and before going under with a breathing apparatus, drink a quart of Gatorade or suchlike. Dehydration is the real source of accidents in these cases. While the experts scratch their noodle and write obscure equations they overlook the obvious connection of bends causally associated with the two styles of diving.

Sounds like your friend didn't have a serious hit. Freediving after a week's rest would probably have been OK. Just stay in the shallows. Exercise is good therapy.
Pesky

Courtneyf82:

Hey guys, quick question. So Ive heard it can be problematic to snorkel after diving, is that true? Also, my buddy got bent about a week ago, ( I was right next to him the whole time, and I never felt any effects at all...thats another story though.) and I know if he finds out Im going snorkeling tomorrow, he will want to go. Nothing would make me happier than to tell him he can go, but since he is banned from diving for 3 weeks cause of his hit, I dont know if that includes snorkeling, we only dive about 15-20 ft while snorkeling but I feel so incredibly bad about him getting a hit that if anything else happens I will feel totally responsible. So just let me know what you guys think! thanks

Click to expand...

The first question is:

1. Is it possible to have any form of decompression problem from shallow snorkling?

I know this one has been studied a lot, with several groups of people that make their living doing breath holding, underwater work. I remember two different groups (pearl divers and sponge divers) being studied. Been a long time, but the gist was that even the most extreme were not capable of causing any issues.

But there are a couple of other issues here:

2. Is it possible, if one has already been on SCUBA - Would agree with the other posters here and point out that it is some fairly unknown territory. I would believe that deep diving could be and shallow no, but that is not supported by any data that I know of. (although I have seen it done a lot)

3. Should a person, with a recent DCS event, go snorkling? Doubt this has anything to do with number one and two above. Sort of like asking, should a person, who just had the bends, run a marathon? That issue would seem to be a medical issue, which will involve a lot of guessing by someone. Could the increased circulation cause an issue? Could it make things better? Or, one could take the, "lets try and see what happens" approach.

Let the dancing begin, because I'm betting the "real" answer is unknown.