When Are You too Sick to Dive?

I had to cancel on a dive today, all because I am sick :depressed:

I only have a cold, mostly my throat though it does make my ears hurt. Even then I was debating which drugs would help keep ears clear (not feeling any congestion but it doesn't mean it isn't there). What was my downfall is realizing that I have barely been eating because I feel so crappy. If I can't even eat 1000 calories a day how am I in any shape to be able to dive? I finally came to my senses and decided to sit this one out.

It made me wonder, how does everyone tell when they are too sick to dive? Any particular symptoms that make you sit a dive out or just general not feeling well?

You are too sick to dive when diving will not be enjoyable for you, or when your illness creates problems for others, or when you pose a risk to yourself or others. If you sit out a dive, you can always dive again later. If you don't, maybe not.

Discretion is the better part of valor.

Hi Melanie, I was always told that if I even felt a bit off colour or tired I should think twice about diving. What might seem minor at the surface could develop into something dangerous for the dive at depth.

As far as taking medicines or decongestants before diving I was always told this is an absolute no. In the same way pressure affects oxygen levels and so on in your blood it can affect how medicines react with you, and could have unexpected and disasterous consequences when diving.

Also I think many decongestants work by dehydrating the mucus mebranes to reduce the congestion, diving on air which is dryer than normal air also dehydrates you so I would have thought it could lead to a very uncomfortable dive. Worst case for decongestion I guess would be the affects wearing off during the dive, getting congested at depth and a reverse block of the sinusses or cranial cavities on ascent which would be painful at least and possibly lead to a mask full of blood.

I dive around my work so am often fitting it in when I am tired, but if I suspect anything other than plain tiredness I won't dive. There is always another day. Best wishes - P

Mike gave some good decision points, but it isn't that simple.

First, some background. I get seasick. Scopolomine patches have been a God Send, but I still occasionally feed the fishes .

On my Advanced Wreck cert dives a week ago, I tossed cookies a couple of times, but went with the dives. After all, I always feel better once I get below the waves.

On Sunday, that didn't seem to work that well. My thought processes were foggy, and I felt kind of weak and like I was moving through cool molasses. But I always feel better under water, right?

Not this time. While I did okay on my drills, I took a lot longer to execute. It seemed like I couldn't get enough to breathe, so occasionally, I'd take a really deep breath and my buoyancy went to hell. When I got out, I had a serious 'come to Jesus' meeting with myself. The bottom line is that while I did not know what was going on, I was NOT normal.

That right there was the cue to thumb the final dive. I didn't want to do it, I didn't like doing it, but I was NOT Normal!

So, I learned something. I rarely get sick more than once on Scopolomine, but I got sick a few times that trip. It was not normal. I recommend, if you are not normal, call the dive. The water will always be there.

Or, the book answer - Any diver can call any dive at any time. Period. If something is just not right, call it.

Jax:

Mike gave some good decision points, but it isn't that simple.

First, some background. I get seasick. Scopolomine patches have been a God Send, but I still occasionally feed the fishes .

Click to expand...

You know, if you can hold off till you're under water, this will make you very popular with the fish...



Otherwise, +1 to everything Jax and Mike said above. You just have to use your judgement.

Dirty-Dog:

You know, if you can hold off till you're under water, this will make you very popular with the fish...

Click to expand...

This is SO true, but makes my dive buddy uneasy!

Dirty-Dog:

You know, if you can hold off till you're under water, this will make you very popular with the fish...

Click to expand...

Jax:

This is SO true, but makes my dive buddy uneasy!

Click to expand...

Just point out that chumming is better than the Warhammer...

Oh, before we go toooo far off-topic. . . it turns out that last weekend was just the beginning. I was out for a solid five days. So, you have to know yourself, and if you are not normal, don't do the dives.

For me, there are two questions. CAN I do this dive? And SHOULD I do this dive?

"Can" is whether whatever is going on with me will just plain permit the dive. Bad diarrhea and dry suit = no dive. Inability to clear means no dive. If I can't kick, or can't get out of the water, or the gear hurts to wear, I can't dive.

"Should" is more subjective, and is a matter of comparing my capacity to the challenges of the dive in question. A big one for me is whether I feel muzzy-headed, as I often do when viremic at the beginning of an illness. If my brain is significantly fuzzy, I shouldn't be underwater. If I'm at all dizzy, I won't dive, because I get vertigo very easily underwater. If I've got some minor injury or something else that's painful and the dive is simple, no problem. But we have learned that even minor discomforts affect how well you can process your environment, so even a minor problem will keep me out of a cave.

If the decision isn't clear, I try very hard to make it in the direction of being conservative. It isn't always easy, especially when it's one of the only tech dives you're going to get to do on a trip to the Red Sea, but under par is under par, no matter how far you traveled or how much you spent to get there, and it's better to sit at home and regret the dive you didn't do, than to regret the dive you did.

Great thoughts so far.

I think my decision really ties into what TSandM and Jax mentioned. I am sure I COULD have done the dive safely - I did end up doing a 5km run today just fine. But really, I SHOULDNT have tried, I didn't feel right, just not like me at all. I mean, if I am turning down chocolate something is obviously not right with this girl

I have still gone diving when exhausted, hungover, sick or whatever, but even then I didn't feel so "off" as I have been with this cold. My head may be functioning ok up here but glad I stuck with my gut and didn't try to dive feeling like this.