Freediving while pregnant?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

KellyAsh

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Messages
109
Reaction score
16
Location
Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
# of dives
I'm a Fish!
I know pregnant women shouldn't dive due to pressure issues and the baby but what about freediving? Is there a depth that is safe for a pregnant women to freedive to or is even 2 ATAs too much?
 
Hi Kelly,

It's the breathing of a compressed gas at depth that is the worry here.

The depths involved in recreational freediving would appear to pose no major concern as long as the pregnant individual does not sustain any dive-related injuries that have possible consequences for her health and thereby that of the fetus, e.g., pulmonary barotrauma.

However, before engaging in freediving it would be prudent to contact Divers Alert Network

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.
 
Last edited:
Hello KellyAsh :

Free diving and Pregnancy

Congratulations on your pregnancy! [This is from a father of four.] Remember that diving will always be there after your delivery. It is recommended to wait.

I believe that DAN recommends against this form of diving. Gas loading is probably minimal to 30 fsw, but there are other issues. Should your new baby have some defect, you would wonder through its whole life if your actions caused this; it is a terrible burden to bear.

Dr Deco :doctor:
 
I know pregnant women shouldn't dive due to pressure issues and the baby but what about freediving? Is there a depth that is safe for a pregnant women to freedive to or is even 2 ATAs too much?

Considering that you're in the process of producing a new human, who could easily live 80+ years, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to take any additional risks that are purely recreational.

A lifetime of "what if" really sucks.

flots.
 
Free diving has some risk factors regardless. People pass out and drown. I have no idea how common this is, but common enough for them to do more research. I think snorkeling would be fine, just do not do much breath hold submersion. 9 months is not long to wait. Take up photography!
 
Thanks for the responses. I've flatly stated she will be doing no free diving while pregnant before I posted this question but told her I would ask a doctor about it. You see, she's an addict. She's addicted to compressed air at depth. I think the withdrawals she's experiencing is clouding her judgement. Personally, I think she's huffing my tanks while I'm at school but that's not the issue here. I will show here your responses so she'll stop asking if she can freedive and other questions like, "what if I stay above 20 ft?", and "why not", lol. Thanks againn ya'll.
 
Hey Kelly,Then make sure she doesn't find out that well-known freediver Maria-Teresa Solomons routinely dove while pregnant. On one occasion, she went >50-meters. Ended up with a perfectly healthy baby. It's an individual decision.Regards,DocVikingoThis is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.
 
She can freedive vicariously throught his Maria Teresa girl then if she wants to do something. She likes to dream about flying and such so maybe she can dream about freediving and scuba diving until we have the baby.
 
If Maria-Teresa Solomons jumped off a bridge...

But seriously, would it be prudent for a pregnant woman to subject her developing fetus to the hypoxia and hypercapnia encountered in extreme/competitive free diving? It's never been studied in humans, but I'm not sure I'd advise making a guinea pig of an unborn child.

Best regards,
DDM
 

Back
Top Bottom