Please tell me about hot water showers after diving.

[luvspoodles]

I have read in lots of places that you should not take a very hot shower after diving. First, why is this (I think it has something to do with enlarged blood vessels)?

Second, how long after diving should I wait to take that hot shower. Is 30 minutes enough, or are we talking hours here? On a California dive boat us wetsuit divers used hot water from a hose thing on the boat to keep us warm between dives. I only used it for a few minutes but it was hot. Please let me know because I love the feel of a hot shower after a dive, but it usually takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the shower after a dive (on a dive vacation). We're going diving in Coz in 2 weeks and I'd like to know so I can keep myself safe. Thanks!

 

[Doc Intrepid]

I have read in lots of places that you should not take a very hot shower after diving. First, why is this (I think it has something to do with enlarged blood vessels)?

Second, how long after diving should I wait to take that hot shower. Is 30 minutes enough, or are we talking hours here? On a California dive boat us wetsuit divers used hot water from a hose thing on the boat to keep us warm between dives. I only used it for a few minutes but it was hot. Please let me know because I love the feel of a hot shower after a dive, but it usually takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the shower after a dive (on a dive vacation). We're going diving in Coz in 2 weeks and I'd like to know so I can keep myself safe. Thanks!

Hi luvs,

I am not a hyperbaric physician, but I suspect that if you're basically doing recreational no-decompression-limit dives, and you are not riding your tables or your computer to the very edge of the limits, you'll be fine with a hot shower or rinse after your dives. Don't worry about it.

There is speculation that hot soaking, as in a hot tub or a long hot shower, may be a precipitating factor for Decompression Illness (DCI). To the best of my knowledge there is no empirical basis in fact to support this hypothesis. In any event, the focus of the hypothesis was on planned decompression diving - not recreational diving.

This guy tends to agree with this opinion:
http://www.scuba-doc.com/prvndcs.htm

In particular, note this sentence:
"There is no good evidence that shows that a hot shower after diving increases the rate of decompression sickness."

There certainly may be a recent study that I'm unaware of, but to the best of my knowledge as a recreational diver you're perfectly safe taking a hot shower after conducting NDL dives.

Regards,

Doc

 

[luvspoodles]

Hi luvs,

I am not a hyperbaric physician, but I suspect that if you're basically doing recreational no-decompression-limit dives, and you are not riding your tables or your computer to the very edge of the limits, you'll be fine with a hot shower or rinse after your dives. Don't worry about it.

There is speculation that hot soaking, as in a hot tub or a long hot shower, may be a precipitating factor for Decompression Illness (DCI). To the best of my knowledge there is no empirical basis in fact to support this hypothesis. In any event, the focus of the hypothesis was on planned decompression diving - not recreational diving.

This guy tends to agree with this opinion:
http://www.scuba-doc.com/prvndcs.htm

In particular, note this sentence:
"There is no good evidence that shows that a hot shower after diving increases the rate of decompression sickness."

There certainly may be a recent study that I'm unaware of, but to the best of my knowledge as a recreational diver you're perfectly safe taking a hot shower after conducting NDL dives.

Regards,

Doc

Thanks for the information. I really enjoyed looking at that website. I wonder how such a myth got started, and why I still hear so many divers mention it on this board? It has actually been mentioned a few times in the past few weeks. How about soaking in the hot tub at night after doing some afternoon dives?

 

[BigJetDriver]

Thanks for the information. I really enjoyed looking at that website. I wonder how such a myth got started, and why I still hear so many divers mention it on this board? It has actually been mentioned a few times in the past few weeks. How about soaking in the hot tub at night after doing some afternoon dives?

Luvs,

The caveat about the hot soak has much to do with deep, decompression dives, with concomitant high inert gas tissue-loading, and almost nothing to do with true NDL recreational diving.

If it were any great problem in the situation you describe, there would be recreational-diver bodies littering the hotel decks in all of the resorts.

No promises can be 100 %, but in the situations you describe, I would not worry about it!

Cheers!

Rob
DMT :doctor:

 

[BigJetDriver]

I have read in lots of places that you should not take a very hot shower after diving. First, why is this (I think it has something to do with enlarged blood vessels)?

Thanks!

P.S.---It has everything to do with increased blood flow, especially from peripheral tissues, but please see above for the answer you really need.

 

[Rick Inman]

Luvs,

The caveat about the hot soak has much to do with deep, decompression dives, with concomitant high inert gas tissue-loading, and almost nothing to do with true NDL recreational diving.

If it were any great problem in the situation you describe, there would be recreational-diver bodies littering the hotel decks in all of the resorts.

No promises can be 100 %, but in the situations you describe, I would not worry about it!

Cheers!

Rob
DMT :doctor:

Gee, thanks! You just cost me $5000.00. Now I have no excuse to get that hot tub I've be eye-balling.

 

[BigJetDriver]

Gee, thanks! You just cost me $5000.00. Now I have no excuse to get that hot tub I've be eye-balling.

:rofl:

No, no you misunderstand this medic's recommendation. The therapeutic effects of hot-tub immersion, physical, psychological, and social, are well documented!

The benfits DEFINITELY outweigh the negatives, and the above discussion dos not CONTRAINDICATE the prescription.

Rx: Take two glasses of wine, a very close friend, and apply hot-tub as needed. No need to call me in the morning. Cheers!

P.S.---Seriously, the only recommendations that I've seen that make any sense are those by Doc Deco. he just says no heavy exercise for a while after heavy deco dives, and wait for a few hours before hitting the hot tub.

R

 

[luvspoodles]

Thank you very much for your replies. So, being that I am certainly not a technical diver, I will not worry about taking those hot showers or hot tubbing!

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello luvspoodles:

Because “bodies are not all over the decks,” we can rightly assume that hot tubs are not all that bad.

Dr Deco :doctor:

 

[Hank49]

Thank you very much for your replies. So, being that I am certainly not a technical diver, I will not worry about taking those hot showers or hot tubbing!

I believe this is written in the PADI AOW manual. Or at least the older ones. Something about more blood being drawn to the skin while hot water is exposed to it and this may trap or form N bubbles instead of the normal flow of blood to be off gassed out your lungs. I don't know how much truth there is in it though.