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i know that it is definitly not what should be done.
but i have one of my open water courses tonight, and im still a bit stuffed up. As long as i don't take any decongestants, and im only in about 10 feet of water, do i still have to worry about reverse blocks? I have a feeling that yeah i still have something to worry about, but i can't really miss the class. what should i do?
i know that it is definitly not what should be done.
but i have one of my open water courses tonight, and im still a bit stuffed up. As long as i don't take any decongestants, and im only in about 10 feet of water, do i still have to worry about reverse blocks? I have a feeling that yeah i still have something to worry about, but i can't really miss the class. what should i do?
As an instructor I wouldn't let you in the pool to pass the cold on to my other students.
There are many things in life that "aren't fair" and this is one of 'em. Buy a makeup session.
Rick
"You can have peace, or you can have Freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." (Heinlein)
"... they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep." (Ps107:24)
i know that it is definitly not what should be done.
but i have one of my open water courses tonight, and im still a bit stuffed up. As long as i don't take any decongestants, and im only in about 10 feet of water, do i still have to worry about reverse blocks? I have a feeling that yeah i still have something to worry about, but i can't really miss the class. what should i do?
I don't know, nor do I want to tell you what to do. But I have dived with colds. Not the most pleasant thing to do and can be painful. If I were in a pool and it is not too deep and as long as I can clear my ears..... a dive to 60ft would be a different matter
Forget whether *you* can dive with a cold without discomfort to *yourself.*
Colds are contageous.
Scuba is a buddy sport.
They don't go together.
(Solo diving's a different matter... as long as you're confident your performance isn't degraded and you can clear, have at it if you're a competent "solo diver." *This is not an endorsement of solo diving*)
Rick
"You can have peace, or you can have Freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." (Heinlein)
"... they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep." (Ps107:24)
I second what Rick says. Do a make-up session on another day.
You definitely don't want to make the whole class sick. Make the class sick and they'll be mad at you, and won't want to buddy with you anymore! And further more, you don't want to damage your ears or sinuses by *trying* to dive while you're congested. Damage your ears or sinuses and you'll be out for several classes... not just one.
You don't have anything in your profile to tell us where you are . . . But if you're at home, and doing the class through a shop, they should be able to arrange a make-up session for you, even if it means you perhaps won't finish with your original class. Colds are common, and dive shops/instructors will have run into this before.
There are a lot of reasons not to attend class with an active cold. Your instructors won't be pleased with you if you give it to them! I've never liked being sick, myself, but since I started diving, I've come to view colds as visitations from the devil himself. Also, when you are sick, you don't think very well, which is not a good condition in which to try to learn new things. Finally, you are at risk for significant barotrauma, both to your ears and to your sinuses.
""Hanging in trim" is frustrating beyond words if your only option is to use sheer determination to overcome physics." (lowviz)
My dive journal can be read here, and a current dive blog HERE
Okay, you've heard all our opinions. Want to know what the science is? http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/ www.divematrix.com
I think that many divers know what they can do and can't do. A mild cold or mild allergy will keep some out of the water. But a few, with anomalous gigantuant sinuses and eustachian tube can probably dive without any ear squeeze or sinus squeezes.
It doesn't take much of a cold to plug up my left ear, and so I never dive if my allergy is bad or if I have a mild cold. I am sure that some will say a sudafed will take care of it, but it is not worth the risk.
That's akin to a "mild tornado" or a "small hurricane" ain't it? I'm with TS&M... colds are "visitations from the devil himself."
Stay away from me when you have one.
Rick
"You can have peace, or you can have Freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." (Heinlein)
"... they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep." (Ps107:24)
"You can have peace, or you can have Freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." (Heinlein)
"... they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep." (Ps107:24)
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Originally Posted by Ingolf
And further more, you don't want to damage your ears or sinuses by *trying* to dive while you're congested. Damage your ears or sinuses and you'll be out for several classes... not just one. 
