Newbie question about breathing underwater

[krakow007]

Hi All. I went for an introductory scuba diving session in the pool yesterday and got hooked. The divemaster got us to breathe underwater while going to a max depth of about 16 - 20 feet. I have a question about post diving breathing experiences. I found that I had what was called "cotton mouth" from breathing the dry oxygen from the regulator. The instructor advised me to have 8 oz of water and I had it but after a couple of hrs. In the meantime since yesterday my throats been feeling hoarse / scratchy (the way you feel during a throat infection). Is that normal ? I also drank water occasionally as I was learning to take my regulator off and put it back on. Is this kind of dry throat feeling normal or should I worry. ? Any insights / advice is appreciated. Thanks for your time.

 

[stefo2]

Getting a dry mouth and throat from breathing the dry air (it's compressed air, not oxygen) and breathing only through your mouth is quite normal, you also get dehydrated easily, so drinking some water after diving is definetely a good idea.
The fact that that dry / sore feeling is still there could mean that you are in fact getting a throat infection / cold - breathing dry air (like in heated or air-conditioned rooms) makes it easier for viruses to attack your membranes...

 

[ScubaTexan]

It's normal for a new diver, but it will get better as you dive more and more. Actually, I've experienced cotton-mouth in the midst of scuba diving. What I usually do is exhale, take my regulator out of my mouth, let a little water in to moisten my mouth, spit it out and replace my regulator. Obviously, chlorinated water is not going to taste very good, but freshwater is not so bad.

 

[DandyDon]

Noticed it when I was new, but not after I got into diving. Two things probably happened to prevent it from happening again...

(1) My body acclimated to the experience - and it's wonder how adaptable our bodies can be; and

(2) I exaggerated my fluid intakes, not waiting until I was thirsty.

 

[Mo2vation]

Hi All. I went for an introductory scuba diving session in the pool yesterday and got hooked.

Drymouth is normal for some people. My wife gets is sometimes. I just don't. Some regulators market themselves as regs that combat drymouth. Some companies sell stuff (like humidifiers, of all things) that are supposed to combat drymouth. I remain very skeptical of these devices.

When it happens. We deal. We're divers.

Now, on to the good stuff: Tell us more about your intro dive!!! An intro dive is how I got started - its how a lot of us recieved our first exposure to Scuba.

I took my sister on one - she was a natural. Swim Team and general water comfort aside, It just clicked for her. She doesn't have the passion, so she's not currently diving. But she got it.

My brother in law, just the opposite. So Cal surfer, water guy, confident, etc. Went thru the orientation, got in the gear, hit the water and was out in about 2 minutes... it just wasn't for him.

Isn't it cool...the whole breathing underwater thing? I mean, you breathe in, and its just sort of there. Its effortless (the gas delivery.) I don't know what I expected, but I remember being surprised. After 11 years of Swim Team and 35 years of swimming and general ocean play, it was just the coolest thing to sort of breathe in underwater the first time.

Tell us more.

Enjoy the journey.

Welcome to Scubaboard.

K

 

[saying]

What I usually do is exhale, take my regulator out of my mouth, let a little water in to moisten my mouth, spit it out and replace my regulator.

I almost drowned laughing one day when my regular buddy (entirely, heretofor, a freshwater diver) did this on his first NC wreck dive.

 

[Tekk Diver]

Nothing beats diving in a fresh water spring in Florida..(when it comes to cottonmouth). That water you can actually take a sip of.. 72 degrees and quite refreshing after a long cave/cavern exploration.

 

[DiveSurgeon]

Drink drink drink.

Compressed air from the tank is at 0% humidity. This done to protect the interior of the tanks from corrosion. By the time the air reaches your lower windpipe you have moisturized it to 100% humidity. The air you exhale is at 100% - all your moisture - hence you are contributing in a small way to the water!

Water loss on scuba is higher than say a land based activity because of this. Add to that the little hyperventilation we do, and we really lose some fluid over the course of a dive.

In addition, kidney filtration gets a little more robust at depth so we lose more that way.

The solution is to drink plenty of water before & after. This helps avoid cotton mouth and post dive sore throats. Dehydration is also a pre-disposing risk to DCS - so drink up!!!

 

[Diver0001]

Hi All. I went for an introductory scuba diving session in the pool yesterday and got hooked. The divemaster got us to breathe underwater while going to a max depth of about 16 - 20 feet. I have a question about post diving breathing experiences. I found that I had what was called "cotton mouth" from breathing the dry oxygen from the regulator. The instructor advised me to have 8 oz of water and I had it but after a couple of hrs. In the meantime since yesterday my throats been feeling hoarse / scratchy (the way you feel during a throat infection). Is that normal ? I also drank water occasionally as I was learning to take my regulator off and put it back on. Is this kind of dry throat feeling normal or should I worry. ? Any insights / advice is appreciated. Thanks for your time.

It's unusual for that feeling to persist. Perhaps you're getting a cold or something.

R..

 

[mogwai]

I seem to suffer on occasion from the opposite effect. At times, depending on the regs and mouthpieces i use i have too much fluid (spit, saliva call it what you like) and actually have to swallow to clear my mouth, no jokes please this is a clean board Anyone else get this, is it unusual. Still learning evertime i go out and finding out new stuff. Got 27 dives done and notice this effect quite often at the moment.