Is fatigue a possible effect after my first 4 dives?

[shara]

I just completed my first 4 dives for my open water certification. I am of very good health and condition. Is fatigue a possible side effect of beginning diving? I am very tired today and completed my dives yesterday.

[ScubaRyan]

Yup! Completely normal!

[SurDo2]

I'm always smoked after a day of diving. It's normal.

[RoatanMan]

I'm always smoked after a day of diving. It's normal.

Smoking and diving? That was in another thread. Bad idea.

If you're tired, you should switch to nitrox. I hear it'll make you perk right up.

[luckydays]

I think he means smoked as in exhausted.

Yes, I am always tired after a dive day. Doesn't matter if I did one dive or 5. I can sleep like a baby after a dive.

[Noboundaries]

Nitrogen off-gassing, the sleep-aid of champions.

[drbill]

Yes, perfectly normal. I often nap after an intensive day of diving. If you're out in warm sun that can further drain you.

She'll need to finish OW cert before she can get the Nitrox cert.

[Mr Carcharodon]

Fatigue can be a result of physical exertion during the dive which includes the energy expended to keep warm. It can also be a mild symptom of decompression sickness. Likely at level where there will be no lasting harm. Rapid ascents, which are typical of new divers, can cause bubbles. It has been suggested that the bubbles can trigger an immune response which results in fatigue. Another good reason to keep your dives shallow until you have a complete handle on your buoyancy control. You can test this for yourself by doing a 3 to 5 minute stop between 10 and 20 fsw and then taking 1 to 2 minutes to gradually work yourself to the surface. See if there is less fatigue in that sort of gradual ascent.

[M2]

I'm young and still get really tired after diving. It's 100% normal! I've realized that I'm normally more tired after deep and/or multiple dives. Nitrox sometimes helps but sometimes I don't notice a difference at all. One nice this is it extends my bottom time especially when I have to dive tables for school.

[Web Monkey]

I just completed my first 4 dives for my open water certification. I am of very good health and condition. Is fatigue a possible side effect of beginning diving? I am very tired today and completed my dives yesterday.

First, if you did 4 dives in one day for your SCUBA certification, it was a violation of your agency's standards and it's no surprise that you're tired. That's a lot of diving, especially when you're new. If you only did two dives and are tired, there are things you can look into.

You should be able to improve how you feel by making sure that you control your ascent rate during the dive, and ascend very slowly for the last 30', and especially for the last 15'. Taking a whole minute to get from 15' to the surface wouldn't be too slow.

Staying well-hydrated also helps, as does proper weighting and trim, and being relaxed while you dive.

Many people feel that Nitrox also helps a lot, although I'd recommend waiting until you're certain about your buoyancy control before switching to Nitrox, since diving with it requires that to don't exceed the maximum depth for the mix you're breathing.

In any case, you're not alone. When I first started diving, I actually had to pull off the road on the way home because I was falling asleep in the car.

Terry