Diving in Sulfur....ok?

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rob.mwpropane

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Good day all, I searched sulfur but could only come up with threads about diving down to the sulfur layer. Went diving last night and buddy and I both could distinctly smell / taste sulfur near the bottom. I just want to make sure this isn't a health hazard?

I noticed it last time, but wrote it off as I had just had sinus surgery (and sometimes after surgery my nose lies), but after last night I'm certain there's a "rotten egg smell". And was confirmed by buddy.

I guess a little water gets in the mask and from there the smell / taste is pretty evident. If I didn't know better, I'd say my gas started to taste like sulfur (that's what it felt like anyway, best way to describe it), but I know that's not true, it just must have been the residual left in my mask / nose.

Anybody have anything to say? Dangerous or not?

Thanks!
 
Good day all, I searched sulfur but could only come up with threads about diving down to the sulfur layer. Went diving last night and buddy and I both could distinctly smell / taste sulfur near the bottom. I just want to make sure this isn't a health hazard?

I noticed it last time, but wrote it off as I had just had sinus surgery (and sometimes after surgery my nose lies), but after last night I'm certain there's a "rotten egg smell". And was confirmed by buddy.

I guess a little water gets in the mask and from there the smell / taste is pretty evident. If I didn't know better, I'd say my gas started to taste like sulfur (that's what it felt like anyway, best way to describe it), but I know that's not true, it just must have been the residual left in my mask / nose.

Anybody have anything to say? Dangerous or not?

Thanks!
There's a cave or two in Florida that has the same. Rinse you're stuff off thoroughly and you're fine. Probably best not to drink it.
 
There's a cave or two in Florida that has the same. Rinse you're stuff off thoroughly and you're fine. Probably best not to drink it.

The top 35' or 40' does not have it, it's just down lower. I try not to drink quarry water...but stuff happens!:D...jk

Is it bad for gear? I do not get smell or taste in the top and we end our dives playing with the fish. None of the gear has a funk when coming out.
 
just don't inhale any.
 
Interesting question. My guess is there is a lot of hydrogen sulfide in the mud from decaying detritus, though it could be some other source. Hydrogen sulfide is poisonous - but usually harmless in the quantities we experience smelling marsh gas. I believe we go "nose blind" to it at higher concentrations, making it dangerous. But who knows what would happen at high partial pressures underwater. Probably not nearly enough to hurt you since you're already doing what hazmat teams do to protect themselves from toxic gas - wearing goggles and breathing off a tank of pure air.

If your tank air smells, that's a different story, do not breathe air fills that have any smell.
 
If your tank air smells, that's a different story, do not breathe air fills that have any smell.

It's for sure the quarry water not the tank air, but that's what it "feels" like. Like the gas has sulfur in it.

I do not feel dizzy / lightheaded / etc, or anything, just wanted to confirm and get others input. And lets be honest, the bottom is 43F, we don't stay down to terribly long anyway. Most of the interesting stuff is at the top 30'.
 
We have sulfur pools here that people go to bath in, there is also a sulfur rich mud that people rub against their skin because its (supposedly) healthy for your skin.

As long as you don't breath high concentrations of it you should be completely fine, just rinse your gear very thoroughly after.
 
We have sulfur pools here that people go to bath in, there is also a sulfur rich mud that people rub against their skin because its (supposedly) healthy for your skin.

As long as you don't breath high concentrations of it you should be completely fine, just rinse your gear very thoroughly after.

Just out of curiosity, what damage (if any) could it do to gear...do you know, or is the rinse just to get the smell out?
 
Just out of curiosity, what damage (if any) could it do to gear...do you know, or is the rinse just to get the smell out?

In terms of actual damage I have no clue but I can tell you that the stench is very hard to get rid of if you don't wash it properly.

I believe it can also stain if left to dry
 
In terms of actual damage I have no clue but I can tell you that the stench is very hard to get rid of if you don't wash it properly.

I believe it can also stain if left to dry

Gotcha. Yeah, it's all down the bottom. I don't smell / taste anything above 40'. Gear doesn't smell at all coming out. The quarry itself has no odor whatsoever when near it.
 

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