Did anyone ever inhale water through the nose while diving by accident?

[Texasguy]

I never did but I did think of consequences of such action. While it is not precise to speculate what can happen, I can only judge from memory what happened when I was learning to swim in my youth.

To me it seems that the water entry will first feel as a difference in temperature, probably cold, even in warm waters.
Depending on salt or fresh water, one would feel either a sting from salt or a smell of fresh water
Then comes realization that you just inhaled water
The next water pushes on some nerves that autonomous nervous system triggers a gargling effect
Based on control and shock from pain and unexpectedness, one might lose senses and will start to inhale water even more
If a regulator is in the mouth, there might be a spasm of inhaling air from the mouth and water from the nose
Unless such uncontrolled body response is suppressed, one can be considered to be effectively drowing
Probably, any reasoning how to reach the surface will be unavailable at this point

What do you think. Could one recover?

 

[TMHeimer]

Interesting medical question. Of course there is also the situation of hours later dying from "secondary drowning". Needless to say, one is not ready to dive if there is a chance this may happen. I guess one could pass the no mask breathing/swimming skills in OW and then for some reason panic upon loosing a mask on a subsequent dive. I never gave it any thought.

 

[RJP]

[h=2]

Did anyone ever inhale water through the nose while diving by accident?[/h]

I've never BEEN diving by accident.

 

[uncfnp]

Sure. My mask isn't perfect and sometimes it leaks. Sometimes a little water stays in the nasal pocket even after I clear the mask. Sure it can be unpleasant but the only risk would be a rare infection from bacterial or protozoa. Ever heard of a Neti Pot?

Is Rinsing Your Sinuses Safe?

 

[highdesert]

To the OP: Are you still diving, and if so, why?

 

[Texasguy]

To the OP: Are you still diving, and if so, why?

Because it is cheaper than golf.

 

[TSandM]

The results of inhaling water will vary with the amount of water, and the person, and possibly the day. I have a friend who forgot to purge a regulator when putting it back in, who developed laryngospasm from the water he inhaled, and thought he was going to die -- he was in a cave, and way too far from the entry to get to the surface before bad things would happen from not breathing. On the other hand, I have inhaled water (not through my nose, though) and choked and coughed and cleared my airway and gone about my business.

I do not think at all that inhaling some water through your nose is an unrecoverable issue.

 

[KenGordon]

While doing my CCR course I had water go up my nose on a couple of dives. It was quite unpleasant and I called the dive - although changed my mind and continued with skills before we got out. I spent some time with eater dripping from my nose and I'd swear that I sloshed when I moved my head.

I didn't breath it in, I think it was pushed in when I messed up my loop volume, so not the same as actively breathing in, and not enough to make me gag. Unpleasant though - this was sea water, but warm.

 

[descent]

I have had the living daylights beaten out of me on many surf exits, as a diver and as a surface swimmer.

On several occasions over the years, embarrassing amounts of sea water have come gurgling down out of my sinuses and onto whatever was in front of me, sometimes many hours after leaving the water.

Usually this happened while I was writing at a desk. Once it happened in the middle of a final exam, forcing me to move all of my teeny little pencil marks onto a new (dry) scantron sheet.

Did I recover after flooding my nasal passageways while working? Fairly well. I can see how people do drown under similar circumstances.

 

[UserNameBella]

I've had it happen while removing and replacing a mask. I was still able to keep on going, but I was super pissed off which may have been me panicking a little from the sensation of cool stinging seawater entering my nose. I sneezed a few seconds after the water went up my nose while the mask was about halfway cleared, further complicating the situation and pushing a little more salt water up my nose, and further angering me. Then I continued with clearing the mask and sneezed again into the fully cleared mask and went on with my dive. It was a little scary, as I had only about ten dives at the time and was just trying to practice some skills. The DM and my perma buddy saw all this and were amused, which further pissed me off. Aside from some underwater anger I was fine and probably won't feel so panicky/pissy next time it happens.