Bloody Nose At Depth?

[shotthebreeze]

Has anyone ever had a bloody nose at depth? What causes bloody noses; the pressure or other factors? How do you go about stopping it?

Sorry for all the questions, lol. One of my friends had a bloody nose at about 70 feet.

 

[Coelacanth]

Is it just a little blood in the mask when you surface or a noticeable flow while diving?

 

[ruready7]

I had blood tinged snot (for better word) after coming up from about 40-45ft. I figured it was from blowing too hard trying clear my ears. Only happened once and since then I have blown softer.

 

[Gombessa]

It's happened to one of my buddies before, we agree with the diagnosis above. He did spend the entire surface kick back saying "I wonder if I have the bends," to which I replied "probably just AGE."

 

[blownsvtlightning]

It's happened to one of my buddies before, we agree with the diagnosis above. He did spend the entire surface kick back saying "I wonder if I have the bends," to which I replied "probably just AGE."

I had nose bleeds when I would get really hot, ie. while playing sports when I was a kid, I have not had one in some time. will be interesting to see how the pressure affects it.

 

[XXXL]

If it is only a little bit in the bottom of the mask, it is usually caused by pinching your nose too hard when you are trying to equalize.
After several dives you should find that it will decrease & the more diving you do it will get better.
Try not to squeeze the nose too hard when equalizing & it will help.

 

[goldenbear01]

also make sure your nostrils are clean before you squeeze. if you have dried and hardened mucus built up along the insides of your nostrils, it's possible that by pinching your nostrils, you could cause an inadvertent abrasion to the tender skin on the inside of your nostril, which could result in rupturing the capillaries located therein. in other words, pick your nose before diving! :ssst:

 

[fisheater]

The hyper-dry air from the tank can also cause minor bloody mucous.

 

[scubadiver888]

Has anyone ever had a bloody nose at depth? What causes bloody noses; the pressure or other factors? How do you go about stopping it?

Sorry for all the questions, lol. One of my friends had a bloody nose at about 70 feet.

The important thing is what kind of bloody nose. Coelacanth asked what kind of bloody nose because it makes a difference.

If it is just a little blood in your snot then your buddy probably didn't clear his ears properly. As you descend you want to constantly clear your ears. If you can feel pressure in your ears you are not clearing quickly enough. You should clear them BEFORE you start feeling the pressure. If I go to clear my ears and I feel a little pressure I do not force it. Instead I'll pop up a foot, clear and come back down. A technique that works for me is to pinch my nose, blow then swallow. I do this over and over again as I'm going down. Usually once I'm below 40' I don't have to do it as often.

If on the other hand it was a flowing stream of blood, my first guess would be a dry nose or a sinus infection. If he/she had a sinus infection they'd know it. In addition to the blood nose they'd feel REALLY crappy; tapping on the cheekbone will be REALLY painful. See a doctor if you suspect a sinus infection.

The air in a tank is VERY dry. If you are not well hydrated the lack of air could make things worse. My regs breath wet when I'm upside down so I'll actually go upside down once or twice in a dive just to keep my mouth wet. I also get a little water in my mask. I don't clear it if it is just a few drops; this probably helps keep my nasal cavity moist.

 

[Rhone Man]

Yes, reverse squeeze can easily cause a nose bleed, but that should only happen when you start to ascend. When I was younger (and less experienced) this used to happen to me quite a bit when diving whilst stuffy.

The other possibility is that you might get nose bleeds if you have been hitting the nose candy too hard.