Drinking the Night before a dive

[WVRICK]

I start my Cert on Tuesday and plan on making several dives before I go on the cruise in Novemeber.


How is it a stupid question? I dont plan on going diving while drunk that is stupid. I am wondering if I should drink at all for 24 hours before I go diving or if a few sctochs is ok. I know it takes about an hour for the affects of alcohol to wear off thats why they say 1 beer per hour or 1 oz hard liqour per hour.

I just want to know what is suggested if I will be diving around 10am should I stop drinking at 10pm regardless of if I have just 1 or 5 or nothing for atleast 24 hours.

---------- Post added July 12th, 2013 at 02:44 PM ----------



Thanks for the info but this doesnt answer my question. I am not going to be drinking while diving. I am just wondering if I want to enjoy a few scotchs the day before while on vacation if I should stop at a certain time.

There is a big difference between a few scotches and a lot of scotches. A few (like 3) over a couple of hours shouldn't be an issue. But this needs to be looked at in perspective you will be a newly certified diver with no muscle memory and tuned reactions in place. In this instance your safety depends on you being at your best. If you drink enough to slow your reaction time and clear thought the next day you are risking your life and maybe that of your buddy. Try to find a balance that helps you have a good time in the evening and on the dive. If you don't feel 100% call the dive.

 

[jrasch]

That seems like reasonable advice to me albeit some will consider it on the 'sporty' side




It was a stupid question because you didn't provide any parameters before. I guess your real question is "how many drinks can I have before diving the next day" and even that is vague because as most people know the effects of alcohol will vary according to metabolism, weight, sex, food consumption and various other factors.

I guess what you're really asking is how much is it safe to drink the night before diving, again that will vary depending on your personal circumstances - you'll get different answers ranging from nothing within 24/12 hours to whatever people's personal idea of safety is.

Since you mentioned 1 hour/standard drink you obviously have some concept of that, although the fact that you mispelled 'scotch' twice leads me to think you should be asking how long you should wait between drinking and posting on scubaboard

My standard answer would be 12 hours, but it depends how much and what you are drinking, and if you're a new diver then erring on the safe side will make it a more enjoyable experience - puking through a reg is NOT fun, believe me I know

Yes I did miss spell Scotch trouble with talking to customer trying to work and post on the board at the same time.

I don't think parameters would help. As you said everyone is different and what you are drinking affects you differently as well.

Thank you for the answer or 12 hours, That seems to be common from the others that responded and as you mentioned I will err on the safe side.

 

[TSandM]

Here is a link to a blood alcohol calculator: Toronto criminal lawyer for impaired driving

I see no reason to insist on a 24 hour period of abstinence before diving. I do think it's quite possible to drink enough before midnight to have a detectable blood alcohol level at 8 am, if you are in practice. It's also true that sleep you get while under the influence is not good quality sleep, so you are going to be dehydrated and tired, and have a bloodstream full of acetaldehyde (the metabolic product of ethanol) which makes you feel crummy, if you drank a lot the night before. None of that is going to make you a better diver.

My advice, for what it's worth, is to keep the drinking the night before moderate -- 2 to 3 max -- and finish up before midnight if you are going out on a morning dive.

 

[Tortuga68]

I don't think parameters would help. As you said everyone is different and what you are drinking affects you differently as well.

Thank you for the answer or 12 hours, That seems to be common from the others that responded and as you mentioned I will err on the safe side.

The parameters would help as they would include your age, sex, weight, what you ate, how much ou drank and what you drank... anyway there are blood-alcohol calculators online (some accurate, some not) which you could plug that into to get some idea of the residual alcohol that will be in your system

Having said that, BAC is not the be all or end all of a safe, fun dive

12 (or 24 or whatever) hours are just general guidelines... they do not guarantee safety or comfort. As a new diver I would highly recommend you abstain the night before your first dives, not because it can't be done but just because you will enjoy it more if you're fresh

I'm not a teetotaller by any stretch but there's a difference between knowing what you can tolerate & still have a fun, functional safe dive, and jumping in the water with no idea other than what some people on the internet said might work or works for them

I hope you'll take that on board and enjoy your vacation

---------- Post added July 13th, 2013 at 03:29 AM ----------

I see no reason to insist on a 24 hour period of abstinence before diving....My advice, for what it's worth, is to keep the drinking the night before moderate -- 2 to 3 max -- and finish up before midnight if you are going out on a morning dive

That's quite different (less conservative) than what I've seen you post before

 

[toddthecat]

I would say if you have to be asking the question in the first place, then you probably should just not drink if it is such a concern. It seems most of the time if you are questioning performing an action, then it's best not to do it. That's just coming from an ex-LEO so take what you will from it.

 

[beester]

I'm drinking a glas of fine south-african merlot right now, and will be doing 2 north sea wreckdives tomorrow. Counting wine with dinner that makes 2 glasses.

To be honest this amount of alcohol will have less effect tomorrow on the boat than the fact that I could only get 4 hours of sleep in (need to get up at 3:30 in the morning). As a matter of fact, since I need to go to bed in an hour, it will help me get to sleep, although I am aware that the quality of sleep will be less. Of course your mileage may vary.

Does this mean you should get stupidly drunk, of course not. It would make my dives un-safer (subjective feeling) but mostly it would make it alot less fun. Think about it... you may be on holiday so of course you should relax and have fun, on the other hand you probably have paid alot of money to do these dives... why potentially ruin your enjoyment of them because of alcohol?

 

[divingpyrate]

good example why so many people lurk but dont post here
There are a lot of online forums where people learning to dive can ask noob questions without some barnacles crack calling the stupid
Way to go @ss

Why is the rum always gone

 

[Tortuga68]

I didn't see anyone call the OP stupid, just that their question was stupid, for reasons which were explained fairly thoroughly

I did see you call someone an ass and a barnacle's crack though... Pot, meet kettle

 

[Lorenzoid]

For me, diving any less than around 18 hours after heavy-ish drinking (say, five or more drinks) seems to exacerbate narcosis. If I know I'm going to be partying heavily, I just don't dive the next day, or at least I keep it shallow and late in the day--I will not dive the next morning. But if I have only two or three of glasses or wine or beer with dinner, as I typically do, then I give myself around 12 hours like airline pilots do.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I don't see why anyone would drink a lot of anything on vacation? You can do that at home and not worry about how stupid you were. A vacation it seems is to relax and enjoy a different place. So why drink a lot when all that is going to do is help not remember the vacation? I used to drink. But nevef when I went away. Guess that's why I only remember the three weeks in Boston in 1980 when I was there. And that's all of that year I remember.
If I know someone was drinking to excess the night before. No matter how they are in the morning I feel safer diving solo. And will do so. They can take their chances with someone else. I won't be responsible for them. Or watch out for them.

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