0
Shotgun

Scuba - anyone ever have any major problems?

Recommended Posts

Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote

and dive laguana regually



Where is that?

If I like it, I'll probably go for the advanced stuff, but I'm not even sure if I'll like it yet (though I think I will!). And the night stuff sounds really cool...


This d is my one recommendation to all people who SCUBA, if you plan on doing it as a Hobby PLEASE get certified to at LEAST Advanced divers cert. PREFERABLY to Rescue Diver Cert.

PADI courses are not what they once were:|


Amen to that Rescue isnt just for the people you dive with it's for you as well!

P= put
A=another
D=dollar
I=in


hehe. I usually call it PAy and DIe.

About night diving (etc etc)... PADI will tell you that you need to take this course and that course and pay 15 skydives worth of $$$ for it. If you're made of money, fine, but a better way both moneywise and for your own learning is to find someone experienced who you trust, and simply go dive with them.

Shotgun: yes, freediving is also known as breath-hold diving. I've mostly quit scuba after i started with it. It is far more rewarding, I think. :)

edit:

Quote

Don't think I'd be very good at that...



Well, nobody is, at first. But you'll learn it rapidly. There are simple breathing techniques that'll double your divetimes. Your body gets used to high CO2 levels quickly. But hey, scuba is nice too :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If for some reason you begin coughing, put both hands on the regulator and hold it in your mouth. A natural instinct is to get whatever is in your mouth, out so hold it in there. If it makes you hurl, same again. Hold it in there. You can always switch to secondary after you're done :)
No I haven't hurled, but came pretty close.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I've jumped for six years and scuba for five. I have instructor ratings in both sports. I teach about two scuba classes every month. In my experience, scuba is nowhere near as dangerous as jumping. I've never seen one of my students die, get seriously injured, hospitalized, broken bones, etc. The worst scuba injury I've seen was a fishhook in a guy's finger (not even one of my students). I also saw a guy get nipped on the hand by a nurseshark, but he totally deserved it, and I was tempted to take out my dive knife and stabbing the a-hole myself.

Skydiving - I've had a handful of friends die, I've been to the hospital about a dozen times to visit other friends. At least once I should have gone myself to the emergency room, but didn't. A few times, I should have gone to a doctor but didn't. I've had some near misses (literally).

If you're going to dive in, then go all the way. Buy a total system (be ready to spend about 3K), do some advanced classes right away. Take a stress class within a year. There is no expiration on a C-card, unlike skydiving, but if you don't make a serious effort to stay current, you are putting yourself at greater risk.
Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

A what???



Sorry - the name of this thing has changes and different agencies call it different things. Currently, in SSI, it's called "Stress & Rescue", and in PADI, it's called "Rescue Diver". Half of the class is learning about stress and learning to recognize stress in yourself - the other half of the class is learning how to rescue yourself and other divers. In my opinion, it's the best con-ed class to take for new divers.
Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

A what???



Sorry - the name of this thing has changes and different agencies call it different things. Currently, in SSI, it's called "Stress & Rescue", and in PADI, it's called "Rescue Diver". Half of the class is learning about stress and learning to recognize stress in yourself - the other half of the class is learning how to rescue yourself and other divers. In my opinion, it's the best con-ed class to take for new divers.


Yup that's what i recomend aswell
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

after I got over the shock I realized it was only a manatee.



Oh, the huge manatee! :D

Thanks for all the advice in this thread... very helpful.

I went to my doctor for the medical. All he did was ask me if I thought I was ok to dive, and he signed the form. That seemed kinda pointless, but oh well...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

All he did was ask me if I thought I was ok to dive, and he signed the form.



Yeah, I have to get an annual physical to show that I'm healthy enough to teach scuba - same thing. I don't normally go to a doctor at all, except for this, and all he does is listen to my heart and lungs and sign the form for $150. But at least he dives, so we chat about diving.

Another nice thing is you'll have equipment for snorkeling too - I did a snorkel with manatees in Florida - mostly, they were just annoyed 'cause we were interrupting their breakfast.
Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

And the best thing ever is you CAN pee while scuba diving, but it's not a good idea to pee while skydiving.



I had to bring this thread up again just to ask... Is it really a good idea to pee in your wetsuit? Wouldn't it sort of stay in the suit with you??? :$

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

And the best thing ever is you CAN pee while scuba diving, but it's not a good idea to pee while skydiving.



I had to bring this thread up again just to ask... Is it really a good idea to pee in your wetsuit? Wouldn't it sort of stay in the suit with you??? :$

no for two reasons, the urea can effect the wetsuit, and make it smell
and secondly and more importantly, uriniating in you suit takes warmth away from your bodys core,if you get cold peeing is only very short term releif
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I had to bring this thread up again just to ask... Is it really a good idea to pee in your wetsuit? Wouldn't it sort of stay in the suit with you??? :$



If you dive long enough (enough times) chances approach 100% that you will pee in your wetsuit. When I was on a trip to Fiji, I made it 3 days (or maybe until the 3rd day). You can flush out most of the piss by letting some water in at the neck. If water isn't too cold, I also leave 1/2" or so of gap between the wetsuit and booties, keeps the yellow water from filling my boots. Pull open the neck seal, "gulp" a lot of water in at the neck, and pull open the ankle a bit to let the water flush through. Most wetsuits don't exactly seal 100%.

If you feel like you are going to pee during the dive, you should do it sooner rather than later, so more of it will flush out by the time you finish the dive.

They didn't invent "Sink the Stink" for just ocean smells! :S

In cold water, I dive dry. I haven't pissed in that one yet.

Eating some salty snack a few minutes before diving
will decrease your urine volume (keep more water in the blood).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

. Most wetsuits don't exactly seal 100%.

.

WETsuits are not meant to seal at all, they are designed to trap a layer of water between you and the neoprene and your body is supossed to warm the layer of water, and act as thermal insulation.
If you flush your suit you take away all the warmth that you have allready generated, and you use MORE body heat re-heating the new water.
None of this is a real issue if you only do one or two tropical dives a day. but it does become a real issue in colder waters or when you spend all day diving.
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Quote

. Most wetsuits don't exactly seal 100%.

.

WETsuits are not meant to seal at all, they are designed to trap a layer of water between you and the neoprene and your body is supossed to warm the layer of water, and act as thermal insulation.
If you flush your suit you take away all the warmth that you have allready generated, and you use MORE body heat re-heating the new water.
None of this is a real issue is you only do one or two tropical dives a day. but it does become a real issue in colder wtaers or when you spend all day diving.



Water does not significantly insulate. The only significant insulation is that of the air bubbles in the neoprene. The suits don't need to let water in at all for insulating purposes, but they need to prevent it from flowing through.

If the water temperature is cool in relation to the wetsuit being used, then either don't pee or swim in it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote

.

Water does not significantly insulate. The only significant insulation is that of the air bubbles in the neoprene. The suits don't need to let water in at all for insulating purposes, but they need to prevent it from flowing through.

If the water temperature is cool in relation to the wetsuit being used, then either don't pee or swim in it.


How Wetsuits Work
Wetsuits are made of a flexible and soft material called neoprene , which allows a very thin layer of water between your skin and the suit . This water quickly warms up and the insulation provided by the neoprene keeps you warm . Of course, it is important that as little water as possible enters the suit and is not being constantly replaced by cold water flushing through i.e. the ingress of new water and loss of the warmed water. This is why wetsuits are tailored to fit so tightly all over the body - a loose wetsuit simply won't work
another explanation here
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I'm sitting here reading the medical form that I need to have signed for the scuba course I'm taking next week, and reading about all the stuff that can go wrong is sort of freaking me out. Not sure why I'm more concerned about this than I was about getting into skydiving (perhaps because I don't understand the complications that can occur in scuba as much), but I'm curious if any of you have ever had any major problems while scuba diving?

(I'm asking on here because I know a lot of you are into scuba as well as skydiving. And of course I'm going to discuss this with my doctor and my instructor.)



With over 6,000 hours logged in the last 20 years I had one somewhat major problem. I made a dive to 40 feet with sinus problems from a cold, BIG Mistake because coming up I suffered a Reverse Block. Extreme pain in my sinus cavities in my cheeks and my ears were unable to equalize due to mucus. After about 7 -8 minutes I was able to clear the mucus which is not a pretty site and make it to the surface.

The danger of a reverse block is a ruptured ear drum which is extremely painful and causes vertigo.

Get good training and take the sport equally as serious as you do skydiving and you will enjoy it for years to come.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Your wording is now correct, since it attributes the insulation to the foam neoprene. That other link still says "So now, between you and the sea, there's an insulating layer of warm water—like a personal, all-over body radiator!" which is just plain wrong. The insulating property of water is 23 times worse than air. Neoprene manufactured without the air bubbles (kitchen gloves) isn't a very good insulator either, only about 30% better than water.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

No major problems.

NEVER hold your breath! Ascend slow. You cant go too slow (unless, of course, your running out of air).



Standard rule of thumb is 30 feet per minute or to the novice no faster than your smallest bubble while breathing normally.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

And the best thing ever is you CAN pee while scuba diving, but it's not a good idea to pee while skydiving.



Yea, that be the truth, the guys and gals I work with do it all the time mainly because our average dive at depth is 2.5 hours.

You can always spot the diver flushing their wet suit with water at depth when you see them pumping the neck ring in and out.

But when in cold water, it provides alittle warmth to keep you toasty.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Oh, and what happens if you hold your breath? (I'm sure they'll go over that in class, but I'll ask here anyway.)



You are breathing compressed air. As you ascend, the compressed air you have in your lungs will expand. By continuing to breathe normally (or at minimum continuing to blow bubbles) you allow the expanded air to escape. If you hold your breath the expanded air has nowhere to go and can cause an overexpansion injury, to the point of rupturing your lungs.



You are breathing air at the ambient pressure for the depth you are at thanks to your regulator. So it's the fact that you are breathing at depth and not that you are breathing air from a compressed supply that is the issue. Any gas (including the air in your lungs) expands as per Boyle's law during an ascent as the pressure decreases and so the rest is correct.

If you halve the pressure you double the volume.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyle%27s_law

You should learn this on any diving course.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

he buddy breathed off my octo


:|?

Back when I was learning there were no octopus rigs and I heard a no shit story from a diver at our club. He was visiting another area and diving with a guy from a local club(different org too at the time Brit or English vs. Scottish Sub Aqua Club), he had a first stage failure and turned to his dive buddy giving him the signal and the guy flat out refused to buddy breathe..... (he waved him away). He was forced to make an emergency ascent (using his ABLJ), there's a lesson in there somewhere, I forget what it was though.... it was either; pick your diver partner carefully, OR never dive with an Englishman.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Does narcosis count? It sure didn't seem like a problem at the time.



I guess it doesn't count as a "major problem"... well, unless it makes you do something dangerous. Other than that it sounds like fun. :)
We're supposed to start our open water dives this weekend, but we won't be going deep enough for that yet.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0