Take a rescue inhaler 30 minutes before diving to reduce risk of bronchospasm. Seek medical advice before diving if there are any changes in your asthma control.
What medical conditions can stop you from scuba diving?
Underlying respiratory conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or a history of spontaneous pneumothorax, can challenge the breathing capacity required of divers.
Is asthma a contraindication for diving?
If a patient has mild-to-moderate asthma with normal screening spirometry then he/she can be considered a candidate for diving. However, if a patient suffers from an asthma attack they should not dive until their airway function on spirometry returns to normal.
When should you not scuba dive?
For example, it’s never a good idea to dive with a cold or cold-like symptoms. The risks of ear barotrauma as a result of inefficient equalization are simply too great. If you damage any part of your ear, you may be unable to dive for weeks or even months. It’s not enough to take decongestant medication, either.
Can I use my inhaler before scuba diving? – Related Questions
Who should not scuba?
“If you can reach an exercise intensity of 13 METS (the exertion equivalent of running a 7.5-minute mile), your heart is strong enough for most any exertion,” he says. You also need to be symptom-free. If you have chest pain, lightheadedness or breathlessness during exertion, you should not be diving.
Can you scuba dive if you take blood pressure medicine?
Most antihypertensive drugs are compatible with diving as long as side effects are minimal and your performance in the water is not significantly compromised. If you have a history of hypertension, have a doctor monitor possible associated damage to the heart and kidneys.
Can people with heart conditions scuba dive?
Implications in Diving:
Symptomatic coronary artery disease is a contraindication to safe diving: don’t dive with it. Coronary artery disease results in a decreased delivery of blood — and therefore, oxygen — to the muscular tissue of the heart. Exercise increases the heart’s need for oxygen.
Can you scuba dive with a disability?
Scuba diving can be enjoyed by virtually anyone, regardless of physical ability. In fact, if you have a disability, scuba diving can offer you a unique sense of freedom by transporting you into a world of weightlessness and unlimited intrigue.
How do I know if I am medically fit for diving?
Scuba diving requires heavy exertion. The diver must be free of cardiovascular and respiratory disease (see references, following page). An absolute requirement is the ability of the lungs, middle ears and sinuses to equalize pressure. Any condition that risks the loss of consciousness should disqualify the applicant.
Can you dive if you have COPD?
Unfortunately, COPD is a contraindication to diving for several reasons. With COPD, there are abnormal enlargements of the air spaces in the lungs and destruction of the air sac (alveoli) walls, reducing their elasticity. The alveolar walls are normally elastic like a balloon.
Can you scuba dive with ADHD?
People with ADHD are easily distracted by stimuli from the environment, with the result that they have great difficulty staying focused. During diving this can result in ignoring important tasks such as maintaining buddy contact, monitoring depth and gas supply.
Can children with asthma scuba dive?
Medical experts recognise that people with well controlled asthma can go scuba-diving, although it’s important to remember that when you dive you’re exposed to things that can trigger asthma symptoms in some people (cold air, exercise, and heightened emotions).
What happens if you panic while diving?
Panic can kill in many ways. Rapid, shallow breathing can cause hypoxia and a buildup of carbon dioxide. The result: The diver acts irrationally, breathing faster, expelling the regulator or bolting to the surface. These panic responses can make you pass out, or even have a heart attack if you have a weak heart.
Is scuba diving hard on lungs?
Gas is more compressed the deeper you go, so it takes more air to inflate the lungs. If divers don’t take their time allowing their lungs and the air to slowly return to normal levels of compression, the gas expands resulting in too much air in the lungs. This can cause tears in the lungs.
Can you scuba dive with a cough?
Any diver, proud to be so, knows ears, nose, and lungs have to work properly, otherwise, it could be an important drawback. Diving with a cold would not allow you to compensate during the descend. On the other hand, reverse-compression could happen on the way back up. So, diving with a cold is not recommended.
Do you need good lungs for scuba diving?
There is no specific optimal breathing pattern and it will all depend on the individual’s size, sex, muscle mass, and general cardiovascular fitness. The only thing for certain is that the optimum breathing strategy when scuba diving is deep slow breathing.
What is the golden rule of scuba diving?
If you had but 30 seconds to teach someone to scuba dive, what would you tell them? The same thing Mike did — the Golden Rule of scuba diving. Breathe normally; never hold your breath. The rest, in most cases, is pretty much secondary.
What is the number one rule of scuba diving?
1. Breathe continuously while on scuba. Never hold your breath. There is no way, you would have missed that one.