MEDICAL FAQs

QUESTION

ANSWER

Well, to start at the top with the blood pressure, it all seems under control now without medication so no worries there. Get it checked by your doctor on a yearly basis to make sure it stays below 160/100, which is the recommended upper limit for sport divers. Any higher and its back on the medication for you.

As for the pneumothorax, the rules are that you are fine as well. As yours was as a result of a car crash then you are fine to dive sooner than someone whose lungs pop for no other reason than that they are a tall young smoker. The warfarin is an issue if you are still on it. The old rules were that you were banned from diving if you took this blood thinning medication. However it is accepted now that the reason not to dive, that of a potential bleed into your spinal cord on a bend provoking dive can be safely ruled out by a max depth of 20 metres means that you can still at least get wet.

Lastly the migraines. This is an odd scenario. There are those that feel that divers who suffer recurrent migraines shouldn't go underwater ever again. Other docs feel this is a tad Victorian. I personally would advise that if they are mild and you know the provoking factors then all is fine, but severe and regular forget it, as the last thing your buddy wants to see is you flopping around like a hemiplegic starfish as half of you paralyses and sees big areas of blindness in their field of vision.

So all should be well for you to continue the sport. My condolences for your life situation too, but a key factor in the rehabilitation of anyone after such a tragedy is the "getting back to normal". Diving helps in this, so do please go as soon as you can.

QUESTION

ANSWER

This is the real 6 million dollar question for all the guzzlers out there. From your mail it seems that you are aerobically fit, you don't smoke and you are relaxed when you dive. These are the normal things which can increase our air consumption.

I have seen in a lot of people, and I suppose in some of the dives I have done, that a perception of feeling calm is not quite the case and the reality is that you have a frisson of anxiety which comes across in an increased respiration rate and consequently an empty tank.

I experienced this once where I got hit with vertigo quite badly, and saw the whole seabed spinning at 78 rpm. When it had passed after a few minutes I noticed that I had drained 50 bar in that little time underwater. So a lesson here is that we may feel calm but in reality we could be a lot calmer.

Some divers have told me that they practise relaxation training to good effect to lower air consumption. This is worth a try, and if you learned the arts of yoga or self hypnosis as a means to this end then it could work well.

If all this fails and despite lowering your metabolic rate to that of a Buddhist priest you still get through a tank in 25 minutes then its twinset time for you.

Other tricks are to find a buddy with a similar rate of consumption so you don't feel the angst of having to surface your partner when they still are on 100 bar, and finally remember that you shouldn't let your air get below 50 bar as there is often a temptation to drain your tank to eke out the last few minutes underwater.

Other diving tricks that I can't recommend are skip breathing and purposeful breath holding as the chances of lung damage are too high.

I'm sure there are other ways of reducing air consumption from your tank, including trying a Nitrox rebreather course, so if any other divers would like to tell me how they stopped guzzling and became a more efficient user of their air I will pass the advice on in the next issue.

QUESTION

ANSWER

Lets go from the top. If you can clear your sinuses on aeroplanes, then you should be fine diving. A really deviated septum will make the air you blow up your noses to equalize your ears asymmetric. This may result in over blowing one middle ear and not enough in the other. Result…a weird feeling as you descend. So that needs checking before the open water dives, but if it seems OK, then it will probably be OK.

Your back could be an issue if you cannot lift a tank. If it "goes out" so to speak then you don't want spasms underwater. You have to test it really and know your limits. So try with rucksack home from the shops with a load of your favourite things. 20 kilos of skunk, perhaps. If you can do that then you have no fears on the big day.

Recreational drugs. In my day that used to be crystal meth, hearts and some odd stuff a PhD chemist used to call Crazy Ivan. But trends change with you young things nowadays. Cannabis has 3 downsides. Psychosis, growing breasts if you are a bloke and irritating conversation for those who have not partaken. I would suggest you don't have any for a good 12-24 hours before you go for a dive. After all it's dangerous to giggle through a reg, and fish don't sell Snickers bars.

QUESTION

ANSWER

Yoga has come a long way from being a vaguely disconcerting habit of quirky hippies in the herbaceous fug of the 70’s. It’s now so uber-trendy that you can’t bend over backwards for Om ornaments and Buddha bling. Myriad variations on its central theme (the “bringing together of parts in order to create a union” – no sniggering at the back there) have resulted in splinter forms springing up everywhere. There are now specific scuba-orientated yoga trips the world over, from the Bahamas to the Red Sea. So how can gaining inner peace benefit the humble diver?

Let’s start with the physical aspects. The common Western perception of yoga is that it’s all about impossible contortions and ludicrous postures. Modern society has made us stiff (apparently) and this is why we find the poses so tough. For a diver though, the essential elements of yoga can significantly reduce the likelihood of injury. Specific exercises can improve core stability, working on the lower back to protect it from the trauma of twinsets and weightbelts. Targetting the legs and hips can improve finning (both technique and stamina), and make that long slippery trip in full kit from the car park to the water’s edge a joy. Or at least less of an ordeal. Stretches before and after diving will keep the muscles going for longer, especially on those long liveaboards, and, by improving flexibility, can help the burgeoning wreck or cave diver in and out of awkward tight spaces. More generally, the breathing exercises that are fundamental to yoga are also ideal for improving lung capacity and encouraging effective steady breathing during hard exertion. Ultimately this will extend bottom times and reduce feelings of panic underwater, which we all want, don’t we.

And what of the more, ah, spiritual aspects to the ancient Yogic arts? Well the original goal of yoga was to intertwine the body and the mind so that the two could become one. I’m not saying we’re going to find the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything underwater (it’s 42, in case you’d forgotten), but there are parallels between this aspiration and many divers’ urge to find the solitude and peace they miss on dry land. Visualisation techniques in yoga are often practised by freedivers, and can help prepare any diver for challenging or particularly strenuous dives.

So before belittling the posh toffs of yogaland too much it’s worth giving the practice a chance to make us better divers. Particular poses I’d suggest include the Sun Salutation at Stoney, or the Wind Relieving one at Wraysbury…

QUESTION

ANSWER

Diving in the Maldives is generally fairly untaxing, although sometimes the currents can be strong and depths can be considerable. It's worth training up to use Nitrox if it's available. Obesity will often naturally correlate with reduced fitness, and there is some concern about it increasing the risk of decompression illness, but only in extreme cases will it be too risky to dive at all. So other than a little slimming down and effort in maximising your aerobic exercise capacity, there's little you need to worry about. There are a few general tips to remember:

• keep well hydrated (diving causes a diuresis and in warm climates you need to be chugging on fluids constantly)


• slap on the suncream


• avoid excessive alcohol intake


• before each dive, do a quickhead-to-toe check to ensure you have no ear/nose/sinus congestion, that your chest is clear, and your abdomen free of diarrhoea or other imminent activity.

QUESTION

ANSWER

How delicately put! A seasonal question that I am regularly asked, so I make no apologies for re-iterating advice dispensed on many previous occasions – in no particular order (and clearly do pick and choose whichever of the below apply to your individual circumstances):

• Stop smoking - no other action will have a more positive effect on your gas consumption, bottom times and overall health


• Lose weight – a lighter, more hydrodynamic physique will benefit you before, during and after dives


• Improve fitness – get in shape with some cardiovascular exercise, eg. running, swimming or cycling


• Stay hydrated – keep those fluids up, particularly if you've had alcohol in the 24hours before diving


• Service kit - regulators and demand valves in particular


• Ensure your BCD/dry suit is working properly, your computer has sufficient battery power and the rest of your kit is in good condition – preferably before you get to the dive site!


• Try out any new equipment in a pool/sheltered area to get used to it


• Start with easy dives – short, shallow, and in calm conditions


• Ensure you have access to oxygen in case of emergency


• Keep the details of your nearest chamber/helpline to hand – use the LDC Chamber Locator on our app to find the nearest facility to your dive site.