In my first scuba article, “Going Scuba diving on your vacation?” I talked about some of the things most civilian certified scuba divers I’ve met are afraid to talk about: stress and “butterflies” before a dive. In this article we go on to some other things scuba divers have to learn about the hard way; ear problems, how to behave oneself on a dive boat, seasickness, and dealing with surge underwater.
As I mentioned before, no instructor can possibly cover every single situation you’re likely to get into as a scuba diver. What I’m trying to do here is go over some of the things that almost every diver will experience at some point, that I have not yet seen covered in-depth in your basic open water scuba class.
Many people have trouble clearing their ears as quickly as others. Many divers have felt the added pressure (no pun intended) of feeling like they are holding the whole group up as they try frantically to get that “click” that equalizes pressure between the inner and outer ear. Some are foolish enough to descend with the group anyway and experience damage or rupture to their eardrum accompanied by severe vertigo. If your ears take a bit longer to equalize, tell the divemaster or instructor about it beforehand. She or he can help you to buddy up with someone else who takes longer to clear. Also, if it’s a guided dive the divemaster guide will know to wait for your “okay” sign until they start the tour. Tell your dive buddy, especially if you can’t find someone else with ear problems. Make sure they know to wait for you instead of swimming off.
If you have a head cold or sinus problems that cause your nose to be stuffed up, you have 2 options: reschedule the dive for when you’re better, or take a NON-DROWSY over-the-counter medicine to clear out your passages. If there is too much mucous in your sinus cavities, you aren’t going to be able to equalize, period. That’s the law of physics.
If you’re already in the water and find you can’t equalize, go up a couple of feet at a time (slowly!) pinching your nose and trying to blow air out through your nostrils-GENTLY as you continuously exhale. This is a thin membrane of skin, not a PVC sink drain to blast out. Don’t give up right away. Keep ascending slowly while trying to clear. If you can’t do it, or feel pressure and pain in your ears, abort the dive. If you told your group about your ear problems, they’ll be waiting for you. Signal your buddy or the scuba guide by pointing to your ear and shaking your head “No”. Make sure your buddy doesn’t go on alone. Never try and tough it out–you will destroy your eardrums, literally.
Seasickness
Even the most experienced scuba divers are not immune to that queasy feeling caused by the constant pitch-and-roll of a boat at sea or heavy surge underwater. Let’s cover the boat part first. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of last night’s dinner all over the deck, you, and anyone unfortunate enough to be standing downwind of you. Even if you normally don’t have seasickness, always carry something for it in your gear bag anyway. There’s always that one time–for you or for your buddy or anyone else along. If you don’t want to go the Bonine or Dramamine route-or pay the eight bucks American for a last-minute purchase at the resort scuba shop-Ginger is a proven, tried-and-true seasickness preventive. Even the T.V. show “Mythbusters” proved firsthand that crystallized Ginger taken beforehand outperformed popular seasickness drugs, wristbands and other remedies. You can find Ginger in pill form under food supplements at any drug or grocery store. You can also buy several slices of crystallized ginger for about $1.50 in the oriental food section. I prefer the crystallized; I feel like I’m getting more out of chewing the ginger (which tastes pretty good) than taking a pill. Some students of mine have complained that the Dramamine and Bonine tablets alter their perception and make them anxious. The bottom line is: be prepared ahead of time. Don’t wait till you’re already underway to discover that your chicken marsala dinner from last night suddenly wants to break free.
Seasickness underwater
Sometimes heavy surge (a rhythmic back-and-forth motion at depth) can cause queasiness. First, observe how the fish are dealing with it. You’ll note that they do not try to fight, but are relaxed and going with the motion. Fighting against the sea is never a good idea! If relaxing and going with the motion doesn’t sit well with you, abort the dive. If you have to throw up underwater, STAY CALM. You can throw up right into your regulator and purge it as you go. Be sure to keep the purge pressed down until you are finished. Try not to remove your regulator. The purge will clear the mess out for you.
Dive boat etiquette
There are certain rules of conduct that must be followed to preserve order when groups of more than 2 divers are together on a boat, especially when they don’t know one another. As a scuba diver, you will see many infractions of these rules but you will have the smug satisfaction of being one of the few who behaves like a pro.
1. Use a scuba gear bag. Not one of those steamer-trunk sized ones..those are just as bad as just scattering your scuba equipment all over the deck. The best bag I have ever had, one that is still doing the job after 15 years, is a plain black mesh with velcro pockets. Has a shoulder sling and it’s about the size of a small duffel bag. Fits BCD, skins, wetsuit, mask/fins/snorkel, spare parts, regulator, camera, first aid kit and manual respirator mask. Keep your equipment stowed away under the seat–NEVER clutter the deck. That is a dead giveaway for a rookie.
2.Assemble and check all of your gear on the way to the site, NOT once you arrive. Another rookie mistake! The idea is to be ready to jump in well before the boat is over the site. This accomplishes two good things; if there is a problem with your scuba gear you will have some time to correct the problem instead of holding up the show trying to bum an “o” ring or replace a strap. You will also be able to devote your full attention to the captain or dive master’s briefing about the site, which brings us to:
3. Dive sites are not like furnished rooms. You can not go there once or even 100 times and know all there is to know about it. Conditions change from minute to minute, including current direction and speed, water temperature, and what you might see there. Therefore, saying things like “Oh, I’ve done that one” and talking to your buddy while the site briefing is being given is not only stupid, it’s rude. As an instructor and scuba guide I have dived the same sites sometimes 3 or 4 times a day, 5 days a week. While I may know the layout of the reef, I never know what conditions will be at any given time or what I might see. Experienced divers ( meaning working divers) keep their mouths shut and their ears open during the site brief.
4. If you forgot to take your ginger or otherwise feel your mouth watering up for the inevitable hurl (known as “chumming” because it draws large schools of fish) take just a moment to determine the lee (wind at your back) side of the boat to do your business. The only thing worse than blowing chow is getting it instantly blown back into your face by a brisk ocean breeze. Try hard not to do it where scuba divers will be, like off of the back of the boat.
**Additional tip: when you’re coming up from a dive, always look up. Large clouds of small fish near the surface are a good indication that someone has donated their lunch to the sea in that vicinity; use caution. Always remember: there is no shame in getting seasick–it happens to everyone once in awhile. Just don’t make a mess–
5. –Which brings us to the last rule of dive boat etiquette: if there is a toilet, or “head” on the dive boat, it is for one thing only. If you do anything other than pee in that can, you’re not only being nasty but you’re adding to pollution, risking clogging the system, and a host of other terrible things. Pee in the can. Throw up on the lee side of the boat, over the rail. Anything else is best done before or after your boat trip, unless it’s an extreme emergency.
That’s enough of the basics to get you started for now. With scuba diving, as with many other things, you’ll do best by having a good sense of your surroundings at all times, including other people. Awareness, organization and a little common sense will get you far. Until the next article, happy diving!
