Drinking & Diving

[theduckguru]

The guy who has one beer with lunch concerns me less than the diver taking motion sickness medications at the dock.

I have seen boats full of divers on these medications with full approval of everyone on board.

 

[Splitlip]

Personally, I don't drink and I've never been drunk. I don't see any sense in ingesting toxic, mind-altering chemicals to make myself look and act like an idiot.

Wrong. I drink and have been drunk. When I am drinking I know I am smarter, better looking, more attractive, more skilled...at whatever....

There is a reason they call beer Superman in a can. (with tongue firmly planted in cheek.)

 

[billmosel]

I wish that everyone would read my original post. I'm not talking about being knocked out drunk. It is 1 BEER with, say, a burger and fries and then doing a dive 3 HOURS LATER. It is not that I HAVE to have a beer with lunch but I enjoy a Corona (or what ever the taste of the island might be) with a burger, especially on vacation. As I mentioned before, I hydrate myself with a lot of water all day long.

I appreciate what you are saying Tortuga68. You seem to have the handle on this thread.

I WILL SAY ONCE AGAIN... WHY CAN'T I HAVE 1 BEER, WITH A BURGER AND FRIES @ NOON, WHILE STILL DRINKING WATER, AND THEN DIVE 3 HOURS LATER????

As I stated earlier.. If someone was drinking all night long and stopped at 1AM and went for a dive at 8AM, how would that be different then someone having a beer at 12AM and went diving at 7PM?

No one has yet to really answer these questions.

I would appreciate facts not necessarily personal opinions.

 

[DennisS]

Go ahead and enjoy your beer, the world won't end. I don't have a beer with lunch anymore because it started giving me heartburn when I went for a dive later

Live aboards-their boat, their rules

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

In other words, there are many folks who walk through life boozed and drugged and are fine as long as they paint with big brushes. It shows at the hair-wide pin stripes when you are not at your very best.

In diving that would be fumbling with clips, misreading MOD labels, screwing-up compass headings, tying a line sloppily, etc. Is that going to be safe or even fun when we are buzzed, narced, intoxicated, or whatever we want to call it?

I can see your point, but let's keep it in perspective ... the majority of people reading and participating in this thread wouldn't be doing those things. They'd be kicking along a reef somewhere with a single AL80 on their back in relatively benign conditions. And the thing they'd most likely be fumbling with would be their camera.

I doubt that one beer three hours before a dive is going to have any effect on those people at all.

Now, if you're considering a 200+ foot wreck dive ... or something inside a cave ... then I'd say that zero-tolerance is a pretty critical rule, because it is an indicator of how seriously you're taking the risks involved ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

First let me say I love beer! as a previous posted said" I commend you for stopping at one" However, alcohol leads to dehydration in any amount, also constricts blood vessels, which could cause you to get cold on the dive, cramping, etc. All of which can lead to DCS. Have an Water or a Sports drink instead, get hydrated before any dive and then after the dive have two beers!

good diving to you

brian

I think moderation is important ... even after the dive. For most recreational trips, I don't think one beer at lunch is going to hurt someone. Two beers at or after dinner, likewise.

The folks I worry about are those who start at dinner, and by 9 PM are doing shots, and by midnight can barely walk ... then you see them all hung over at breakfast and an hour later gearing up to go diving.

Technically ... "legally" by the rules of resorts and liveaboards alike ... those guys are good to go. Most of them are still physically and mentally impaired, and quite likely dehydrated well beyond what one beer at lunch time will ever do to you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[pjhansman]

The instant I find out that the person I'm supposed to be diving with drinks or uses illicit drugs, I become a solo diver.

Just for clarification. You won't dive with anyone who drinks....? Or who drinks before diving?

The former would certainly limit your buddy choices I'm thinking. The latter seems very reasonable.

Personally, I don't think that one beer 3 hours before a dive would have much impact, but I choose not to find out. I do however think that AFTER 2 or 3 dives, there's not much more enjoyable then a cold beer.

 

[Paladin]

Just for clarification. You won't dive with anyone who drinks....? Or who drinks before diving?

Yes. To both. I may dive in the company of a diver who drinks, but I will not buddy with them.

 

[kanonfodr]

Yes. To both. I may dive in the company of a diver who drinks, but I will not buddy with them.

You dive solo a lot, don't you...

Peace,
Greg

 

[Paladin]

You dive solo a lot, don't you...

Peace,
Greg

Yes, I have done a lot of solo diving. It's actually pretty relaxing and peaceful. I have also known a few divers who, like me, did not drink or use drugs. My best friend, Fuzz, was one of them. I knew I could trust him when we were diving together. I miss him. He gave his life trying to help another person.

Last summer, I met a man and his wife (both of them divers) who do not drink or use illicit drugs. My oldest son was certified last year and my youngest son will be certified this year. I'll be diving with them this year.

It isn't just in the realm of diving that I shy away from people who drink. Beyond the acquaintance level, I have never been one to associate with people who drink or use drugs. Being around people who are drunk or stoned makes me uncomfortable.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't act all anti-social with people that I know are drinkers and I'm not one of those people who climb on a soap box and lecture about the evils of Demon Rum. I just quietly keep a little distance. If find myself diving with people who are drinkers, I go into the water with the knowledge that I am on my own if anything goes wrong. In such a case, regardless of how many people are diving around me, in my mind, I am diving solo. I don't make an issue of it and the others aren't aware of it. I will try to help one of them if he or she appears to be in trouble, but I dive as if I am my only help.

The knowledge that a potential dive buddy uses mind-altering substances undermines my confidence in them as a dive buddy. I may dive with them, but not as a dive buddy, per se.

I am not trying to offend anyone here, it's just that I have seen what alcohol and drugs do to people and I want no part of it.