If you ascend too fast...

[Hookonwavs]

If you ascend too fast is it normal to have like a pulsing feeling from your ear or ears when you reach the surface? I also had a temporary hearing loss in just one ear for a couple of minutes. I went to the doctor to check my eardrums and everything was fine. I haven't ascended that fast since. But my real question is can that cause real damage if you do it often. I know PADI says to practice the S.A.F.E. (Slowly Acsend From Every dive) method. I just want to know the hazards of ascending too fast.

 

[Diver0001]

But my real question is can that cause real damage if you do it often.

Yes.

Depending on severity, a barotrauma (over pressure injury) like you probably had in your ears can have a permanent effect. Ascending too fast also increases your risk of getting decompression sickness which can vary in severity but is known to cause permanent injuries as well.

R..

 

[FoxHound]

just like on the decent you need to clear your ears. On the ascent you need to go slow to allow your ears the chance to clear or you will run the risk of a reverse squeeze. These can be painful and like Diver0001 mentioned, you could do some good damage to your ears if you continue to do it.......not to mention the DCS risk of fast ascents.....

 

[TSandM]

The risks of rapid ascents:

Ear or sinus barotrauma, if air can't escape at the rate it's expanding.

Pulmonary barotrauma, which can be lethal if it leads to arterial gas embolism. Pulmonary barotrauma will be more likely if you breath-hold at all during the rapid ascent, but can occur in the presence of a number of pulmonary pathologies, even in the absence of breath-holding.

Decompression sickness, if insufficient time to allow nitrogen off-gassing is taken during the ascent.

In general, excessively rapid ascents are very bad news, and if you are having problems with your buoyancy control that is resulting in fast ascents, I would highly recommend getting some additional instruction or mentoring to solve the problem.

 

[bbarnett51]

Not trying to be a smart bleep but your ear problem will be the best thing that happens if you continuously ascend to fast. That's basic basic stuff.

 

[RonFrank]

Why you are asking this question as you should know the answer having recently completed OW? You really do not understand the dangers?

I strongly suggest a review your OW book as the training has failed to sink in. Ascending too quickly can kill you. If that does not motivate you to REALLY learn what you already should have in OW class, than I suggest quitting.

 

[DevonDiver]

As others have mentioned, the answers are all contained within the OW manual. A review of that knowledge would likely be beneficial.

The hazards of fast-ascent are:

1) Barotrauma of Ascent - failure to equalize expanding gas in body cavities, causing trauma injury. Typically prevalent in the middle ears and sinuses, although it can present elsewhere (cavities in teeth etc)

2) Decompression Illness - the 'shaken coke bottle effect'. Nitrogen saturated in your tissues is not released quicker than it can form bubbles... so it forms bubbles, which can cause short-permanent injury, paralysis or death.

3) Lung-Over expansion injury - if you get distracted and hold your breath (a sub-condition of Barotrauma of Ascent), expanding air will force itself through the lung and into your chest cavity or blood stream... and can further migrate around parts of your body. A high likelihood of fatality.

4) Issues on the surface - losing control, surfacing unintentionally and without warning - resulting in risk of collision with surface objects (i.e. static or moving boats).

 

[pasley]

Hookedonwaves - here is the short answer for you. You took a SCUBA Certificaiton course. The material you learned there was learned not to pass the test, but to pass the test of life. In case you failed to hear it clearly spelled out in the risk briefing - SCUBA can kill you or paralyze you for life. The rules as taught to you by your instructor need to be well understood and taken to heart. There are no scuba police, but the ocean (lake, river, cave, wreck, stream, mine) does clean out the gene pool from time to time. In my local dive site, a diver died yesterday (Sat 18 Aug 2012) in Catalina California USA. Not the first this year, so stuff does happen.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

So, as all posters have pointed out, you should know all you need to know to be a SAFE diver. Slowly Ascend From Every dive. It's important. It's more than important, it is essential.
DivemasterDennis

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, what they all said. Interestingly, I have read that you can also actually get DCS in your EAR as well as all the other possibilities.