Diving after smoking cessation

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Sherry513

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I want to learn scuba diving, it’s my the biggest dream for the past year. But the only one thing that stops me is my smoking addiction. I understood that it’s not a good idea to combine smoking and diving and did my best to quit. The first six months it was nothing but breakdowns, I tried must be all tips from helpful articles on VapingDaily. It was really hard, but then I put up with this, and for now it’s been three months since I touched cigarettes last time.

I want to ask you, how long does it take to cleanse the lungs and restore them a bit before I start my classes?
 
Non smoker here.

In some countries the majority of divers smoke. Some heavily.

Glad you've quit, but smoking doesn't prevent most people from diving.

Here is a little discussion:
Smoking and Diving?

Three months should be great. Particularly for every area of your life. I can't speak to the damage you've done to your lungs. How much did you smoke? Have you had a medical evaluation?

Enjoy your new hobby!
Cameron
 
Non smoker here.

In some countries the majority of divers smoke. Some heavily.

Glad you've quit, but smoking doesn't prevent most people from diving.

Three months should be great. I can't speak to the damage you've done to your lungs. How much did you smoke? Have you had a medical evaluation?

Enjoy your new hobby!
Cameron
Thanks,
I’ve been smoking for 5 years apart from those two in the college.
 
As Mark Twain sez....it’s easy to quit smoking, I’ve done it a 1000 times:)! There is no reason you can’t start diving immediately unless you have COPD or something similar that would cause issues under water.
 
'He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.' -Nietzsche.

Get in the water. Knowing that the thing you just fell in love with gets better the longer you keep the cigarettes away from your face may be just what you need.
Also, it's impossible to smoke underwater as far as I know....
 
I smoked a pack a day when I started diving and it I was just fine diving at the time, back in 2005 (in fact, I remember the end of my OW checkout dives when my instructor asked how much air everyone had and only I had enough to go for a fun dive). If you're wanting to know how quickly your body recovers from the negative effects of smoking, you've already received many/most of them in the three months since you quit.

I quit in August of 2014 and it was one of the best things I ever did, so congratulations on quitting!
 
Congratulations on quitting. Every day it gets easier to continue on this path. As far as diving goes I smoked for my first 800 or so dives (I was certified in 1986). When I quit cold turkey on September 12, 1990 (I had chest pains and made a promise to God), I haven't looked backed. I think my lung capacity increased, and I'm pretty sure my oxygen exchange rate increased (or something like that). If you stick with both (quitting and diving) you'll grow to love both.
To answer your question, as soon as you quit smoking your lungs started reversing the ill affects of smoking. It only gets better. Just think. After a while you'll smell the smoke in your wardrobe that others have been smelling and you'll get yourself a new wardrobe. :D It's an added benefit that most people don't even consider.

Cheers -
 
I want to learn scuba diving, it’s my the biggest dream for the past year. But the only one thing that stops me is my smoking addiction. I understood that it’s not a good idea to combine smoking and diving and did my best to quit. The first six months it was nothing but breakdowns, I tried must be all tips from helpful articles on VapingDaily. It was really hard, but then I put up with this, and for now it’s been three months since I touched cigarettes last time.

I want to ask you, how long does it take to cleanse the lungs and restore them a bit before I start my classes?
First let me congratulate you on quitting the habit.
Here is what I can tell you regarding the question: It depends how long you have been smoking cause if some areas are permenantely damaged, it will not be the same forever. BUT in most cases, the lungs will regenerated and repair damaged tissue significantly. Another issue is your oxygen levels in the blood. When you smoke, your oxygen levels are lowered due to the plugging of the lung cells (alveoli). This effect will be gone 6-8 weeks after smoking cessation as the cilia in the bronchus and trachea regenerate and push the crud up; hence the productive cough a week or 2 after you stopped smoking.

Your doctor can do a lung function test. Have him look at the FEV1 and FVC numbers (they should know this). The ratio of FEV1/FVC will determine how much the lung has progressed towards obstructive lung disease (if any).

Hope you find this equal. If you have other questions, PM me.

But I want to congratulate you again on what you did. It is a VERY significant event in your life. In a few years, your cancer risk will diminish to what a normal person's would be.
 
It was really hard, but then I put up with this, and for now it’s been three months since I touched cigarettes last time.
Congrats on quitting!

There are divers that smoke, but it's a considerable impediment to their ability - I often see divers with a lot of experience on me and healthier looking bodies have problems with what's trivial exercise to me. A non-smoker gets and retains more oxygen from their air, which provides them with better breathing control and a safety margin beyond their air supply. This safety margin is assumed in recreational diving, so I always cringe a bit when someone forgoes it.

But the most diving-affecting effects of smoking are short-term (CO in the blood). As Compressor has mentioned, lungs take longer to recover, but you've got much of the benefit by now.
In short, you're very much fine to start diving now.
 
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