Do you have a strong gag reflex? I've almost upchucked a couple of times when my mouthpiece hit it just in the right spot.
Vomiting at end of dives
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fmerkel
Contributor
I've seen a couple cases of labyrinthitis right after dives with similar symptoms, but this is a virus infection kicked off by the pressure and positional changes of the dive. Once better the problem goes away. Scary though, generally people think it must be some kind of bends.
You might do some reading here: Types of Vestibular Disorders
I'd start with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV)
You might do some reading here: Types of Vestibular Disorders
I'd start with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV)
I do not know your body shape, but emoriera could have nailed your problem. I wear integrated weights, so I do not have to deal with a weight belt, However, I do know that if I have gained a few extra pounds around my mid section, and my pants/belt are tight around the waist, I am a lot more susceptible to indigestion and nausea, especially in a prone position. Good luck finding a solution. It must be miserable to vomit under the water, not to mention having to clean the bits out of your reg.
dirtfarmer
Contributor
I had a few bouts with vomiting both at depth and surfacing. At depth for me it was a combination of vertigo doing wall dives, and eating peanut butter for breakfast, it made me gassy. For surfacing it's for me again gas expansion and not being able to burp it out due to tight weight pockets / tight weight belt.
cougar
Contributor
I have been known to "spew" on the surface even though no problems with the dive. I have personally pinned it down to coming up too fast from 15_20 feet after the safety stop. If I consciously slow that last bit down, no problems.
Don't wait for rescue. It doesn't involve much actual diving and is beneficial to every diver. If you only have issues 40 minutes into your second dive you may never hit it on a rescue course.
Stoo
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I'm curious about the amount of water you define as "a lot". There is such a thing as "too much", especially if you have a mild reflux, tight gear etc.
Clark Fletcher
Contributor
This is something I've been struggling with since I've returned to scuba diving. I posted about it not to long ago. And, before and since that post, I've done extensive research trying to find a solution. I'll try to share some of that here.
As @emoriera pointed out, having your weight belt or waist band on your BCD too tight may be contributing to your problems. I think it may have been a small factor in my own illness but, I don't think in my case it was entirely responsible.
Another possible cause may be Hypercapnia. If you have a habit of skip breathing or don't fully exhale while breathing, it can result in excess carbon dioxide in your blood which can result in nausea. At one time, I thought this might be the source of my problems so, I tried working on my breathing. It didn't seem to help me very much but, it may help you.
For me, I became nauseated during my very first pool session. I also vomited several times during my OW check-out dives while in a protected lagoon (i.e. no waves, no surge). I became violently ill during my first boat dive (primarily due to a strong surge I think). And, I've become nauseated several times while diving in quarries (again, no waves and no surge).
I've been prone to motion sickness all my life. However, when I first started diving many years ago, I did not become ill while diving when there were no waves and no surge. I've come to the conclusion that, over the years, I've developed an even higher sensitivity to motion that I had when I was younger. Apparently, for me, just the sensation of near weightlessness while diving is now enough to cause motion sickness. Even though there is little to no motion involved.
When I was in the Navy, I found that the ONLY thing that helped my motion sickness was Scopolamine patches. During a recent trip to Pensacola, I got the opportunity to once again try the patches to alleviate my motion sickness. I put a patch on the night before our first dives and covered it with a waterproof Band-Aid. Over a three day period, we did three off-shore dives and two spring dives and I never once felt the slightest bit nauseated.
So, I now know that I have something that will work for me. The problem is that I often dive at quarries on the weekend and I may go and only get one dive in. And, I hate to waste a patch for just one dive. So, I've been looking for oral medication that I can take before diving areas without a lot of motion. Meclizine Hydrochloride (Bonine) and Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) have proven ineffective for me.
It's my understanding that many folks who have not been helped by Bonine or Dramamine, have had great success with Cyclizine Hydrochloride. Cyclizine Hydrochloride (50mg) used to be marketed many years ago under the brand name Marzine and Marezine and was available OTC. However, it was banned OTC (supposedly) in the US because it is a "potentiator" and folks were taking with opiates to achieve a high similar to heroin. Anyway, Cyclizine Hydrochloride in the 50mg dose is still available in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Taiwan (possibly others). Oddly enough, here in the US, the active ingredient in Bonine is Meclizine Hydrochloride but, the active ingredient in Bonine for Kids is 25mg of Cyclizine Hydrochloride (unless they've changed that recently). So, the next test for me in oral medication will be two of the Bonine for Kids. So, if you've tried regular Bonine and Dramamine unsuccessfully, you may want to give Bonine for Kids a try.
Also, some folks have used Zofran successfully. However, while Zofran is for nausea and vomiting (often prescribed after surgery or during chemotherapy), it is not recommended for motion sickness.
Sorry about the length of this post. Not trying to highjack this thread. Just trying to offer the OP some options based on what I'm currently experiencing.
Hope this helps.
As @emoriera pointed out, having your weight belt or waist band on your BCD too tight may be contributing to your problems. I think it may have been a small factor in my own illness but, I don't think in my case it was entirely responsible.
Another possible cause may be Hypercapnia. If you have a habit of skip breathing or don't fully exhale while breathing, it can result in excess carbon dioxide in your blood which can result in nausea. At one time, I thought this might be the source of my problems so, I tried working on my breathing. It didn't seem to help me very much but, it may help you.
For me, I became nauseated during my very first pool session. I also vomited several times during my OW check-out dives while in a protected lagoon (i.e. no waves, no surge). I became violently ill during my first boat dive (primarily due to a strong surge I think). And, I've become nauseated several times while diving in quarries (again, no waves and no surge).
I've been prone to motion sickness all my life. However, when I first started diving many years ago, I did not become ill while diving when there were no waves and no surge. I've come to the conclusion that, over the years, I've developed an even higher sensitivity to motion that I had when I was younger. Apparently, for me, just the sensation of near weightlessness while diving is now enough to cause motion sickness. Even though there is little to no motion involved.
When I was in the Navy, I found that the ONLY thing that helped my motion sickness was Scopolamine patches. During a recent trip to Pensacola, I got the opportunity to once again try the patches to alleviate my motion sickness. I put a patch on the night before our first dives and covered it with a waterproof Band-Aid. Over a three day period, we did three off-shore dives and two spring dives and I never once felt the slightest bit nauseated.
So, I now know that I have something that will work for me. The problem is that I often dive at quarries on the weekend and I may go and only get one dive in. And, I hate to waste a patch for just one dive. So, I've been looking for oral medication that I can take before diving areas without a lot of motion. Meclizine Hydrochloride (Bonine) and Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) have proven ineffective for me.
It's my understanding that many folks who have not been helped by Bonine or Dramamine, have had great success with Cyclizine Hydrochloride. Cyclizine Hydrochloride (50mg) used to be marketed many years ago under the brand name Marzine and Marezine and was available OTC. However, it was banned OTC (supposedly) in the US because it is a "potentiator" and folks were taking with opiates to achieve a high similar to heroin. Anyway, Cyclizine Hydrochloride in the 50mg dose is still available in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Taiwan (possibly others). Oddly enough, here in the US, the active ingredient in Bonine is Meclizine Hydrochloride but, the active ingredient in Bonine for Kids is 25mg of Cyclizine Hydrochloride (unless they've changed that recently). So, the next test for me in oral medication will be two of the Bonine for Kids. So, if you've tried regular Bonine and Dramamine unsuccessfully, you may want to give Bonine for Kids a try.
Also, some folks have used Zofran successfully. However, while Zofran is for nausea and vomiting (often prescribed after surgery or during chemotherapy), it is not recommended for motion sickness.
Sorry about the length of this post. Not trying to highjack this thread. Just trying to offer the OP some options based on what I'm currently experiencing.
Hope this helps.
If it does turn out that a tight belt is either causing it or contributing to it this may help.
Aqua Stainless Steel Depth Compensating Weight Belt Buckle
Aqua Stainless Steel Depth Compensating Weight Belt Buckle
Clark Fletcher
Contributor
As an update, while it appears that Bonine for Kids was available in the US as late as 2016, it looks like it has been removed from the market. Unless you want to pay $40 on eBay for a collectable Bonine for Kids (8 tablets).
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