Puking under water

[tursiops]

This seems to be a common commit to ensure you're not rising, stay at the bottom and don't try to acend, etc., Which I will follow this advice but I'm wondering the logic behind this precaution?

While puking, you have your stomach exits open for exiting material but not your lungs open for exiting air.....so you can blow out your lungs if you ascend while "holding your breath," thus AGE, etc. Clear enough, or is more explanation needed? It is an IMPORTANT point, so don't just let it slide by. Understand it.

 

[TMHeimer]

After vomiting a human will take a deep involuntary breath, if you do that 4 or 5 feet from the surface while on the way up you could cause injury to your lungs.

Hmm. Deep breath while rising close to the surface being dangerous certainly does make sense. I think this was mentioned in another thread discussing removing the CESA from OW course.
In keeping with what Tournesol2000 said about addressing puke procedures in the OW course, this may be something else that should be at least mentioned. When learning, CESA students are of course told to exhale slowly (bubbles, "ah...", go slowly, etc.) but no mention of what may happen if you take a huge breath near the surface. Breathing NORMALLY while ascending won't hurt since there is room for the lungs to safely expand in that situation. This was explained on that other thread too.

 

[boulderjohn]

This seems to be a common commit to ensure you're not rising, stay at the bottom and don't try to acend, etc., Which I will follow this advice but I'm wondering the logic behind this precaution?

I don't really think most people have to do this. I believe in most cases of sea sickness-induced vomiting, the diver vomits, thinks, "Oh rats!", cleans up, and goes on with the dive.

Vertigo is a different story. Vertigo can range from a minor annoying dizziness to a full-blown "I need help now!" disaster, in which case clinging to a rock--or anything--is a good strategy. In a course I was teaching once, one of the 3 students on the dive was supposed to lead the dive. At about 150 feet deep, he paused and gave the "something's wrong" signal. I, of course, moved close. He looked puzzled, and then his eyes went wide with terror. He thumbed the dive and grabbed the line. I grabbed him, and we ascended together. He was mentally in control--he dumped air from both his wing and his drysuit as he ascended, but he was clearly scared, and he was clinging to that line for dear life. We went all the way to the surface, where he was miraculously better. It turned out that he had had trouble equalizing on a dive a couple weeks before, which would be the explanation for what turned out to be a tiny hole in his eardrum. Once enough water got in his ear, it was like he was in a washing machine.

 

[Compressor]

Won't rehash things here but yes leave in mouth.
Many times in VERY low visibility ( and I mean low like 1 foot or less), where there is no situational awareness of where up or down is, vertigo will come along and at times vomiting. Happened to me on a night dive in Lake Ontario where winds picked up and the surf zone was very active. I had no idea where up or down was except my bubbles were going up since there was no down draft.

 

[Scraps]

One other puking precaution.

Although you can puke through your regulator, it is possible for big chunks to clog it. So keep one hand on your secondary air source, ready to switch if you don't get the air you need when you take that involuntary inhale after puking. Then you can purge your primary and restore your normal configuration at your leisure.

 

[OnTheMark]

While puking, you have your stomach exits open for exiting material but not your lungs open for exiting air.....so you can blow out your lungs if you ascend while "holding your breath," thus AGE, etc. Clear enough, or is more explanation needed? It is an IMPORTANT point, so don't just let it slide by. Understand it.

Got it. Yes, I would not hold my breath so if that's the point, I understand. I was thinking that I could slowly start making my way to the surface, puking, stopping, breathing, ascending, puking, stopping, breathing, ascending, etc all the time to ensure that I was not holding my breath or ascending too quickly.

 

[RyanT]

All good advice.

Also, chew your food really well.

^^^^^And this! ^^^^^

 

[The Chairman]

I ALWAYS take my reg out of my mouth before I puke. Some peeps will tell you that I will surely die doing this, but no. It works for me. Will it work for you? I don't know, but I think it would.

 

[tursiops]

I ALWAYS take my reg out of my mouth before I puke. Some peeps will tell you that I will surely die doing this, but no. It works for me. Will it work for you? I don't know, but I think it would.

And what are your reasons for thinking this is OK?
We've given reasons why we think it is not; what are yours?
See also: The Complete Guide to Throwing Up Underwater - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI

 

[The Chairman]

And what are your reasons for thinking this is OK?

Experience. I've thrown up underwater at least thirty times on three different occasions. I always took my reg out. I never inhaled water. I have seen at least two people who threw up in their regs experience a laryngospasm because chunks got in their exhaust valves and they breathed water.

I don't want to blow chunks through my reg and you can't make me.