any way to avoid "dive hands"?

[M DeM]

Just got back from a dive trip and WOW - my hands were/are a mess.

I think it's just from being in the water so much -- my skin gets all soft and weak (and even whiter) and everything cuts it. I'm constantly bleeding.

I'm not touching corals or hydroids or anything else. In fact, other folks have it too so I'm possibly just being a baby.

But I'll never forget putting hand sanitizer on my hands (no soap available so I had to use it) and SCREEEEEEEEEEAMING in pain. I felt validated when the same thing happened to my roomie.

So... is there any weird diving trick to fix this? Don't think it's a glove thing since I really wasn't touching anything..

 

[chillyinCanada]

Do you wear a wetsuit and spend time pulling and pulling to get it on? That always messes up my hands for the first number of days on a trip. Bleeding though, I'm not familiar with.

 

[wildbill9]

Interesting....sure my hands come out wrinkly and whiter than usual but never experienced what you have. And I have never heard of this from my fellow divers.

 

[Esprise Me]

I've also noticed my hands get really dry, and lately the skin on my fingertips has been peeling. (No bleeding, though.) I use lotion at the end of the day but might try putting it on before and in between dives too. Would love to hear anyone's tips for dealing with this.

 

[Jcp2]

Painful Peeling Hands and Feet After Diving

 

[RyanT]

Gloves. They won't solve all your problems, in particular since you are not touching corals (good on you). But they definitely come in handy for pulling on decent lines, climbing ladders on the dive boat, etc. I have good buoyancy and never touch coral, but I always wear gloves for the climb back on the boat.

 

[TMHeimer]

I always wear gloves of one thickness or another and never had any hand problems. Cold water, warm water, etc.

 

[DBPacific]

My hands and feet get whiter and peel a bit and are more easily cut after multiple days of diving, but never to the point where the skin itself was painful. Could your suit also be cutting off circulation during the dive? Other than that, all I can think is a good freshwater shower, lotion, and thorough dry after diving and gloves during the dive. Thin garden/all purpose work gloves work great for the tropics

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Wash with fresh water & dry thoroughly between dives.

Sealed gloves might also help but are relatively expensive and hard to come by.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Painful Peeling Hands and Feet After Diving

Thanks for the link.. great info. I have found that I need to wear socks inside my boots or my feet blister and get raw. I have always figured it was just from rubbing tho.

I always have to wear gloves or I get red sore splotchy hands that are very sensitive to touch. I have suspected waterborn bits of stinging cells as I react badly to bites of most insects. I don't touch things gloves or not. I get a doctor certificate to give to the dive operator when we travel. So far the gloves seem to help and once the Dive Op realize I don't touch things they are happy with being able to provide the Dr certificate to justify to officials allowing me to wear them.