Colds, Cough and Diving

[anakin]

ive done a dive with sudafed, a few times, wether it was for a course i was instructor or a dive i 'had to do'. Nothing even close has happend that would be wierd or out of the odinary like those cases on the DAN website...but i think im going to be staying away from doing it at all.

 

[spectrum]

I'll echo the case by case & play it safe messages.

One thing you need to be wary of is having the remains of an actrive cold and diving. The cold water on your forehead my exacerbate things and lead to a nasty reverse block when you try to ascend. Furthermore you may not be as robust as you'd like to think.

Pete

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

I've often gone for a dive when my cold is nearly gone: helps clean out the plumbing - if I can equalise. If not then its back to the boat and wait for a few days.

I used to take sudafed to clear things out, and did so on many an occasion: until I suffered a reverse block. Never again: if you can't equalise in your natural state then don't dive.

Can you equalise now while on the surface? if so you could try a dive but descend slowly and be ready to call it off if you can't equalise. As Gary D. said everyone is differerent in this regard.

The worse thing about diving with a cold isn't the equalisation issue: its clearing water out of your mask with a snotty nose and the residue that is left: oh the horror, the horror.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[TSandM]

A slight cough should not be a significant problem so long as it is not accompanied by any wheezing. One can certainly cough easily through a regulator. The issue with nasal congestion is equalizing ears and sinuses. The most conservative approach is to say that, if you require decongestants to equalize, you are at risk for a reverse block if they wear off underwater, and therefore you probably should not dive. But it is always up to the individual to assess how severe the symptoms are, and how much risk he or she is willing to take on.