Diving Tattoos - Do you have one?

[dogglebe]

I'm still reading through this thread so forgive me if this question was already asked: how long do I have to wait to go diving once I get a tattoo? I know you need to let things heal, but is it generally a week? Two weeks? A month?


Phil

 

[SouthSideScubaSteve]

When I got mine, they said not to imerse it in water for at least 2 weeks ... Showering was fine, just no soaking in a tub, swiming, etc!

 

[chokdeekap]

Got these tattoos done in Thailand some years ago by the traditional way with sharpened bamboo sticks

i can not load a photo onto my post only a link anyone tell me how to install a photo on the post
the Thai writing is my wifes name, ponrudee .sawadee kap

 

[fjpatrum]

Scars are just tatoos with a better story.

Richard

I might say tattoos are just scars with more color and often just as good a story.

 

[fjpatrum]

I have 190 hrs worth, nothing dive related yet. Probably a UV reactive white nautilus in the future.

When you are counting hours instead of tattoos, you know you're a tattoo enthusiast. I have about 80-100 hours worth at the moment (stopped counting for a while) with another 20-30 already in the works. As of yet none specifically dive related but I have three (about to be four) Honu on my forearm.

I'm considering a dive/surf related one this summer on my trip to Hawaii, in a traditional Hawaiian style.

 

[fjpatrum]

I'm still reading through this thread so forgive me if this question was already asked: how long do I have to wait to go diving once I get a tattoo? I know you need to let things heal, but is it generally a week? Two weeks? A month?


Phil

Talk to your tattoo artist. How long does it take your body to heal from cuts, generally? I've surfed 20 minutes after getting a tattoo, but I wouldn't recommend it and that was a one time deal. Generally I wait about a week, at least, before I get in the ocean. For me, my healing times slightly vary, but I can usually tell by how it feels in the shower whether I'm safe to go out in "natural" water.

 

[Scarborough Diver]

I'm still reading through this thread so forgive me if this question was already asked: how long do I have to wait to go diving once I get a tattoo? I know you need to let things heal, but is it generally a week? Two weeks? A month?


Phil

You can go into fresh clean water directly after getting a tattoo. In fact at the shop that I used to work at, we recommended it immediately after the bandage was removed to wash off dried blood and alike. What you NEVER want to do is go into salt water or chemically treated water (bromine, chlorine etc) as those agents will, for lack of a better word, suck out the ink. When you can run your hand over your tattoo and feel no scabs, thats when you can go into any kind of water that you want because you're all healed up. During the healing, I like to use Vitamin E gel to speed it along and bring out the vibrance in the colour.

 

[Airleron]

Two mermaids intertwined (One trying to surface, the other holding onto her) on my back. Not really diving related though and Extremely painful.

 

[Smilin' n Divin']

I've got 3 tribal outlined type turtles that I incorporated the traditional "red and white" dive flag into. It's off-centered (starts at the bottom of my bikini top) and wraps downward to the top of my bikini bottoms. My thought is someday to perhaps continue with the diagonal view of it and wrap it around to my front. Just haven't come up with the rest of what I eventually want it to be. I get a ton of compliments when people see it....and I absolutely love turtles, so it's symbolic of me.

 

[McCainiac]

I've got 3 tribal outlined type turtles that I incorporated the traditional "red and white" dive flag into. It's off-centered (starts at the bottom of my bikini top) and wraps downward to the top of my bikini bottoms. My thought is someday to perhaps continue with the diagonal view of it and wrap it around to my front. Just haven't come up with the rest of what I eventually want it to be. I get a ton of compliments when people see it....and I absolutely love turtles, so it's symbolic of me.

Have any pictures of it?