willmann_nc
Contributor
Did your wife get bent on your first day of diving? Don't have any statistical data but seems like it happens on the first day after traveling... Christi do you know if divers are more likely to get DCS on their first dives?
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There is such evidence and it was posted in this forum within the last few months. The thinking among many is that it is dehydration and stress from travel.
That makes a lot of common sense to me. When we were younger we always ran straight out to dive as soon as we arrived on vacation, and several times one (or both of us) came down with head colds, sinus infections, and ear problems that shortened dive trips. I got bronchitis once while on a dive trip and that was no fun at all.
We finally decided that we were just "tired and run down" from working long hours trying to get out of town, and sleep-deprived from traveling, and congested from flying. So now we try to take fewer, longer trips and to relax and get rested and healthy for a few days after we arrive and before we go diving. And we don't "dive, dive, dive" like crazy on trips anymore. It could be a coincidence but it's been working for us. We've stayed healthy and had better trips since we have been taking things easier.
We have never had DCS (happily) but I can see how general health could be an important factor in that condition also.
Dogbowl
Contributor
It makes total sense to me too. I am the most stressed just before a trip, especially a long and complicated one. Guess what? My immune system is down, I’m tired from flying halfway around the world...as soon as I get to relax on the LOB, my adrenaline drops and I get sick and can’t dive. Lesson learned. Aging sucks.
And upon arrival in the warm tropics, on the first night of vacation, there is the temptation to drink one or two or six.
Dogbowl
Contributor
Lol, there certainly is the temptation but my experience has been that divers don’t, especially those arriving for an expensive LOB or who have booked a series of dives. As for me, I’m an angel with my alcohol or food consumption on dive trips and even on non dive trips. I can no longer afford to get sick.
Yes, I have a diver who has been diving with us since I started my operation and has become a dear friend. Several years ago, maybe 10 or so - he wanted to dive the afternoon of arrival and I didn't have a boat going out so I set him up with another shop for the afternoon. That evening I called to make arrangements to pick up his gear and give him his pick-up time for the following day and his wife said he was in bad shape. Long story short, he had come up from his first dive with classic DCS symptoms but was told by the boat crew it was just seasickness. After his wife described what was going on, I told her to get him ready, I was going to pick him up. I called Dr. Piccolo and he was waiting for us - by the time we got him to the hospital, about 30 minutes later, it took three of us to carry him in because he couldn't walk. Cause of his DCS was determined to be dehydration and fatigue/stress from travel. People really underestimate how air travel dehydrates. Pair that with usually not much sleep and stress of getting ready for vacation in the days leading up to it - recipe for DCS.
My recommendation is now always to wait until the following day and make sure you're well rested and hydrated.
My recommendation is now always to wait until the following day and make sure you're well rested and hydrated.
scubbygirl
Registered
How are things today?
Not any more for me. I finally learned that in addition to it being dangerous to dive with a hangover, feeling bad because of a self inflicted malady is a stupid waste of valuable vacation time. I still enjoy a beer or two but drinking to the point where I am impaired the next day is a thing of the past for me.
Yes, this. Hard for most people to appreciate how many divers are in the water every day in Cozumel. I would guess it's a couple thousand, but that's just a rough guess. Which means roughly a million dives per year. If you have a more detailed estimate, please share.
Also, if anyone knows how many DCS incidents happen each year on Coz, it would probably help establish that the rate of incidents per dive is no different, on average, than anywhere else.
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