Headache on resurfacing

[Kettle]

The past four times I have been diving and have gotten incredibly painful headaches upon resurfacing. I have done other dives before this and not had any problems. Anyone got any ideas on what could be causing this problem?

 

[David Evans]

Carbon Dioxide headache from skip breathing? That's what happens to me if I am using breath control for buoyancy a lot (like when I am taking pictures). If it's not sinus related (and you would know if it is), then CO2 is my guess.

Make sure you inhale and exhale deeply and completly, and in a relaxed pace.

 

[Padipro]

David is right, it's caused from a build up of CO2. It may not be from skip breathing though. I used to get them once in a while myself, I never skip breathed but my breathing would become so slow because I was comfortable in the water that it was almost like skip breathing. I would take maybe one breath for every two that another diver would take and that contributied to the build up of CO2 causing a SPLITTING headache after the dive.

I had to consentrate on my breathing until I broke the habbit of the extremely slow breathing. Once I broke the habbit I've never had the headaches again.

Scott

 

[fins wake]

... CO2 buildup, yes. However, there are other possibilities. If diving with certain semi-dry or even dry suits (not likely in Oz, probably), it may be too tight-fitting a (latex) neck seal.

You may be dehydrated! Drink properly well before the dive, and keep hydrated during the surface intervals.

Youmay be ascending too quickly. I used to get mild headaches as a newbie, when surfacing too quickly. Today, and with all other factors being equal (suit, equipment, dive sites, hydration) but with ascent rates often multi-level and always slow, I never have headaches. Mine were always mild, mind.

Of course, there is the possibility of a bad airfill, perhaps even traces of carbon monoxide or other contaminants?

Other (distant) possibilities are actually neurological factors (perhaps disc/neck problems due to underwater positioning and/or a squeezed nerve), a recent infection, possibly even seasickness or migraine ...

But CO2 retention is probably the likeliest cause.
Service your regulator (if diving OC) or change your scrubber more often (if on CC/SC) and don't skip breathing as has already been stated.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Dehydration can also be a possible cause, particularly on hot days where you have made 2 or more dives. The air in the tank is very dry.

Headaches caused by either CO2 or dehydration can be quite asprin resistant and hard to shake, but as noted above, in my experience a CO2 headache feels like someone is inside my head with an ice pick.

 

[Kettle]

Thanks, I will try to concentrate on breathing more. Dehydration could have been part of the problem too.

 

[kelpdiver]

I'd vote for CO2. High levels cause cerebral vasodilatation with migraine-like throbbing headache. I've had that question come up on a couple of trips, told the guys to pay attention to their breathing, and, voila!, instant cures. Interestingly, one was an ex-Navy medic/chamber tender who kept sitting out the second dive. He was kind of chagrined to realize what was happening.

 

[zds3488]

yes....i dove the mex. pride on 7-20-03 and after the 1st dive i had an awful headache.................its was crazy.....ill tell ya.....the best thing to do for co2 headaches is CONCENTRATE ON SOMETHING ELSE.....anything else besides......jsut like seasickness........hope this helps

 

[Abalone]

Well.. as it has been suggested carbon monoxide may be the reason. Ah.. have you checked the way the cylinders are refilled?
this may be a long shot but many years ago here in the states some divers were poisoned by the exhaust of small gas motors powering the compressor pumps that filled the air bottles especially with some of the home made rigs that were around. I am talking early 1960,s. Probably not the case but headache is a
sympton of carbon monoxide poising. In other words is there any source that the intake of the compressor of the bottles could be getting any carbon monoxide? A car parked nearby with engine running could do it. Location of compressor recently moved or changed? A long shot as I say and more people would be complaining unless there was a way the intake was being contaminated just now and then.

 

[zeN||]

If you have dove before without this problem, and you have had headaches for the last 4 consecutive dives, co2 doesnt sound like the problem (how many dives did you say you had?), it may be a temporary phenomenon (body could be 'under the weather,' or you could of course have an alien growing in your skull ha sorry couldn't resist); headaches can be caused or exacerbated by pressure changes, are you making a slow ascent? z