Is diving a good idea in my case?. Is that normal?

[Gruxg]

Hello!. I would like to learn scuba diving, but I do not know if it is a good idea in my case because of two things that happen to me that I don't know if they are normal or not (because I get different opinions depending who I ask to), and if it could prevent me to pass the OWD course or to dive safely.

The first one: although I can dive a bit in apnea without mask, if I don't close my nostrils I cannot avoid that water get into my nose in some positions. For example if I am with my head downwards. Some people say that it should not occur if you don't inhale.

The second one: if some water enter my nose cavity, when it reaches some point I feel like a burning sensation in the inner part part of my nose and sometimes an acute headache. It has happened to me since I can remember. People say that inhaling a small amount of water is uncomfortable and produces cough, but I feel pain too. It also happen to me if I try to clean my nose by salt water irrigation (a doctor told me once to do it to relieve allergy in spring). Is that normal?

I know, when you dive you ussually use a mask. But I think some exercise in the OWD course have to be done without mask, and for safety reasons I guess a diver may be able to tolerate a small amount of water inhalation (in case of someone accidentaly hit your mask and you are with your head downwards for example).

What do you think?.

P.D. Sorry if my English is not very good, I'm not an English speaker.

 

[scoobydrew]

Hi there

I guess to respond to your post I would think about it from a couple of different angles. Firstly you say you get pain when water goes in to your nose. It is normal to feel discomfort but pain is your bodys way of telling you that something is wrong. No one on this board can advise you about what to do about that. If you are serious about wanting to try diving then even to do a basic intro session you will have to do a mask skill that involves putting water in the mask and clearing it. With this in mind I would suggest that you consider getting checked out by a doctor beforehand to see if they can find out why you feel this pain. Google the divers assist network and use their website to find a diving doctor in your area and see if you can get checked out.

If you have problems because you breath in through your nose even when underwater then this is something that can most likely be coahed through with perseverence on the part of you and the instructor. It is quite common to have beginner divers that are nose breathers and this can take a little time to get over. Your body has had its entire lifetime breathing in the way it does and to try to re-educate it for diving can sometimes require quite a bit of effort but is rarely something that can not be achieved.

The bottom line is that if you want to dive then you really need to get certified. PADI courses certainly will have a series of skills that you need to master that involve being underwater without a mask on or having water in your mask and im sure that the other certification agencies will require this too.

If you do go down this route then I would suggest you pick your training facility well as if you enrol on a course that has more than a few other students you may find it hard to get the additional time you need to overcome these breathing issues so I suggest you tell the dive centre before you sign up and ask if it is possible to do the initial confined water training 1-1, worst case scenario it will cost you a bit more money.

If you get checked out medically and that turns out to be ok and you want to give it a go then you could also think about doing a try dive, PADIs version is called a discover SCUBA diver and during this session you will be required to flood and clear your mask, this would be a good test before commiting financially to a full course.

 

[Gruxg]

Thank you scoobydrew!

I'm not sure if I have explained well myself. I can hold my breath under the water, and as long as my nostrils look more or less downwards I can also breathe through a snorkel with my head under the water and without mask (I tried this because I gess it is somewhat similar to one of the exercises requiered in the OW courses). However, I feel in some positions the water enter my nose even holding my breath (for example if I do a flip turn).

About the pain issue, I have meet a few people that experience something similar to me, but it seems to be rare. Perhaps you are right and I should comment it with an specialized doctor.

 

[spectrum]

Gruxg,

You are expressing what many people feel to one extent or another. Odds are with training/acclimation you are fine. I can think of at least 2 things that will work in your favor if you go forward with certification.

1) When you are doing mask off drill the air pressure in your air spaces will at ambient pressure. This will limit the penetration of water unless you are inverted, the you can slowly exhale through your nose.

2) Repeated exposure to something like this that irritates will lessen the effect on you. In the end you may still not enjuy some sensations but they will be normal and not promote distress or panic. Wjhere an individual's comfort level lands is unique.

I don't think you will be needing to do any flips with your mask off. You will need to remove your mask to replace and clear. This is usually in a face forward position and you tip your head as you exhale to evacuate the water. Some may have you do some pool diving where your buddy leads you like if you lost your mask.

One thing you can try to help desensitize is to get some of those nasal saline inalers. Stick it up your nose and as you squeeze draw it way back until you feel that discomfort point. Doing this periodically should begin to make you less bothered.

Pete

 

[g1138]

When water enters your nose when you're upside down, it can go into your sinus cavities. Depending how sensitive you are, you may feel a burning pain, especially when taking on heavily chlorinated water or pool water. For me this is the case.
Even with tap water, I feel a small sting.
So this is normal. There are those who do not have easy passages to their sinus's from their nose, so fluids don't easily travel there. And there are those who have a heavier lining on their sinuses, so they don't feel a lot of pain. There are also those who wouldn't call that stinging sensation pain.
So it is normal for you to feel this way when you get water up your nose. It is also normal to get water up your nose when you tilt your nostrils up, it's just how gravity makes water flow.

The mask off drill in OWD is usually done in a static position, then sometimes progresses so the diver is swimming without a mask (it depends on the instructor).
If you keep your nostrils pointed more downward, or exhale out your nose, you shouldn't have a problem. Most problems occur when people aren't aware that they're still breathing through their nose, until they take off their mask.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

When my nostrils are pointing downwards or 'horizontally', usually no water gets in my nose. But it happens when I'm upside-down sometimes, and it's pretty uncomfortable. The most important part is that you are able to continue breathing and thinking through the discomfort of water in your nose.

 

[Gruxg]

Thank you very much guys.

Yes, I think what I feel is what g1138 describes as a stinging sensation, like "a sting in the brain". I have felt it in the swimming pool and with tap water too, but I don't remember if it happens with sea water. If does, I supposse it would not be a good thing to feel this if suddenly someone hit your mask 20 metres below the surface...

So I am not so rare after all. Perhaps there is hope for me...

 

[Damselfish]

I think you're worrying about something that is fairly common. At least I know I'm not too excited about water up my nose and it takes me a lot of concentration to prevent it if I'm not wearing a mask or holding my nose. You'll probably find it gets easier to deal with with practice, like most things in diving. The important thing is to learn not to freak when it happens.

 

[Nemrod]

I have been getting water in my nose and sinuses since I was a baby. Sometimes it burns, other times I choke, sometimes I cough and sneeze and yes it is normal. I actually inhale saltwater in a glass sometimes up my nose--on purpose!

I swim laps, miles and miles, regularly at the Y, I do use a nose clip just because the constant exposure to chlorine aggravates my sinuses sometimes and the nose clip helps but of course you cannot use a clip when diving.

Really, seriously, for people who play in the water, it is a non issue. I sense a deeper rooted issue here, fear of the water.

N

 

[Gruxg]

I play in water too (swimming, occassional snorkelling...). But I am very (too much?) cautious before starting a new activity if it may entail some risk. Call it fear if you wish.