Nausea After Swallowing Water

[JC Girl]

Hi Everyone,

I've been practicing in the pool for my upcoming o/w certification but still having issues with the "mask removal, recovering, and clearing" skill. I swallow water every time I recover my mask and attempt to clear it. Aside from getting a slightly sore throat, this doesn't really bother me. However, I always get an upset stomach, nausea, gagging, etc. the following day! I've always had a weak stomach so I believe I have some sort of an allergy to the chlorine water I swallow every time I go for practice. My biggest concern is my o/w certification. I'm afraid of getting sick if I swallow lake water and then feeling too awful to finish the second day of my o/w certification. Can anyone provide some good recommendations on properly doing the "mask removal, recovery, and clearing" skill? I can't seem to get it right without swallowing a lot of water each time.

Thank you for any of your input!

 

[snowdog]

There could be some issues with the chlorine.
Dehydration is often over looking as a possible cause of many symptoms. hydrate well and rule out dehydration.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Have you tried no mask breathing with a snorkel. Are you inhaling the water through your nose or your mouth? Try not to work too hard at it. Take a breath in, flood the mask on the surface, submerge and exhale through the nose while applying pressure on the mask. Do not try to lift it. This is where some make a mistake. They lift the mask while exhaling instead of just holding it and that lets water in. The exhaled water and air pressure will lift the bottom of the mask more than enough. Also try doing it while swimming if possible and going under. This will require you to look up a bit and allow the water to be forced out.

 

[TSandM]

How is the water getting to the back of your throat to be swallowed? If it is running down the back of your nose, chances are that you are tilting your head too far back during the skill. If you are sitting or kneeling on the bottom and tilt your head back, you create a situation where water will run down the base of your nasopharynx into your throat. The instructions to tilt the head back are for people who are diving in a horizontal position. In a sitting or kneeling position, where your head is upright, it may even help to go a little bit face-down.

If you have trouble in general with not having a mask on, you may need to learn how to separate breathing through your nose, and breathing through your mouth. Try this on land: Put your hand over your mouth, and breathe out until your cheeks puff up. Now let the air out through your nose. Now blow up your cheeks again -- go back and forth until you have learned the motion you have to make with your throat to route the air to one place or the other. That should help significantly with managing mouth-breathing with no mask.

 

[JC Girl]

Thanks snowdog! I found out from a fellow student yesterday that they actually use bromide rather than chlorine in the pool. I'm probably just really sensitive to it, aside from being dehydrated as well.

 

[JC Girl]

Hi Jim,

I haven't tried no mask breathing with a snorkel but I have done it with the regulator as it was required in the confined dive. I guess the problem I have is when I recover my mask. The water seems to push up into my nose and then goes down my throat. I've used your method in clearing my mask yesterday and it works well! However, I haven't had the courage to take off my mask fully at the bottom of the pool. Still trying though! Thank you so much for your suggestion!

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Try keeping your head forward and continuously exhaling a small amount from your nose. Also, in addition to Jim's recommendation of using the snorkel without a mask, when you're showering, try turning your face directly into the shower and breathing. It helps develop the muscle memory that will keep the water out of your nose.

 

[JC Girl]

Hi TSandM,

The water runs down the back of my nose and then down my throat. I do suspect it involves me tilting my head too far back! If I start clearing my mask by going a little face-down, should I be tilting my head slowly back up while i'm clearing it?

I have been practicing your method in separating breathing through the nose and mouth when I'm not in the pool. I just need to apply this method when I'm actually in the pool though. I haven't had the courage to take my mask completely off yet! A fellow student increased my fear yesterday as he choked on the water and was coughing violently when he attempted to do the mask removal, recovering, and clearing. I guess a lot of people have problems with this skill! I'll keep trying!

Thanks so much for the kind suggestion!!

 

[JC Girl]

Thanks, DDM! I never thought of that method of practicing when I'm at home. Good to know!! Thanks again!

 

[TSandM]

JC Girl, what's important about mask clearing is that the bottom of the mask is the lowest point in the water. For example, if you are in a horizontal position and looking at the bottom of the pool, the lowest part of your mask is the glass. If you have water in the mask, it will sit against the glass. You can blow air into the mask until the cows come home, and the water isn't going to go anywhere.

On the other hand, if you are sitting upright, the bottom of your mask is already the lowest point of the mask. Water will pool there, and when you gently exhale air into the mask through your nose, the air will slowly push the water out the bottom of the mask. If you are upright and tilt your head BACK, then not only is the bottom of the mask not as low, but you set the plane of the bottom of your nose up so that gravity will make water run into the back of your throat.

If you are sitting upright (and sadly, the skill is taught that way, even though in real diving you will virtually NEVER have a situation where you would want to be in that position) and tilt your head every so slightly forward, you will prevent the water from running down your throat. You may end up with just a tiny bit of residual water in the mask, because the place where the mask sits against your lip is not precisely the lowest point, but this can be fixed by straightening up your head (and by this time, there should be so little water in the mask that you won't get the choking problem).