New to Scuba - Four Concerns

[scubeydoo]

Hi, im new to scuba, i completed my inpool part and this weekend I will be doing the open water portion in a quarry

I have a few concerns that maybe others can advise on.

1. I don't get it often but I did have it happen once when I was in the pool where flem built up in my throat I have no idea why, and I was trying to swallow but it just stuck there making it harder to breath, I find the only way to clear it is to go to the surface and cough it out, which is fine in a pool but in an open water when your 30ft down it might make the instructor think i have a problem if i start swimming up. Does anyone else run into this flem issue at times?

2. I find after being under water for a while the AIR im breathing in makes my mouth and throat really dry, and i feel the urge to want to go up, i dont want to ruin it for others but I do find it irratating and makes me being down there less enjoyable, anyone else get that happen and why does it give you dry throat, its like there is no moisture in it.

3. Do Quarries carry aquatic life that I need to be careful of? Im a bit leery when it comes to going under water - period! but I have pushed through my mild fears so far and I wont let them get the better of me. I think its the whole idea of being down there and not knowing what is coming at you

4. After being down I feel really tired for almost a day

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hi, im new to scuba, i completed my inpool part and this weekend I will be doing the open water portion in a quarry

I have a few concerns that maybe others can advise on.

1. I don't get it often but I did have it happen once when I was in the pool where flem built up in my throat I have no idea why, and I was trying to swallow but it just stuck there making it harder to breath, I find the only way to clear it is to go to the surface and cough it out, which is fine in a pool but in an open water when your 30ft down it might make the instructor think i have a problem if i start swimming up. Does anyone else run into this flem issue at times?

2. I find after being under water for a while the AIR im breathing in makes my mouth and throat really dry, and i feel the urge to want to go up, i dont want to ruin it for others but I do find it irratating and makes me being down there less enjoyable, anyone else get that happen and why does it give you dry throat, its like there is no moisture in it.

3. Do Quarries carry aquatic life that I need to be careful of? Im a bit leery when it comes to going under water - period! but I have pushed through my mild fears so far and I wont let them get the better of me. I think its the whole idea of being down there and not knowing what is coming at you

4. After being down I feel really tired for almost a day

These are all common concerns of a new diver.

1. If you feel the urge to cough, then cough. Your regulator is designed to expel just about anything you need to cough up ... and you won't be the first coughing student your instructor has had to deal with. I would advise, however, that you mention this to your instructor before the dive, so that they will know what's going on.

2. The air inside a scuba cylinder has all the moisture removed from it as part of the compression process. There are add-on devices you can purchase that "humidify" the air if it proves to be a problem ... but the vast majority of divers simply adapt to the dry-breathing air after a few dives.

3. The most dangerous aquatic critter you will encounter in a quarry will be another diver. Besides that, there isn't much down there that will bother you.

4. Most new divers experience fatigue after diving. This comes primarily from two sources ... using muscles that you aren't used to using, and the effects of breathing compressed gasses. The first will pass over time, as you get more practice ... in part because you will get used to using those muscles and in part because you will use them less as you get more comfortable in the underwater environment. The second part can be reduced by watching your ascent rate. Keep in mind that you should be ascending at a rate of no more than about a foot every two seconds. For the new diver, that seems glacially slow. From your safety stop it should take you no less than 30 seconds to surface. If you're coming up faster than that, you're "shaking the soda can" with respect to the accumulated nitrogen in your blood ... and the side-effect of that is to make you feel fatigued.

Best of luck with your checkout dives ... remember to discuss all of these concerns with your instructor before you hit the water ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[IslandFrog]

Bob has given you about the best advice out there on your questions. Let me just add a welcome to the world of diving and to the Scubaboard!

 

[vladimir]

3. Do Quarries carry aquatic life that I need to be careful of? Im a bit leery when it comes to going under water - period! but I have pushed through my mild fears so far and I wont let them get the better of me. I think its the whole idea of being down there and not knowing what is coming at you

Not a lot of aquatic life in the quarries I've been in. There's usually lawn furniture, abandoned cars, and, if you're lucky, a bus or an airplane that was deliberately sunk there. But you must have entertained thoughts of diving outside a quarry or a swimming pool at some point, haven't you? A coral reef might have scorpionfish, stonefish, blue-ringed octopus, jellyfish, sharks, barracuda, and sea snakes--any of which might be capable of killing you. And you know what? You still don't have to worry about any of it. But you're right, it is good to know what the possibilities are. Enjoy your dives.

 

[iztok]

Welcome to Scubaboard!

Bob gave you great advices I will just add something to it in regards to #2.

You can learn how to swallow and use tongue to moisten your mouth. It is bit difficult at first but you find a way to do it.

In a quarry (for some even in an ocean) if it is not too polluted you can rinse your mouth with water you are diving in.

 

[piikki]

Bob pretty much covered all the basics. Let me add one thing because it cannot be emphasized enough though. Drink extra water! It will help the dry mouth little and it might very well help some of the extra snot issues too because your throat will not get so irritated with dryness and go on higher gear to produce phlegm. I am sure you have been told this but I am poor drinker myself. It can also help the post-dive fatigue - even though I know what you mean. My first season I pretty much did one dive days because it was so much effort to just get the dive done. Of course if you are absolutely whacked, you need to look at your physical fitness but drink before dive and after dive, get more comfortable, more experience and it should get easier.

And there might be a few funny creatures there. Closest quarry to us has planted some koi fish and bass and one that I know of has some American eels (not so crazy about those), so don't believe these fools who say there is nothing. Don't be taken by surprise and freak out! You can always ask what and where critters are (I avoided the darkness under the platforms where the eels were known to lurk!) It's all fun! Practice coughing through your reg a bit, so when your eyes bulge out when you see a first fishy eye in the quarry, you have time to signal your buddy/instructor

 

[vladimir]

so don't believe these fools who say there is nothing.

Who said that? I can't find that post.

 

[aquaregia]

When I get phlegmmy I spit through my regulator. I'm always surprised at how well it works. One of my friends told me about a DM vomiting through a regulator once.

 

[vondo]

Hi, im new to scuba, i completed my inpool part and this weekend I will be doing the open water portion in a quarry

I have a few concerns that maybe others can advise on.

1. I don't get it often but I did have it happen once when I was in the pool where flem built up in my throat I have no idea why, and I was trying to swallow but it just stuck there making it harder to breath, I find the only way to clear it is to go to the surface and cough it out, which is fine in a pool but in an open water when your 30ft down it might make the instructor think i have a problem if i start swimming up. Does anyone else run into this flem issue at times?

2. I find after being under water for a while the AIR im breathing in makes my mouth and throat really dry, and i feel the urge to want to go up, i dont want to ruin it for others but I do find it irratating and makes me being down there less enjoyable, anyone else get that happen and why does it give you dry throat, its like there is no moisture in it.

3. Do Quarries carry aquatic life that I need to be careful of? Im a bit leery when it comes to going under water - period! but I have pushed through my mild fears so far and I wont let them get the better of me. I think its the whole idea of being down there and not knowing what is coming at you

4. After being down I feel really tired for almost a day

To refine or extend what others have said:

1) I still get this a little and if there is phlegm buildup, I will remove the reg briefly and "scrub" the mouthpiece with my fingers.

2) In a big body of freshwater, you can, probably take drink if you want. Or swish a little water around and spit it out.

3) I have been bitten by a bluegill to the point where it drew blood (they especially like me as my skin has a number of moles) but it's more irritating and funny than frightening.

 

[lavachickie]

Welcome! You received some great information -- just another "Yeah, I had that, too" post here. =-)

1. With very active sinus issues (something almost every season), I depend upon allergy medications to dive. Initially, however, I remember the experience DID increase phlegm production. I imagime it's just the body's natural response to different respiratory stimuli, but I'm not a doctor. You might find that taking a long acting sinus medication like prescription Sudafed helps. But speak to your doctor, preferably an ENT. My PCP is a diver, though, so that was a good match. =-)

2. Most people do not drink enough water. Are you consuming at least 64 ounces of WATER per day (not other beverages, but simply water)? If not, then start. Go for 128 if you want to really feel improvements in your joints, the texture of your skin, etc. =-) I usually don't get dry mouth until near the end of two tank dive.

3. I don't do quaries so I don't know what may or may not be there. Best bet is to ask someone who has dove the area you are considering. That's all part of getting your brief on the local dive conditions, you know! You never know, a cousin of Nessie might live in one of those quarries! ;-)

4. Read what Greatful Diver said, like, five times. SLOW DOWN. And then once you think you've slowed down, cut that speed in half. ;-) I still go WAY too fast, and have to constantly think of the good divers I know who move like glaciers. That contributes to fatique, but also the fact is you are probably doing something which is more physical than you are used to. So do it -- do it often -- and also do other things to maintain and improve your cardiovascular endurance, but also your core strength because that's where it's coming from. You don't need big biceps, but you sure do use the shoulders, low back, hips, etc. Work that core, baby.

Most of all, enjoy, have fun, and learn!

Amy