pain in mask area when diving

[Spoon]

guys this has happened several times. over the weekend did a couple of dives and during one of my surface intervals we went snorkelling. i decided to dive to a depth of around 10-20 ft on a breathold then i noticed my mask area started to hurt when id go down. i was equalizing and it sort of felt like a mask squeeze but my mask wsant tight or anything. at least it dint feel it.

both dives after that were followed by about 10 mins of pain as i was descending then dissapeared, felt like there were like blood vessels or something swelling inmy upper brow. what is this?

 

[Diver Lori]

I asked a similar question a while back and didn't get a definitive answer. I don't always have the problem, but I'm beginning to think it's a sinus congestion issue.

 

[Spoon]

I asked a similar question a while back and didn't get a definitive answer. I don't always have the problem, but I'm beginning to think it's a sinus congestion issue.

sinus congestion is the last thing on my mind. i notice though this always happens when i go skindiving. i guess its bec i dont equalize my mask when going down? i doubt though it really felt like i was gonna bust a blood vessel or something.

 

[Blox]

Spoon,

my guess would also be that it's a sinus congestion. A couple of weeks ago, II had one that I could barely notice on the surface, but when I submerged my head in the pool just a bit - and I talk centimeters here, not meters - it felt like my head was going to explode any second.

 

[Blox]

sinus congestion is the last thing on my mind. i notice though this always happens when i go skindiving. i guess its bec i dont equalize my mask when going down? i doubt though it really felt like i was gonna bust a blood vessel or something.

So you don't have any problems at all when you're scuba diving??
If that is the case, that may speak against a sinus congestion.

Have you tried to gently exhale through your nose a bit when freediving?

 

[Spoon]

Spoon,

my guess would also be that it's a sinus congestion. A couple of weeks ago, II had one that I could barely notice on the surface, but when I submerged my head in the pool just a bit - and I talk centimeters here, not meters - it felt like my head was going to explode any second.

thanks that could be it, guess you dont have to have a runny nose to have sinus congestion huh? anyway thats a relief, was expecting something serious

 

[Diver Lori]

Right....a runny nose isn't necessary in my case. It hit me in the same place....right across the eyebrow where the mask lays. I would get a little relief if I slightly pulled the mask away from my head just enough to not crack the seal, but to take the pressue off. Of course, I can't do the whole dive this way, but it did help in a situation where I couldn't call the dive in a cave system....we were on our way out and I just had to live with it till we were out. The mask wasn't too tight either....in fact, it would actually slide down a bit....and the water pressure was the only thing keeping it on my face and also causing the discomfort.

 

[Spoon]

So you don't have any problems at all when you're scuba diving??
If that is the case, that may speak against a sinus congestion.

Have you tried to gently exhale through your nose a bit when freediving?

actually last weekend they still hurt when i did scuba but only first 5 mis of dive while i was descending. this occurred after i freedove during my SI.

i also do not blow out thru my nose maybe that contributed to a minor mask squeeze?

 

[DandyDon]

actually last weekend they still hurt when i did scuba but only first 5 mis of dive while i was descending. this occurred after i freedove during my SI.

i also do not blow out thru my nose maybe that contributed to a minor mask squeeze?

I think you hit the problem. If you don't exhale into the mask a bit on descent, you get mask squeeze - a nice seal, but a bit much. Also, freediving, you probably descend faster than you do on scuba, ya' think...?

Perhaps bigger problem!! Free diving after scuba can increase the risk of the bends.

Think of the beer left open and sitting all night going flat without bubbles. That's what we want to do with our off-gassing.

Think of the beer can shaken, then opened? Not the bubbles we want in our bodies. Strenuous exercise or free diving can possibly lead to this.

Snorkeling on the surface on a surface interval is probably fine, as long as you don't swim into current, etc, but Freediving is something I would not risk.

 

[Spoon]

Perhaps bigger problem!! Free diving after scuba can increase the risk of the bends.

T
Snorkeling on the surface on a surface interval is probably fine, as long as you don't swim into current, etc, but Freediving is something I would not risk.

even to around 10-15 ft? anyway we were snorkelling as well during our si but we swam around 500m out in still water but i guess that dint help