Sick - only during dive?

[JK-1]

Hi all

I completed my Open Water course late last year, completing 5 dives since then.

On my last two dive weekends, I have had a recurring problem. Approx 25 minutes into second dive of the day, I quickly start to feel ill (like I need to vomit). I've aborted both dives and have vomited as soon as I've got to the surface.

What is weird is that I've been a keen fisherman for years and have never felt sick on boats before, including small boats. I only seem to feel sick halfway through that second dive. Once back on the boat I feel almost 100% after an hour.

I feel that the weightlessness feeling and a bit of vertigo (when looking down) come into play. I also wonder if having low visibility (5m) contributes to the problem, as I had no such issues on my training dives where I was diving in 20m of visibility.

Has anyone had similar issues - there is lots of info online but it seems to refer to sea sickness whilst on the boat as opposed to whilst actually diving. My body seems back to front as most people feel better in the water!

Would taking a standard sea sickness pill potentially help?

 

[Coztick]

My only concern would be CO contamination of you gas.
A little will make you feel sick, a little more will kill you...
Test your gas to eliminate that possibility.

 

[Landstander]

My only concern would be CO contamination of you gas.
A little will make you feel sick, a little more will kill you...
Test your gas to eliminate that possibility.

On that note, I'd recommend taking a look at the cootwo. My understanding is that it's the only integrated oxygen / carbon monoxide analyzer currently available.

 

[dlofting]

I've never had the problem, but I did dive with a person 4 years ago who said he always felt naseous on the first dive of any trip and often vomited when he got back on the boat.......probably a form of motion sickness.

 

[CuzzA]

I don't think the basic scuba forum is the place to ask this, the diving medicine forum would likely garner a better response... Then again, I think DAN or your doctor is who you should really be contacting. Who knows if there's not some underlying, undiscovered condition that's putting your safety at risk.

One of my neighbors dive buddies has this happen as well. His ego prevents him from seeking medical advice... Fortunately for him, nobody will dive with him now.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Contact DAN

You don't have to be a member to ask for advice but it a good thing to have a membership.

Scuba Diving Medical Safety Advice — DAN | Divers Alert Network

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We dove with a big guy last year that got sick after every dive. He would chum the fish once back on board, and was fine after that. My first thought was bad air, but yes, I have seen it before. He was a fairly experienced dive too.

Good luck!

Jay

 

[boat sju]

Are you getting heartburn? I had a problem a few weeks ago in Bonaire. My buddy says I'm a bit head-heavy so I'm going to try to be more conscious of that from now on. It did seem to help if I went vertical every once in a while.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The key statement for me in the original post is the vertigo mention. I don't see bad air being a cause. Some people do get queasy without a visual reference. Low vis after being used to diving in unlimited vis is highly likely to be a trigger. Without a visual and perhaps tactile reference there is the possibility of mild disorientation that will lead to nausea.

Fortunately there are several easy solutions. Number one of course is to use proper buddy skills so that your buddy can be used as a reference. Visually and for touch contact. When you start to feel this stop swimming, look at your buddy who should be within arms reach right next to you, if they are not then get in that position, and reach over and grab their elbow. Don't just touch them. Grabbing the elbow actually will give you a greater sense of stability.

Another is to create your own reference with a float, lift bag, or DSMB and a reel or spool. Having this visual and tactile reference will allow you to be in contact with something that also provides the sense of being stable. Knot or mark the line to show different depths for an added measure of security.

Lastly if you know where the bottom is and how deep it is, get close to it. Not actually on it unless you're feeling really squirrely . Once you have a visual reference the feeling is likely to dissipate. If there is a large rock, log, branch, or other item that you will not damage by touching it, reach out and rest a finger on it.

At this point it may not be a bad idea to perform some task to focus on such as shooting a bag, taking a photo, or making a sketch in your wetnotes or on a slate. The idea is to bring the mind back into control.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

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Moved from Basic to Diving Medicine

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