Smoking, equipment and AOW

[Wobbegong wannabe]

Question for the other smoking divers out there, do you smoke before a dive?
I'm a moderate smoker, but I don't smoke on the day of a dive until it's over, and usually not the night before either (as with drinking). I've dived with people who'll have a couple of durries on the way to the dive, but always thought it was asking for trouble.

this thread likes to take random smoke breaks doesnt it?

 

[Homunculus]

As a former non-heavy smoker (1/2 pack per day), all I can say is that smoking never affected my diving compared to similar diving level non-smoking folks (when taking various classes, for example). the true comparison should be done on a person before and after quitting smoking. I don't dive as often now (after quitting) as I used to (while smoking). My buddy is a heavy smoker and he is an excellent diver with a few 1000 dives.

 

[Homunculus]

Question for the other smoking divers out there, do you smoke before a dive?

when i smoked -
yes, and definitely during the surface interval

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

You would have a real hard time getting bent at average depths above 40 fsw. There is little need for a computer for the dive described. And since cost is an issue for many people doing shallow dives and not buying a computer is perfectly reasonable. Assuming your diving falls within those depth ranges a computer is the last thing you need to buy.

 

[NAM001]

First smoking and diving is just plain stupid, while smoking does affect your lungs, that is not the main problem. When you smoke you are sucking in lots of carbon monoxide, now this carbon monoxide attaches it’s self to the hemoglobin in your blood about 200x more readily than O2 or carbon dioxide does. The next problem is once it’s there it stays attached to it for 8 to 12 hours. Now if you know how your body works you would realize the hemoglobin is the carrier in your body to get O2 to it, and take carbon dioxide from it this means there is a lot less hemoglobin free to do its job! The next thing you need to remember is that a build up of carbon dioxide while diving is not a good thing and the deeper you go the worse it gets. So I don’t care what smokers try and say they are at a much greater risk and use more air than they would if they did not smoke.

i am not sure i can agree with you in whole. certainly smoking is not a good thing. however the inpacts of smoking is too often exagerated to puch the non smoking agenda. i believe your medical descriptinon is correct. however if smoking impacts your gas exchange 5 percent it is not enough to cause the symptoms described. i use to smoke and had no problem diving. in later years breathing became a problem. i quit and things are all better. this guy i qould guess (after being one) probably had to use his full lung capacity to just get by. anxioty of diving in other than a pool was too much to deal with. or he hyperventilated and paniced. surely chain smoking 3 butts before diving may be an indication of stress with a new diver. i also would not rule out a hard breathing rental regulator.

its all supposition