Some Newbie Questions - health and gear - Sydney, Australia related

[Diving Low]

Hello all

Just started diving a few weeks ago and this is my first post to Scubaboard - I've been trawling the site for a while (it's addictive) and there's a wealth of information in here. I'm thankful for all the people willing to lend some experience to us newbies.

I have a few more newbie questions - some general and some location specific. Any comments would be much appreciated. Sorry about the long post but so many questions on mind!

General Dive Questions

1. Queasiness - I find that on my first dive for the day in the morning, I am slightly queasy about halfway through the dive (50min dive) and feeling like I could hurl near the end. Is it related to the gases in your stomach expanding and compressing due to depths?

I normally just have a small bowl of cereal for breakfast - is there a "recommended" food to eat for diving e.g. more dry (toast) etc?

After the break I usually feel fine but just that initial dive always makes me think I'm not going to get through the day

2. Dry mouth during the dive - is this related to hydration before the dive? Again, I only notice it sometimes and drinking seawater doesn't help!

3. Also being hygienic conscious, I have bought some of my own gear; mask, snorkel, gloves, fins and boots - last items on my list are wetsuit and regulator (wetsuit question below). I am renting the regs still - I'm not going to take the plunge and purchase a reg until I rack up a few more dives and confirm that I really want to commit to diving. I do have some concerns around mouthpiece hygiene etc - do you have suggestions on the best way to clean them before a dive? Is listerine recommended? Also if you purchase your own mouthpiece, is it hard to swap the existing one out?


Location Specific Question

1. Wetsuit for Sydney - I currently dive the Sydney area and so far it has been good, starting to get chilly on the second dive but can still stand it. Being hygiene conscious again, I would like to get a wetsuit and have been looking at the Pinnacle range but not sure which thickness to get. Heading into winter - 7mm is looking great but I would like to have a wetsuit that can be used all year round in Sydney and possibly up in Cairns area as well - I am thinking a 5mm with a 3mm hooded vest instead of the 7mm - would this be a fair compromise or should I consider getting two suits?

2. Sydney LDS and Gear - I have been reading a lot on the LDS vs Online and understand the pros and cons; personal advice,warranty etc. I'm just curious where fellow Sydney divers source their gear - I'm not so sure how to compare LDS/web pricing as it seems there is no Australian equivalent of leisurepro or scubatoys.

The prices on gear online in Australia also seem to be on par with shop pricing or am I looking in the wrong place? I always appreciate good advice but also want to be informed that I'm not paying 2x-3x the average "market rate".


Looking forward to your comments! Thanks in advance

 

[thanksforallthefish]

Hi and welcome to SB ... good to see another Aussie here.
1.
Cant help you with the question about queasiness ... probably better to post that one in here
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/ there are people here a lot more qualified to answer that one.

2. Dry Mouth
probably not so much related to hydration before the dive but to the fact that the air you breath has had all the moisture removed from it, most divers find they get a dry mouth.
Personally I take a few swigs of water just before going in, I find this does help a bit.

3. Regulator mouthpiece
I would personally buy my own and use it on the rented regs. Replacement is quite easy, you just need to buy a supply of the right size cable ties to attach the mouth piece

Use a pair of small side cutters to cut the cable tie holding on the mouthpiece, making sure you dont cut the mouthpiece, and replace it with your mouthpiece. I normally use a pair of pliers to give the end of the cable tie a pull to make sure it is done up tight and then just cut off the excess cable tie.



Location specific
1. Wetsuit
Unfortunately this is question is difficult to answer as it is totally dependant on how much you feel the cold. Most people dive in 5mm in Sydney, some all year and others use a dry suit in winter. I use a 3mm in winter and am quite Ok with that, but some of my buddies use 5mm and can still feel a bit cold while others use dry suits. I would suggest sticking with hiring a suit for at least a few dives during winter until you can establish what your tolerance to cold is.


Leaving the reg and BC purchase until later is a good idea, I have used a few different regs and you can notice a difference between the cheaper and expensive ones, however in saying that the cheaper ones still work fine for rec diving and you can save a few dollars.

As far as BC I would try and borrow different tpes of BC's before purchasing one of these as there are a few different types. I have seen quite a few people buy jacket style BC and after a number of dives go to the back inflate or BPW.


2.
I have not bought any gear on line, mainly because the internet was not around when I bought my gear (yes I am old) and prefer a hands on approach to gear I buy, like to have it in my hands for a good look and feel before outlaying any hard earned for major purchases, so consequently I use my LDS.

There are a few online suppliers, however I am only familiar with the Dive Tub http://www.divetub.com.au/

If you want a complete list of who is good for online gear send a PM to Almitywife, she is a mod from Sydney who knows a whole lot about online stores and has a vast knowledge about all things diving.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/members/almitywife.html


Enjoy your diving.

 

[Garrobo]

I used to get a little queasy on my first dive in the morning and found that it was because I wasn't eating enough for breakfast. I didn't know if I would get seasick on the boat so I just ate a roll and coffee figuring that if I had to hurl that less was better. Big mistake. I started eating a regular breakfast of bacon/eggs/toast and that took care of the problem. I also had the dry mouth until I found a mouthwash called Oasis (Wally's). For some reason it causes you to have more moisture in you mouth for some time following gargling with the stuff. It's a little expensive but I save it for the days I'm diving. As far as rental regs and cleanliness, ask the dive operator for a mouthpiece spray. They should have it.

 

[Ferg822]

As far as wetsuits go I would recommend the Pinnacle Merino line. I just purchased a 5/4 mm recently and it has been working great.

 

[SkipperJohn]

The stomach is a funny thing. I boat every weekend and after 30 years I've picked up a few good tips here and there which have helped a great many people.
What you eat isn't just a concern in the morning, but all the way back to the night before. Watch what you eat. Avoid difficult to digest foods and overly acidic foods and greasy foods. Of course also avoid anything on your own personal list that may have been related to any discomfort in the past. This includes, of course, alcoholic beverages to most.
Have an easy breakfast. You should not consider those 3 slices that didn't get eaten the night before. Nor a deli greasy egg sandwich. Dry cereals-easy on the milk-and skim is better. Again, no grease.
(Hard) Pretzels are your friend. They are a base (as in acid/base) and can help to neutralize excess stomach acid. They also hold off hunger which can add to the onset of seasickness (as mentioned above). And they help to soak up any liquids that may be sloshing about in your stomach. Speaking of sloshing. This is never a good idea. Ever play with a baby after a bottle of formula? While staying hydrated is a necessity too much of a good thing is never good.
If you need any seasick remedies, start the night before. Be advised, many remedies can cause cotton or dry mouth. I should think this isn't good when setting out to breathe very dry air for the next hour. Taking the meds the night before will help as this condition only lasts a few hours on the first dossage so this will occur while you are sleeping. Of course you should take more according to the manufacturers recommendations when you get up and if needed just as you step on the boat. Be prepared to be tired.
Natural remedies help. Ginger pills seem to work well. REAL ginger ale (most ginger sodas have no ginger in them). Also a bit of coke (many years ago parents gave kids coke syrup for nausea which was purchased form your local drug store).
A good nights sleep is great if you can manage it.
While diving watch what you focus on. I have a friend who will get sick if he gets involved in any intricate task on the boat (such as tying knots). The trick on a boat is to stay focused on the horizon. While diving it may pay to look ahead once in a while and never stay focused in one position for too long.
Basically you need to try to remember what works for you and what makes it worse then devise your own plan.
Just remember the pretzels. They are like magic to some.

 

[Pre BC]

Dear Diving Low:

The previous responses are excellent and I am sure the authors would appreciate it if you clicked thanks... While it may seem a little silly, it is the only way we can recognize people who take significant amounts of time to reseach and reply to our questions. We all have a vested interest in keeping the constructive contributers motivated!

With regard to your four questions, I can add some perspective to the first three. I have never dived the Sydney area so really can't add anything first hand. Keep in mind that the temperture range (according to the internet) is pretty wide and you won't find a one size fits all solution that will make you happy. Basically, 15 degrees celsius is COLD and you will need either a dry suit or 7mil semi-dry suit with hood and vest to feel comfortable in the winter. On the other hand, 25 degrees celsius is WARM and probably a 3 Mil is sufficient. While I know you want to have it both ways, but unless you go with a light weight dry suit and multiple thickness liners you will probably just end up with a compromise that makes you slightly unhappy all the time. Definately talk to experienced local divers... They will know what works best year round at the sites you will be diving.

With regard to your acid stomach, both Garrobo's and Skipper John's responses were excellent. From what you wrote it sounds like you don't have any problem on your 2nd or 3rd dives of the day. If this is true, I would definately focus on two factors that could be in play. Both point to what you eat for breakfast. The first factor is making sure your stomach is settled and satisfied before you gear up. Go for something hearty and acid free. While I am going to add hard pretzels to my snack bag, my number one breakfast recommendation is unflavored oatmeal. It is hardy, non-acidic and takes a while for your stomach to absorb. The second factor is nervousness. You are new to diving and the first dive of the day (particularly after a few days off) is going to always be the most stressful. Stress can cause your stomach to generate lots of acid and that in turn can make you queasy. By eating a hearty (somewhat bland) breakfast, you are giving your stomach something to digest when its acid level increases... I had the same problem in flight training until a old timer gave me the same advice Skipper John gave you!

Dry mouth is a fact of diving... Sipping water just before you jump in helps... But not for 50 minutes. Apollo and some other manufacturers make in line humidifiers for regs that actually do solve the problem. If you love everything about diving but the dry mouth drives you crazy, definatley give one of those a try. There are also some regs with exposed metal in the 2nd stage that provides a place for some of the moisture you exhale to condensate. You then breath it back in when you inhale. It has been a long time since I looked into it but I seem to remember that was one of the features that distinguished the Sherwood Maximus (along with the underarm hose routing) years ago. Hopefully other forum readers with more up to date equipment information than me can give you some pointers in this area.

As far as your hygenic concerns go, I think the fact that you are on this forum is evidence enough that you are enough of a diver to own a personal regulator. Do you actually want to add replacing mouthpieces to your dive prep? You really need to understand that you can buy an excellent regulator for very little money. I don't know what brands are available in Australia, but virtually every full line scuba manufacturer (Scuba Pro, Aqua Lung, Sherwood, Tusa, Mares, Cressi, Oceanic...) makes more than one very inexpensive regulator that will be more than good enough for whatever you are going to do during your first couple of years of diving. No pun intended... this is an area where I advise you to just "take the plunge!"

I hope this adds to some already very constructive responces... Enjoy your new and wonderful hobby... I have been diving 38 years and still can't believe the wonder of each new location I explore!

 

[Diving Low]

Thanks for all your feedback - I'll definitely be more mindful of my diet night before. I think I'll down porridge with some fruit before next dive.

 

[Pre BC]

Enjoy the porridge and the dives! Let us know when you are headed to the states... I would enjoy having you join us for a few dives!

 

[Diving Low]

Hello everyone - I ate a decent bowl of porridge and a banana on Saturday. Didn't feel queasy at all - as for the night before, I had some good ol' home cooking. I will definitely eat the oats again - the dry mouth didn't bother me as much - probably the nervousness ebbing away.

Thanks guys!

 

[Pre BC]

Excellent! We are all very lucky to have a venue like Scuba Board where we can get/give advice and make new dive buddies continents away! As you can see from the responses you recieved there are a lot of experienced divers who want to share the lessons they have learned with new divers... You get the benefit of our experience and we get a fresh dose of new diver enthusiasm... It is definately a fair trade!

I think it would be great if you could post a few messages about the local diving destinations/conditions around Sydney... While almost every diver in the US knows plenty of friends that have been diving at the Great Barrier Reef, most of us know almost nothing about diving the rest of Australia!

P