advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

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pollyanna
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:06 pm

advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by pollyanna »

My son is interested in scuba diving so I have found a local club where he can try it out.I have read info on their website where it mentions asthma being a possible contraindication for scuba divers.My enquiry is,my son has had an inhaler in the summer for the past 2 years purely because he got a night time cough and stuffy/runny nose.He has never been breathless or wheezy.The GP suggested he possibly reacts to certain pollens and suggested the use of an inhaler which I have to say does improve the nose symptoms and eradicated the cough altogether.So,I don't believe he actually suffers from asthma.Are there any scuba dive 'experts' on this forum that can give me any advice on this please?Thanks
Yamin151
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Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:30 am

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by Yamin151 »

Certainly not an expert though involved in each field, scuba and medical, to a point, in the past.
My feeling is that this asthma/non asthma would not make a difference to his ability or suitability for scuba diving. HOWEVER, I am not a doctor and do not know your son, so my strong suggestion would be to speak to the club. All divers need a medical certificate and generally there is a doctor thata lot of club members go to. If you go to that doctor he or she might be able to give you better advice based on a medical assessment of your son, combined with their higher knowledge of the affects of scuba diving on the body and lungs. And don't forget, whilst he is training, if he at a BSAC club he will do several weeks in as swimming pool before going into open water - a VERY different beast - so he can exposed gradually and see how his breathing reacts.
Proud_Dad
Posts: 500
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:55 am

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by Proud_Dad »

As Yamin said best to check with your GP and an expert at the club.

If he's got genuine asthma it might be a problem but if the inhaler is just to help with hayfever I shouldn't think it would be an issue. (I get hayfever and have dived).

BTW I did my first ever try-dive off a boat in the Pacific ocean after just signing a disclaimer but health and safety tended to be a little less strict in those days! :D
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by scary mum »

I have had mild asthma and have dived with no problems, but my advice would be to see your GP, or indeed the doctor associated with the club. It will give everyone peace of mind. I'm sure there will be no problems, but it would be better to make sure. The main risk is if they dive in cold water this might trigger an asthma attack, in the same way going out in the cold air might. Also it is harder to breathe compressed air, along with adrenaline from the excitement etc, all contributes to an increased risk of problems. Most people seem to consider that hayfever induced wheezing is not such a risk. Disclaimer - I am not a doctor but a keen recreational diver in the past and occasional (hayfever induced) asthma sufferer (I'll be honest & say I have never admitted it, but I realise now that I should have done). If it was my child I would check with the GP first.
scary mum
Sallyltb
Posts: 133
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 2:40 pm

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by Sallyltb »

In order to take this further and certainly to dive abroad, he will need to complete a medical questionnaire and in some cases have a medical. I would go to your GP and check it out, as it is something that you (until he is 16) and the he will keep being asked.

My daughter is now 17 and has dived since she was 10 and loves it. She is waiting to be 18 and then there are more specialities that she can do, such as ice diving.
Amber
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by Amber »

I take my hat off to her and all the other divers sallytb. This is something I can never contemplate as the idea of being under water and dependent on tanked oxygen totally freaks me out. I heard once of someone going to the bottom of the sea in some kind of sealed container - it looked like a symmetrical potato on little legs - and I thought that has to be my worst fear. I admire anyone who can do it without a fit of the abdabs.
southbucks3
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Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by southbucks3 »

That and the seriously scary fishy things that you encounter....shudder....
My bruv in law does deep sea diving in the phillipines, the pictures he takes of some of those fish that live at great depths are enough to bring on the abdabs, without the thought of being totally at the mercy of a tank and line! He dives in this country to help on searches as well....eugh...imagine...nightmares for like ever!! I really take my hat off to those guys who do it for a job, they really are brave.
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by Marylou »

southbucks3 wrote:That and the seriously scary fishy things that you encounter....shudder....
DD1's a keen diver and was telling us about a "stroppy teenage octopus" she once encountered. She and her companions spotted it and swam towards it for a closer look and possibly a photo, at which point it disappeared into a hole in the rock and grabbed a stone back over the hole...for all the world like slamming the door! :lol:

I share your admiration for the great work done by search divers, who are rarely commended for the tough but essential job they do.

Had a try dive once...enjoyed it, but not enough to go again...will stick to snorkelling. You can still enjoy seeing the wildlife and gorgeous underwater scenery, but without the panic, sore ears and undignified waddling on land with tons of air on your back! :)
Marylou
Reading Mum
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Location: Reading

Re: advice please from scuba diving enthusiasts

Post by Reading Mum »

also not a doctor but am PADI qualified.
If he does take up diving and enjoys it one thing to be aware of is that the air in the tank is only as good quality as the air it was filled from - only more concentrated. This means that if you dive somewhere with very poor air quality - that is where they will have filled the tanks. More remote/cleaner locations will be safer for him - less pollutants. I had a friend who lived in Tel Aviv and when they went diving they made sure to get the tanks filled somewhere else with nicer air.
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