I get dizzy when diving

[MrFish]

We seem to have a lot of expert divers on this board so hopefully someone may be able to help me.

I tend to stick to Snorkelling which is great but always wonder if i am missing out by not diving. The reason for this is that I once tried Scuba diving in Cyprus, we were out in max 3m for about 1/2 hour. I loved it even though there wasn't much to see. Problem came when I tried to get back in to shore. I swam to about 2ft depth and tried to stand up....plonk, fell over. I couldn't stand. I had to crawl all the way in on to the beach.

While I was in the water i felt no effects at all, but as sooon as I tried to stand up on land I had the wierdest dizzy feeling and could not balence. Not a dizzy feeling like pissed or when you spin round and round, but as though everything was out of sync with my eyes when I moved.The effect gradually went away after several hours.

I saw a Ear/Nose/Throat specialist (Not a dive specialist) and his only thought was that maybe one of my inner ear bones had become slightly deformed under pressure?http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif? He advised me never to dive again, so I havn't.

Any one got any ideas/experience of this.

[Tango]

It could have been contaminated air. Did it taste bad? did you have a headache after?

[philworrall]

Hi Mr. Fish
IMO this could be caused by a number of things.

1) The worst scenario is a perforated ear drum.
Even under slight pressure of 3m there is about 5-6 psi of pressure being exerted.
If water gets into your ear you will indeed feel dizzy for a while until your body absorbs the water.

2) you may have had a slight cold or mucus in the inner ear. Under pressure this can move about and again cause the dizzyness.

If you fancy taking up the sport, both BSAC and PADI have a list of doctors who are "dive aware"

Suggest that you see one of them and at least get an experts opinion of what is OR may be wrong.

Get it done then go dive worlds biggest tank - deep blue

Hope this helps

Cheers

[MrFish]

No head aches and the air tasted OK http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I do suffer from Hayfever which means I am constantly congested to some degree in the summer http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/crazy.gif

Dive aware doctors, can you advise where I can contact one, (are they expensive).

[Haydn]

Hi

I think one explanation of what may have happened is that one ear cleared as you ascended and one didn't, this will send confusing signals to your brain and cause dizzyness. The giveaway was you saying that you spend a lot of time blocked up.

Unfortunatly if you do I would recommend that you don't dive(diving with a blocked nose is potentially hazardous)

Sorry m8

Haydn

[kenneth_halley]

Yep- sounds like sinus related problems- and blocked ears- they tend to go together.

Sometimes- and I certainly would not recommend you do this- but sometimes diving is justt he cure- the pain can be indescribable as the pressure focres air through your sinus- but boy when it clears- it feels like the front of your face is being pushed off! This can be accompanied by a little dissiness- but it soon passes.

If you suffer regular problems with sinus- blocked ears- there is not a lot you can do. unfortunately the more you dive over the years tends to cause more ear problems. I'd never had an ear infection in my life until I started diving. In mild cases of congestion you can try Sudafed- the books won't recommend it- but I think you will find the majority of divers have used it in there time. Take it well before you dive- and make sure you suffer no ill effects from it normally- cos diving will only compound it.
If using something like this, I would not recommend diving over 30mtrs- cos potentially you might get narked rather earlier than normal- though this has not been the case for me.

Sometimes also worth saying if you dive in especially cold water- like we get up here- you can get dizziness as a result of this too- though it usually clears quickly. Heavy breathing too will cause it. Especially heavy shallow breathing- which can be a trait beginners exhibit- they are afraid to fill their lungs as they've heard all the storys of pneumothorax and embolism. This leads to accumulation of CO2 and ill effects- usually a splitting head ache and dizziness.

Get a Diving Referee to check you out- BSAC will refer- and if given the OK- take it easy- get your head clear then try again.

[MrFish]

Thanks all http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

What I would like to do is just relax and take my time floating around in Scuba gear under no mental pressure, no peer pressure or instructor pressure, taking my time to equalise and breath properly to see how things go to get some confidence and see if the dizzyness happens again.

Not sure where i would be able to do this though.

Kenneth - you avatar reminds me of me in Cyprus http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif



Last edited by MrFish at Feb. 04 2003,20:07

[kenneth_halley]

If you are not already a member of a club- that would help. No pressure would be put on you- Someone- not necessarily an instructor- usually an experienced diver- will take you in. If they are good- they will give you time to relax- and then (usually they will take you somewhere they already know well) *they will show you the "sights".

My own feeling- and its not because of any anti PADI bias or anything- but in "schools" they tend to be taking you diving to achieve some C card or other. And usually the economics will dictate that you will be put in with another student - or three! This can put unwelcome pressures on- when all you want to do is dive. Find a sympathetic club- ie a group of individuals who just "go diving"- does not need to be BSAC- there is the SAA, there are some PADI clubs, BSAC of course, and others. Might be the answer

PS. re the Avatar- thats me at 50mtrs! Out my cookie!



Last edited by kenneth_halley at Feb. 04 2003,21:16

[spottydog]

I cannot comment on the dizziness you are experiencing but I would recommend seeing a diving doctor as they will be able to help more than a normal GP.

BSAC have a list of medical referees in a pdf format on their website. I expect they will be able to advise you.

The List can be found at:
BSAC Medical Referees PDF link (http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.pdf)

HTH

[Kira]

Hi,
There are a lot of Diving clubs around, make a few phone call's and find a club that has the use of a swimming pool for their training evening's, then you should be able to kit up, jump in and just do your own thing, control your breathing and try to stay half way between the surface and the bottom of the pool, if no problem when you surface try a little deeper and so on untill you are 100% happy and have no problem's.

But, as has been said by others, consult a bsac/padi doctor, just to be on the safe side.


:)Kira http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[ahoy]

Something else to consider is that, as a hayfever sufferer, you need to really be able to manage your condition, even if you feel 'OK'.

A huge number of diving incidents are caused by people having blocked sinuses / eustachian tubes caused by colds / hayfever when they feel 'symptom free'. To echo the others, see a Doctor who specialises in this and hopefully you can enjoy this great pastime. And remember, the biggest pressure change is between 0 - 6metres - this is where you're likely to notice a problem initially.

All the best with it,
S. *http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif