Divers Insurance is something that is important to have for any recreational Scuba Diver, however there simply isn’t enough awareness as to its benefits which is why so many people fail to opt for it. A diving related accident is a very serious matter and can involve major medical expenses and related expenses that most ordinary medical and travel policies simply do not cover. Diver’s insurance gives you specialized coverage designed specifically for divers including a wide range of diving related accidents, injuries, and even extended coverage such as dive equipment and dive trip cancellation coverage.

Companies or Organization specializing in Diver’s Insurance are not very common and the six biggest providers are: DAN, PADI, NAUI, DiveSafe, DiveAssure and Diver’s Security Insurance (DSI).  It is important to find out whether the insurance provider is a primary insurer (provides coverage itself) or is a secondary insurer (engages another company to cover) as rates and policy flexibility depends on this.

What does Divers Insurance cover?
Divers Insurance policies cover everything from Dive Accident Insurance, Trip Insurance, Dive Equipment & Camera Insurance to Group Life Insurance.

Dive Accident Insurance
Dive Accident injuries and related costs can run into staggering numbers, as it may include the cost of airlifting the insured to seek medical attention at the nearest hypobaric treatment facility, which may involve Helicopter or private jet fees, as well as the treatment itself which is highly expensive and may require a series of re-compression treatments.  Dive Accident Insurance usually covers dive related hyperbaric chamber treatment and emergency evacuation, both at home and abroad and includes other injuries that may occur while scuba diving.

Some policies have depth restrictions, commonly 130 feet. Which may seem like a lot, but accidents being unintentional could involve unexpectedly dropping below 130 feet being dragged by sudden currents or equipment failure, where a policy without a specified depth limit is better to have. Also ensure while selecting your policy that the plan covers dive injuries other than DCI and also snorkeling and skin diving, otherwise it isn’t suitable.

Dive Accident insurance is no substitute for a primary medical insurance plan, as certain treatment of Dive related injuries such as rehabilitation, associated injuries etc, are usually not covered.

Trip Insurance
More comprehensive scuba accident policies provide trip cancellation and interruption benefits as well, often providing a broader coverage against airline cancellation and natural disasters. Diver’s insurance policies usually have several different categories of coverage (eg: Gold, Silver, Platinum plans etc) which describe the degree of comprehensive cover specified the above including the standard Diving Accident insurance.

Dive Equipment & Camera Insurance
Dive Equipment & Camera Insurance, covers loss of scuba gear and equipment due to water damage and also loss of equipment due to theft or lost baggage. Dive Equipment includes, Underwater Cameras, Housings, Lenses, Strobes, Regulators, BCD’s, Dive Computers, Tanks, Masks, Fins, Sync Cords, Watches and Miscellaneous Equipment (such as gloves, booties, dive knives, dive bags, camera filters, etc).  If you haul around a lot of expensive scuba diving gear then additional dive equipment & camera coverage is recommended.

*Photo Credits: photos by Ilse Reijs and Jan-Noud Hutten on flickr

Here’s a look at 10 qualities to look for in a good dive buddy, to make your dives stress free and more than just pleasant-

1. Communication
One of the most important qualities of a good buddy is being able to communicate clearly and instantly underwater. This is not just hand signs but the whole process i.e. message passed, received, returned and understood, without so much as a signal. If you find yourself having to break the flow of your dive just to get your message across to your buddy then communication between the two of you isn’t great.  Good communication encompasses everything from understanding each other’s hand signals, to facial expressions, gestures, and feelings through eye contact. Just imagine in an emergency situation trying to signal to your buddy to share air, while he/she is busy wondering what type of fish you are trying to signal. A good buddy will probably by just looking at you, signal to you his gas consumption without even you having to make the signal for “how much air do you have left?”

2. Trust
Trusting your Dive Buddy is paramount in scuba diving especially when you are essentially entrusting your life and safety to him/her underwater. Knowing your dive buddy beforehand is important to building up this trust. If your dive buddy is a close friend, acquaintance, relative or your spouse, often trust comes easily and automatically making them 50% there to becoming a good dive buddy. Often when your Dive Master or Dive Instructor assigns you somebody you don’t know as your buddy, the issue of trust creeps in, and getting to know your dive buddy before the dive will go a long way into you being comfortable diving with him/her underwater rather than stressed.

3. Matching Skills
Always dive with a buddy that closely matches your diving skills underwater and shares your depth limits. This way you won’t be forced out of your comfort zone, or force your buddy out of his/hers. Skills don’t just relate to certification level, i.e Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Dive Master etc.  Also ensure your buddy has similar or comparable experience to yours, so that if a situation arises, either of you could assist one another, rather than one being dependent on the other.

4. Complementary Interests
Having the same dive goals and sharing similar interests goes a long way towards a good buddy. Just imagine the times your buddy has been busy skimming the sea bed examining macro creatures, while you’ve been disinterested hovering above looking for sharks and other pelagic fish. Similar case when your buddy is an underwater photographer casing you to frequently having to stop and wait breaking the flow of your dive. At the end of the dive when you both excitedly chatter away about the things you saw underwater, you know you share the same interests.

5. Pace
We’ve all faced this at some point or the other where your dive buddy swims much faster than you  resulting in you having to stare at his 6 O’clock the entire dive, or vice versa where your quicker pace makes you have to constantly hold back and wait for your buddy to catch up. This causes unnecessary stress and or resentment, taking away from the fun of the dive and so it is essential that you have a buddy that has a similar pace to yours underwater.

6. Positioning
Though connected to pace but not necessarily, the formation or positioning of your buddy through the dive dictates qualities of a good dive buddy. A good buddy will stick to you like glue without getting in your way or constantly bumping into each other. You know you have a good buddy when you do not have to use more than a 1/4 turn your head to either side to know where your buddy is at anytime during the dive. Having to look up, or down or even stop to turn around constantly means you have your positioning all wrong.

7. Good Judgment
Having similar skills does not necessarily mean that your buddy will have the good judgment to act on those skills when required. A good buddy knows when it’s time to call it a day, and make good decisions based on the situation, knows limits and depths, and avoids unnecessary decompression dives. Good judgment includes the ability to call you out on your mistakes underwater and keep you in check and within the boundaries of safe diving.

8. Good Situational Awareness
A good buddy should have constant situational awareness paying attention to gas consumption, depth, navigation, pace, currents, your gas consumption, your position, your signals, your discomfort with equalization etc. We’ve all dived with the buddy that stares straight down or ahead like a donkey with blinders on. You have to wave about to get his/her attention, and more often than not they haven’t a clue where they are.

9. Similar Air Consumption
Pairing up with a dive buddy that runs out of air while you still have half your tank left is rather annoying and most of us have experienced this at some point of time. A good buddy should  have similar gas consumption rates as yourself allowing you both to have similar dive times and enjoy the dive without worrying about when your buddy is going to run out of air. Similar air consumption gives you the peace of mind and ability to ascertain from your depth gauge, what your buddy’s air would be like through the dive and plan navigation accordingly.

10. Will not push you out of your diving comfort zone and skill level
A dive buddy that will dive to depths beyond your prescribed comfort zone and skill levels, or attempt maneuvers, dive in strong currents, unsafe conditions, poor visibility conditions, push decompression limit times or descend and ascend at speeds you are not comfortable with, is not a good buddy.  Even if your buddy is more than capable of it, just putting you in a situation that is outside your comfort zone is inconsiderate and possibly risky.

* Photo Credits: photos by Scuba_thib, Saspotato, Daniel, Daniel Kwok, leafbug on flickr

Stubborn ears are among the top reason divers pull the plug on a dive. Sounds easy to do but we all have good and bad days and even the best of divers can have trouble popping their ears on a dive. But with a few of these tricks and advanced techniques, we hope that on a bad day you won’t have to end a dive because of ear woes.

Valsalva
The most common way to equalize taught to you before your first dive is known as the Valsalva maneuver. The Valsalva method teaches you to pinch your nose so that no air can pass through your nostrils, and then gently “blow” your nose. This action forces air into your inner ear space, equalizing the pressure within to the outside pressure often with an audible popping or clicking sound.

Toynbee
The Toynbee technique of clearing your ears is to simply pinch your nose and swallow at the same time. This tenses the muscles in the throat and soft palate to pull the tubes open, while your tongue compresses air against them.

Frenzel
Holding your nose, forcefully press your tongue against the back of your throat while making a “K” or “ng” sound. What this technique does is, contracts the throat muscles to open the tubes while compressing air against them with the tongue.

Voluntary tubal opening
Try yawning with your mouth closed by contracting the muscles in the back of the roof of your mouth and throat while pushing your jaw forward and down. Tensing and stretching the muscles pulls the eustachian tubes open.

Lowry
This method is a combination of Valsalva and Toynbee and a little tricky, especially with a regulator in your mouth. Pinch your nose and then blow against your closed nose while swallowing at the same time. It’s good way to ensure the tubes open up and stay open.

If your ears are particularly stubborn, while trying the equalizing methods tilt your head from side to side or look up towards the surface. It helps stretch the folds surrounding the eustachian tubes making it easier to open them.

Read our 10 Tips to Equalize Your Ears When Scuba Diving

*Photo Credits: photos by torbenator and Acid Zebra on flickr

Nitrox diving is becoming increasingly popular in Scuba diving recently. So much so, that you can almost always spot one or two of those telltale green and yellow tanks that announce the presence of nitrox or oxygen-enriched air in dive boats across the world. Often confused for jargon related to technical diving, nitrox has actually been used in recreational diving for nearly over 25 years. For anyone unfamiliar with Nitrox and why you want to dive nitrox we’ve put together a practical guide to Nitrox diving for the everyday diver.

What is Nitrox and Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN)?
Nitrox simply means a mix of nitrogen and oxygen. In diving terminology however, enriched air nitrox (EAN) sometimes referred to as just Nitrox is a special nitrogen/oxygen gas mixture with an oxygen concentration higher than the 21 percent found in normal air. While the gas mixture can come in a variety of ratios including less than the normal 21% oxygen, a mixture containing more than 21% oxygen is used in recreational and sport diving and is called hyperoxic nitrox. It’s also called SafeAir or Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN or EANx). The ‘x’ in EANx stands for the percentage of oxygen in the mix and is clearly marked with a nitrox tank band on the scuba tank and states the mix percentage, for eg. EAN40 (40% oxygen in the mix).

There are two general types of diving nitrox: Nitrox I also called Nitrox 32, which is comprised of 32% oxygen and 68% nitrogen (EAN32); and Nitrox II, also called Nitrox 36, which is comprises of 36% oxygen and 64% nitrogen (EAN36). The 32 percent oxygen concentration is the most common in Nitrox diving.

How does Nitrox/EAN diving differ from diving with regular air?
As we all learn when we first start diving in the Open Water Certification, water pressure causes the nitrogen from the air you breathe to dissolve in your bloodstream. The longer and deeper a diver is underwater, the more nitrogen is absorbed by his system. As the nitrogen builds up, a diver can only be underwater for a limited time depending on depth as the pressure is more deeper and then must ascend slowly, make decompression stops consequent surface interval times before diving again.

The diving time allowed when using enriched air nitrox changes as the “enriched” air used has more oxygen and less nitrogen. This means, when diving nitrox a divers body absorbs less nitrogen during the dive than a diver that uses regular air. It’s important to note however, that although enriched air nitrox allows a longer no-decompression limit, it does not eliminate the risk of decompression sickness or nitrogen narcosis but simply lowers it.

Another common misconception about Nitrox is that it allows you to dive deeper, well this is not the case. According to the percentage of oxygen in a nitrox mix, the maximum operating depth becomes is shallower with the increase in oxygen. A Nitrox mix is good for mid deep dives ranging from 20-40 meters (60-130 feet).

Risks of Nitrox Diving
While Nitrox diving may increase bottom time for no decompression dives and lowers the risk of nitrogen narcosis it comes with it’s own concerns that air diving doesn’t have. For one, the increased levels of oxygen too can be narcotic and hazardous in high concentrations. It is called oxygen toxicity, which can lead to visual distortions or even convulsions. The major problem with oxygen toxicity is that you may get little or no warning of an attack making them harder to survive.

As nitrox contains a larger percentage of the highly flammable oxygen, the handling and cleaning of Nitrox tanks and valves must be done properly with care to avoid unintended explosions.

In short nitrox diving is not any less dangerous than air. Like conventional diving when done right with the proper training (special nitrox certification is a must) and when the guidelines are adhered there is no increased risk and it can be a safe activity to pursue.

*Photo Credits: photos by bananeman, nsyll, c.lathe and CasaDeQueso on flickr.

Experiencing a nosebleed while scuba diving isn’t uncommon and even though the sight of blood in your dive mask looks terrifying, a nosebleed isn’t a severe problem as long as it isn’t persistent. Nose bleeds are witnessed more often with newer divers than with experienced divers simply because of the way a new diver equalizes/ performs valsalva as he descends. You will probably yourself have had your first scuba nosebleed during your initial scuba lessons and will remember how disturbing it was.

Scuba Diving nosebleeds can be categorized under two causes the first being delayed equalization the cause affecting the novice diver more often. This is when a scuba diver is often so overwhelmed at the start of the dive that he/she forgets to equalize regularly during a descent trying to keep-up with the group, that at 5-6 meters (16-19ft) they suddenly realize that they haven’t equalized and to compensate at that depth need to over-equalize or blow harder into their noses to try and compensate. At 7 meters (22ft) if a diver has not equalized their ears, they will need to ascend in order to do so. However the novice diver often not does want to leave the group, will force equalization often rupturing the delicate inner lining and capillaries of the nose septum and sinus, causing the nosebleed. Divers must equalize little and often as they go down, and if they reach a depth where they have forgotten to equalize, it is better to ascend a few meters than try to force an equalization at depth.

The Second cause of scuba diving nosebleeds is due to what is known as a “sinus squeeze”, caused by a cold/mucous filled sinus. Your sinuses are air-filled cavities that join onto the nasal passages, and if they are filled with mucous or congestion a sinus squeeze occurs. As the pressure increases, sinus cavities unable to equalize to the outside pressure, the blood vessels to swell up and rupture causing a nose bleed.

In the same manner a nose bleed that occurs during ascent is known as a reverse sinus squeeze, caused when the sinus is at a higher pressure than the outside, and unable to equalize fast enough due to the congestion, it causes the sinus blood vessels to be sucked outward in the form of a nose bleed on ascent. The reverse sinus squeeze can be minimized by slowing your ascent if you suffer from a minor cold or stuffy nose.

The best method of prevention of a nosebleed is to avoid diving altogether when you have a cold. Knowing when you are fit to dive is vital to diver safety. If while descent you feel a pain in your forehead or sinuses, call off the dive and surface. Try blowing your nose gently underwater to see if that helps decongest the sinus, if not ascend.

If your nosebleed is minor, leave it alone, lightly pinch your nose and tilt your head back, and it will heal automatically in 15minutes or so. Excessive nosebleeds require a doctor’s examination, as often the blood inside the sinus can get infected by bacteria and cause sinus infections other complications so you might need to get it checked out by an ear-nose-and-throat specialist for evaluation. If you have recurring nosebleeds every dive, you probably have a congested sinus, and will need to take care of it before diving again.

Always remember to descend slowly equalizing gently and frequently, and ascend slowly to allow sinus equalization to take place naturally, and you should have a blood free mask when you surface.

* photo credits: photos by Arend Kuester, Cult Gigolo on flickr

Mask Squeeze is the condition that occurs due to incorrect equalization of the air pressure inside the mask causing the outside pressure at depth to push the scuba mask to a divers face resulting in bursting of the small blood vessels around the eyes.

Most of you have probably learned about Mask Squeeze during your Open Water certification, and probably never really paid too much attention to it as it didn’t seem that severe a condition. However mask squeeze is a severe diving trauma that shouldn’t be ignored.

The condition is caused when a diver fails to exhale into the mask during descent to equalize the pressure within the mask. Most divers will pay attention to equalizing their ears, but will often not even notice their  scuba mask pressure increasing as they descend often not realizing the effects until after they surface.

Mask Squeeze can cause bruising around the eye, sub-conjunctival hemorrhage (blood spots over the white of the eye), and swelling. It rarely causes injury inside the eyeball; however, one can immediately spot the symptoms of mask squeeze by blood filled eyes. This type of hemorrhage isn’t dangerous, and the blood in the eyes should clear away in a couple of days, otherwise a Diver should seek medical help. If there is any loss of vision or pain, one should visit a doctor straight away.  Often divers are greatly alarmed and panicky when they see blood in their eyes, but the condition isn’t as serious as it looks and in most cases clears away without any major treatment.

Factors that attribute towards mask squeeze apart from the Diver failing to exhale into the mask regularly to equalize pressure are:  Poor dive mask fitting while purchasing scuba diving equipment. Often divers select a mask that is too tight to begin with, or too small for their face. A Scuba mask should sit comfortably on the divers face and stick when mild pressure is applied even without the strap being worn.  Never have your masks on too tight to begin with, as once you descend, the pressure automatically causes an increased suction on the mask. Also choose a mask with ample silicone skirting that cushion and spreads the pressure around your face.

The other factor that contributes to mask squeeze is descending too fast. Often a diver in his haste to catch up with the group rapidly descends without regular equalization. Also the fear of getting water into the mask also results in divers not puffing air into their masks. We have seen this happen too many times, and this can only be remedied by a diver getting comfortable with taking off and putting on his/her mask underwater through practice. Modern dive masks have nose valves that allow divers to equalize the air space between their mask and face without the risk of the mask flooding with water, so divers who don’t like getting water in their eyes should opt for such masks.

Featured above the Aeris Europa 2 Mask with Purge available at Leisurepro.com

* photos from flickr by: prilfish, ShaneRobinson

What is it about wall diving that has divers completely enthralled with the activity? The fascination for wall diving is difficult to explain, anyone who has dived a reef wall will rave about the experience and most dive operators will always feature their wall dive as one of their top dive sites and promote them excessively.

A Wall in scuba terms is essentially an underwater cliff face, more commonly a reef edge that runs vertically, usually run from shallow to deep and drops off suddenly into the depths of the ocean. Diving along this vertical reef/rock edge is known as wall diving. Most coral Islands and barrier reefs like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Belize’s Barrier Reef have stunning wall drop-offs teeming with coral and marine life.

So what’s all the fuss about diving along a reef cliff? Well for starters, wall diving is usually reserved for the more seasoned divers, as they can often be rather challenging to dive making them more exciting. A wall dive usually implies a deep dive, as walls drop off suddenly to great depths.

Secondly, diving along the face of a vertical wall requires good buoyancy control because there is no seabed to prevent the diver descending too deep. Constant monitoring and depth control is crucial to diving along a wall, as a diver can easily drop too deep without even realizing it as there is no sea bed as a visual indicator of depth.

Thirdly, reef walls usually have strong upward or downward currents running along the wall as the current from the deep hits the vertical rock face and rises, making it extremely challenging to navigate and swim which adds to the challenge and the difficulty for novice divers.

Fourthly, wall diving meets just about every type of diver preference from spectacular vistas, abundant marine life ranging from smaller reef fish near the top to larger pelagic fish such as Sharks, jacks, grouper and tuna around the depths. Corals grow at interesting angles creating a kind of three dimensional gardens as they struggle for light on the vertical overhangs.  A wall offers a wide variety in dive profiles, exciting visual/physical sensations, and tremendous opportunities for the underwater photographer, as all sorts of fascinating creatures live along a reef wall, and if you are a macro photographer, you will have no end of interesting subjects to capture. Exploring tiny nooks, crevices to larger caves and overhangs is always interesting, and simply observing the change of marine life as you descend along a wall is a real eye-opener.

The sensation of being suspended in the ocean with only one supporting wall while all the larger fish of the ocean and their predators darting below you, will give any diver a rush.

If you’re planning to dive a wall, make sure you plan your dive well, and know the strength and direction of the currents along the wall.  Plan a multi-level or profile dive to maximize your bottom time and observe the different levels of marine life as you change depths. Always remember to watch that depth gage! Wall dives are deceptively notorious for having divers drop below their limits, as currents constantly pummel divers who have no sea floor as a reference. Be mindful of the fragile coral growing along the vertical, and watch where you grab on to, as there are often several creatures hidden in the cracks and crevices along a reef wall.

Photos from flickr by: g-na, underwatertourist, Enje, Caloy and Myra

One of the scariest things that can happen to a Scuba diver is an uncontrolled ascent either intentionally initiated in an emergency or by unintentionally often caused by faulty Scuba equipment. An uncontrolled ascent is also known as an  Emergency Ascent  which is always an unplanned ascent, where a diver aborts a dive due to equipment problems, out-of-air situation,  or injury to self, or another diver which are intentionally initiated emergency ascents or unintentionally initiated ascents (also known as a buoyant ascent) when a diver can loses buoyancy and quickly get into an uncontrolled ascent by loss of weights or by a malfunctioning BCD often a sticky inflator causing the diver to ascend.

Despite being a terrifying experience, as with everything in scuba diving, it is essential to remain calm and be prepared for such an eventuality.

The first and most important thing to do should you ever need to perform an emergency ascent is to try and control/slow your rate of ascent to prevent lung over expansion injuries and possible decompression sickness. An emergency ascent caused by malfunctioning BCD inflators stuck in the on-position or loss of a weight belt, is rather scary as they affect your ability to control your ascent rate. In such circumstances a diver should perform the flaring maneuver.

The greater the cross-sectional area of an object moving in a particular direction, the greater the resistance or drag is created to the movement of the object in that direction. In short Flaring is essentially creating the most drag which is the opposite of streamlining.  A Diver can slow down his ascent rate by arching his back, face-up towards the surface and extending his arms, legs and fins parallel to the surface in a spread-eagled manner (like a sky-diver but face up). If you are coming up face down, raise one elbow higher than the shoulder. This will produce an unequal buoyancy which will cause the BCD to roll you face up. This is called the Raised Elbow Technique. Also remember to continuously breathe out as you ascend to prevent lung over expansion injuries.

If you can quickly identify the cause of your ascent in time try to do so, by pulling on your BCD dump valves to ensure that all the air has escaped. Buoyancy compensator air dump valves allow air to escape faster than the low pressure inflator can fill the jacket and should stabilize the leak. If the low pressure inflator button is stuck in the on position, quickly disconnect the inflator hose and dump the air from the BCD by tugging on the air dump valves. However if you have lost your weight belt, your best option if you cannot fin downward to retrieve it or signal your buddy to control you, is to flare and prepare for an emergency ascent.

photos from flickr by: mike757 , Mister.Tee

The Buddy Pre-Dive Safety check is an important safety check that should be performed by every diver no matter what level of diving proficiency. This check is performed by a Scuba Diver with his/her buddy before descending on a dive as a final inspection of the dive equipment before diving.  The Pre-Dive safety check ensures that your equipment is working, and also familiarizes yourself with your buddies equipment should you need to assist or receive assistance from him. Most Scuba diving accidents and incidents are said to be preventable by the diver simply having properly conducted a pre-dive safety check. Despite the warnings, most divers seldom perform this crucial scuba gear check before a dive, and rush to descend. Especially with your scuba equipment being set-up by someone else, a diver should always inspect his own gear and perform a buddy check before descent.

PADI’s “BWRAF” acronym is highly popular with divers, and is an easy to remember pre-dive check. BWRAF stands for

B – BCD & Buoyancy, Check your buddies Buoyancy Compensator, check the low pressure inflator hose is connected correctly and do a quick puff to ensure the inflator button doesn’t stick. Also deflate the BCD to ensure it deflates correctly. If you are performing the check in the water, also check your own buoyancy to ensure you are weighted correctly.

W – Weights/Weight Belt : Check that your buddies weight belt is on properly with the loose end tied correctly and tucked in a manner that will allow for quick release. Make sure you are familiar with the type of weight belt or integrated weights being used by your dive buddy and you know how to release them should you need to.

R – Releases: Check that your buddies BCD is strapped correctly and all belts are tightened. Also count the number of buckles/straps tugging at each one as you become

A – Air: Check that your buddy’s air is turned all the way on and half a turn back. Make him take a couple of breaths while you watch the pressure gauge for fluctuations in the needle, or simply purge the regulator while watching the needle. Check that the tank is full and check all air connectors for leaks. You should check your buddies alternate air source by taking a couple of breaths from it and ensuring that it is clipped on the BCD and visible.

F – Final OK: Final check is a cursory visual inspection, of fins, mask, snorkel and testing dive flashlights if necessary, take a compass bearing, and check your dive computer before giving the all Ok sign to your buddy to begin descent.

PADI uses a mnemonic to help divers remember the pre-dive check BWRAF, Begin With Review And Friend. However divers have come up with several different mnemonics to help them remember, here are some of the common and not so common funny ones:

• Beans With Rice And Fish
• Bruce Willis Ruins All Films
• Breathing Water Really Ain’t Fun
• Big White Rabbits Are Fluffy
• Because We Really Are Friends
• Blonde Women Really Are Fun
• Burgers With Relish And Fries
• Bunnies Will Run Away Fast
• Bangkok Women Really Are Fellas

* photo credits: photos by Barnaby_S , Robert Scales

Even if you consider yourself a fit person, almost  every Scuba Diver has experienced cramping of their hamstring, calf muscles, or quadriceps or in the arc of your foot  while Scuba diving at some point or the other. When a muscle cramp hits you underwater, it can often be an agonizing experience. These muscle cramps caused by exercise fatigue when muscle fibers interlink and is known as EAMC or Exercise Associated Muscle Cramping.

EAMC occurs more commonly with divers in the four muscle groups mentioned above namely the calves, hamstring, quadriceps or thighs, mainly due to the finning action causing muscle fatigue in the legs triggering the muscles to spasm.  Cramping does affect those who have taken a long break from regular Scuba Diving more than those who have been diving regularly and exercising the specific muscle groups that cramp.

Divers are often told to eat a banana and drink plenty of fluids before a dive to raise potassium and hydrate to prevent cramping. This however has been scientifically proven to be incorrect, and the interlinkage between dehydration and muscle cramping does not exist.

EAMC can be prevented by maintaining proper physical fitness, exercising regularly, especially the muscle groups involved in Scuba Diving. Getting some pool hours for practicing swimming with your fins for a couple of hours each day leading up to your diving trip can help get your muscles used to the finning action. Well-conditioned, flexible muscles are less likely to cramp during exercise than poorly-conditioned, inflexible ones. We often don’t realize it but when we dive we are using our leg muscles for an hour continuously in a manner our muscles are not accustomed to being used. Stretching before and after a dive is also a good way to prevent EAMC for Scuba Divers.  Also check your fins whether your toes are curling due to a lose pair, or if the blades are too stiff causing undue stress on your feet.

Despite all your precautions should you still get a muscle cramp underwater, you should immediately stretch the affected muscle, and not relax it despite the natural instinct to do so. You want to tense the muscle and reduce the twisting of muscle fibers by stretching the muscle and giving it less slack. Relaxing a cramping muscle will only increase the cramping and pain. If your calf muscle is cramping,  firstly signal your buddy letting him know that you’re not okay, then grab the front tip of your fin pulling towards you to tighten your calf.  You can gently massage the affected area which will only help with the pain, but not with the cramping. Make sure you continue stretching that muscle even after the cramping has subsided. If the EAMC re-occurs then you should take the sign that your muscles are over fatigued and end your dive. Ignoring cramps is simply an irresponsible thing to do while underwater, and can put you and your buddy at unnecessary risk.

Maintain a fit, active lifestyle ensuring you condition yourself in a swimming pool before diving, and perform the necessary stretching before diving, and you should have an EAMC free dive.

Photos from flickr by : jayhem