Scuba Diving with San Shou Injuries???

[Mutant]

Hi. Any of you peeps experienced in scuba diving?

I have a question about underwater pressures and the way the mask fits, and specifically about how much pressure diving exerts on your face.

I was training for a San Da fight (lkfmdc's smoker in NY last wkend) a couple weeks ago and caught a round-house kick right in the eye socket. It broke two bones in my face, one right below the eye and the other on the vertical part along side the nose. So aside from making me look ugly(er) for my upcoming wedding, it also scr@wed up my training & I had to drop out of my fight because the doctor said to avoid contact for several months.

So next weekend I'm getting married to a wonderful girl, and then we're taking off for Cazamel, Mexico. One of things I was really looking forward to was taking a scuba diving course so I could check out the underwater scenery. Everyone keeps telling me that Cazamel has some of the best diving in the world and I've been wanting to learn to dive for a long time.
The doctor told me not to blow my nose for 3 months because the pressure could rupture the broken nasel cavity. Now I feel waaay better and I know that bones can heal fast. So does anyone here know if diving would put too much pressure on my face this soon after the breaks? Or is it not that big a deal, especially if I don't dive very deep. I didn't ask the doctor about this specifically, but I also know that they are very conservative about advice due to liabilities.

Any insight would be appreciated.

[Suntzu]

don't know much about diving..... but..... OUCH...... get well.....

[Golden Arms]

Shouldnt be dangerous..just dont go down below 60+ feet and you wont be dealing with too much pressure. The thing you DO have to watch out for though is this..if you have ANY problems with clearing your ears or nose, or getting pressure in them due to blockages or swelling etc, I would stay away from SCUBA and stick to just mask and snorkle. Getting 2x atmospheric pressure trapped in your face doenst sound super fun to me

[yenhoi]

If you shouldent blow your nose then you probably shouldent SCUBA.

If you were an expierenced diver, then you MIGHT be able to get by, but if you were expierenced, you would know better and stay on the boat.

Im a PADI diver with night, wreck, rescue, and divemaster certifications.

[Mutant]

Thanks for the advice guys.

[SanShou Guru]

Put some butter on it and get I the water you sissy.

It is true that doctors always err on the side of caution but these guys may be right. You may be fine but maybe not. I would snorkle at first and see how it feels then maybe look into diving but talk to the divers about it. Better safe then not.

You in next week? We need to work on your movement now that I can't hit you for the next 2 months we can fix the other problems you have.

[MantisCool]

I am a SSI diver. I think its not that good to go diving with your condition. You need all the oxygen to heal and not the nitrogen. The more you stay underwater the more nitrogen you accumulate.

Every 30 feets or so will double the atmospheric pressure. i.e. 30 fts = 2x, 60fts = 4x, 90fts = 8x!

Like the others said, you need to blow your nose when there is water in your mask while underwater and also to equalise with the outside pressure.

[CaptinPickAxe]

I wouldn't SCUBA dive with injuries like that. I'm not sure if the pressure would be counterproductive to the healing process, but it would make for a less enjoyable experience. If it hurts to touch your cheeks then chances are the mask will bother the hell outta ya.

[Toby]

I wouldn't dive. You're not supposed to dive when you're congested with a cold, let alone with your bone injuries. I may dive in one specific circumstance - diving in snorkelling depths to enable you to stay down without always coming up to breathe. And provided you're an experienced swimmer/snorkeller. But not more than 10', say. Even 6'+ you will notice a pressure difference in your ears and as your mask presses more tightly. Also, if you're a 1st time SCUBA diver, it's easy to drift deeper and deeper without noticing it if you don't check your depth gauge regularly. One other thing to think of - if you take a course it will usually be part of a group. If I were in the group and were forced to compromise on dive depths to accommodate you, I'd be pretty ****ed off.

I've got advanced open water PADI certs.

[IronFist]

Wait, if going underwater and increasing pressue makes a cold worse, could you do something to artifically decrease pressure to make a cold better?

[Toby]

It doesn't make the cold worse - it makes it harder to equalise pressure internally. I.e. because your ears, nose and throat are all "connected" internally, one effective method to "unblock" your popping ears when descending is to pinch your nose and blow into it. This will fix your ears. If you can't unblock your ears and you continue to descend, the pressure build up can become intense and you can definitely hurt (and possibly damage) your ears. So having a cold means you may hurt your ears, not that you'll make the cold worse. It's like when you're descending in a plane and you have to swallow or yawn to unblock your ears.

Actually, I find that surfing with a cold would always make my cold better. Sitting out in the water for a few hours with repeated rinsing with salt water will clear up any blocked nose. Only problem is sometimes your nose will run salt water for a few hours afterwards. Surfing, swimming, etc all help with small cuts and skin irritations too.

[Pork Chop]

training injuries definitely bite the big one
i'm reminded of that fact each time i breathe right now

get well
congrats on the wedding
scuba diving's probly a bad idea

[Mutant]

Hi guys,


Thanks for all the advice. I realize that there were so many knowlegable divers here, it turned out to be a good place to ask this question. Scuba diving is definately a sport that I want to learn, but based on what you've said I don't think I'll be trying it in Mexico next week. I will, however, do a lot of swimming and some snorkeling, not to mention some serious partying and all around debauchery.

Thanks again!
Chris

ps. Guru, I'll be in later tonight to b!tch slap you around some

[Taomonkey]

OK, I am glad to hear your not going to dive, too many problems could arise. I wouldnt snorkle either except for floating, no diving. You can experience pressure pain at as little as 3 feet. Nothing major to the average healthy adult, but with that kind of injury I wouldnt take the chance.
I am a PADI Instructor, and have been to Cozumel many times, great place. YOU have to find a place called Santiago's, an excellent open air restruant, with incredible food. Ask a cabbie. As for partying, always Carlos and Charlies, or if you feel wild ask a cabbie about 3 or 3 and 1/2, he will know what your talking about.

[Mutant]

Originally posted by Taomonkey
OK, I am glad to hear your not going to dive, too many problems could arise. I wouldnt snorkle either except for floating, no diving. You can experience pressure pain at as little as 3 feet. Nothing major to the average healthy adult, but with that kind of injury I wouldnt take the chance.
I am a PADI Instructor, and have been to Cozumel many times, great place. YOU have to find a place called Santiago's, an excellent open air restruant, with incredible food. Ask a cabbie. As for partying, always Carlos and Charlies, or if you feel wild ask a cabbie about 3 or 3 and 1/2, he will know what your talking about.

Roger that.

And I'll definately be checking those places out, sounds great!

Thanks man.