Scuba Question....

My wife and I have done many snorkeling excursions and we love it. Now we want to scuba so we can be down there with the fish. My question is, when I snorkel, I sometimes dive down and I sometimes get pressure in my forehead. Is this because I am holding my breath and the pressure from being underwater? Will this prevent me from diving or will this not happen when I am able to breath underwater? Just curious...

In all likelyhood, you are probably experiencing pressure in your sinus and ear canals caused by the increase in water pressure as you descend. This pressure builds the further you go underwater and must be relieved or risk permanent damage to your ears.

To do this, simply pinch your nose, so no air can escape, then gently blow out through the nose. Your ears should "pop". This action will equalize the water pressure on the outside of your sinus and ears and your internal air pressure. You keep doing this as you descend, because the deeper you go the more the pressure builds. Occasionally a diver might not be able to equalize so he must stop until he can equalize or abort the dive.

This is exactly the opposite of what you experience when you fly. As the plane goes higher, the pressure outside your sinus and ears is less and you equalize it by yawning, moving your jaw about, etc. This releases a build up of internal pressure in the ears and sinus.

This is not a difficult procedure and I do it whenever I'm snorkeling and dive to see something or take a picture. When I scuba, I start out early in my descent and do it often until I reach my diving depth.

Thanks for the answer 10X. I was hoping it wouldnt prevent me from diving in the future.

Thanks Again...

Take a resort course. This will teach you to clear your ears which releaves that pressure. This way if it does not work out you don't have a lot invested.

Bob

But are the resort coarses safe. I thought how safe can they be if you get trained in the morning and your in the water in the afternoon. Just a thought...?

If the instructor is good, he will be watching you guys like a hawk. Also, resort course dives are shallow dives so even if something happened like you ran out of air, you would not be deep enough to harm yourself if you panicked and shot up to the surface. Also, at 20 or 30ft, you could get up to the surface in less than 10 seconds!

But are the resort coarses safe. I thought how safe can they be if you get trained in the morning and your in the water in the afternoon. Just a thought...?

Safe enough for me to let my DD (age 10 at the time) do one in Cozumel in December, but then again, I was along with her and she had the instructor to herself. If you are an adult of reasonable intelligence and it is a small group, then I'd judge it safe. Just use common sense. If you don't feel comfortable, DON'T continue with the dive. Not everyone can dive and no one should be made to feel bad if it isn't for them.

Very good point all. Thanks for all the good advise and info. !!

Looking forward to diving now !!!

My first dive was a resort dive in Grand Cayman. Our max depth was 26 feet - very safe - and we were out of the water with nearly half a tank left. One diver got a case of the nerves and sucked his air quickly, but he still had almost 1/4 tank upon exit. Most dive centers that offer resort dives have dive masters that watch very closely.

I too had very bad pressure when I dove down while snorkeling and was very sure I wouldn't be able to scuba, but it was just the opposite. I ingest 10 times more water snorkeling, and equalizing, or popping your ears, is MUCH easier when you aren't trying to swim down like you would be snorkeling. Scuba diving is one of the most serene experiences I have ever encountered. Keep everything safe, check your guages, watch your buddy and enjoy the dive!

You describe what could be either mask squeeze or sinus squeeze. Either one is caused by the increased pressure the water has as you descend.

There are better ways to clear your ears than to pinch your nose and blow. If you are able to do the others, they will lead to less problems if you are diving.

I am able to just move my jaw without "blowing" at all and it clears my ears. You need to be equalizing the pressure as you descend, not after you start feeling the problem with the pain.

If that does not work, my second choice is to gently apply pressure by "closing my throat" and applying gentle pressure with my throat.

You can "pinch" your nostrils and very gently apply pressure as if you were going to breath out through your nose, but be ever so gentle.

As to resort course or Scuba Course, take the full scuba course. I have heard some poor reults on resort courses..... They do not spend enough time with you to prepare for problems that you "might" experience. Rare, but you need to be trained.