Dive Medicine & Safety

Is scuba diving a safe activity? Read statistics and facts to put the risks of diving in perspective. Scuba diving is not dangerous if simple safety guidelines and procedures are followed.

Scuba divers commonly feel the need to pee in their wetsuits. This is a normal reaction to the underwater environment. Cold water immersion diaresis and the weightlessness of being underwater combine to increase a diver's urine production.

Small bubbles leaking from a piece of scuba diving equipment indicated that a seal or o-ring is likely to fail. Divers who notice a small bubbles coming from a piece of dive gear should take care to fix the leak before continuing to dive with the gear.

What is the maximum safe ascent rate for scuba diving? Some diving organizations list the maximum safe ascent rate as 30 feet per a minute, while others list it as 60 feet per a minute. What is the safest ascent rate?

Salt water aspiration syndrome is a rare condition occasionally observed in scuba divers who inhale a small amount of salt water. Most cases are preventable with proper gear maintenance and good diving protocols.

Can you vomit or throw up underwater. If you get seasick on boats, you maybe worried about getting seasick underwater. While becoming seasick underwater is highly unlikely, here is information that scuba divers should know about vomiting underwater.

Vomiting on a scuba diving trip is horrible. Being sea sick is even worse if you manage to vomit in such a way as to alienate the crew and your fellow divers. Here is advice on how to throw up in the least obtrusive way possible.

Have you ever felt seasick on the surface before or after a dive? Here are tips on how to politely and safely handle seasickness and vomiting when floating on the surface of the water.

Can people with poor eyesight scuba dive? Absolutely! Divers may use prescription masks, soft contact lenses, stick-in bifocals, and even laser eye surgery to ensure clear vision underwater.

Nitrogen narcosis effects most scuba divers at depths below 100 feet. Also known as inert gas narcosis, rapture of the deep, and the martini effect, nitrogen narcosis can be dangerous to divers. Learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatment for nitrogen narcosis here.

In scuba diving, nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness are both caused by nitrogen gas. However, the two conditions have very different symptoms and treatments. Learn the difference between nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness in scuba diving.

Are you still turning your your tank valves 1/4 turn back before diving? This practice could be dangerous! Here is information about this antiquated technique.

A diver who experiences nitrogen narcosis should ascend until the narcosis subsides. Learn tricks to avoid and reduce nitrogen narcosis here.

The golden rule of scuba diving states that any diver can end the dive for any reason, no questions asked! This important rule is frequently overlooked in the recreational diving community.

Why is the buddy system important in scuba diving, and how can recreational scuba divers use the buddy system to stay safe underwater? Here are 8 tips for effectively using the buddy system on every dive.

Can you scuba dive with breast implants? Yes, after an appropriate recovery time, scuba diving after a breast augmentation surgery is safe. How do breast implants affect buoyancy? Do breast implants compress underwater? Read more here.

What are the emergency decompression rules for recreational scuba diving?

High levels of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) can cause a variety of dangerous symptoms in scuba divers, such as narcosis and unconsciousness. A diver can avoid these risks by following safe diving practices and avoiding behavior that may predispose him to hypercapnia.

A sawtooth dive profile is a dive profile in which a diver repeatedly ascends and descends throughout the dive. Sawtooth dive profiles can be very dangerous because they increase a diver's chance of decompression illness.

An awareness of the risks of diving makes us all safer divers by educating us as to the origin of diving rules and encouraging us to follow safe diving guidelines. Oxygen toxicity, like most other potential dangers in scuba diving, is easy to avoid – simply understand the risk and dive within the limits of your training!

Skin bends, or cutaneous decompression sickness, is a frequently overlooked form of decompression sickness in scuba divers. Divers should be able to recognize the common signs and symptoms of skin bends as they may require treatment and can precede other, more serious types of decompression sickness.

Ear barotraumas are the most common injuries experienced by recreational scuba divers. Learn how to recognize, avoid and treat ear barotraumas.

One of the best tips I was ever given as a new scuba diver was to always purge your regulator after closing your tank valve. This avoids a potentially deadly situation.

What is a reverse block in scuba diving? If a diver experiences increased pressure in his ears during ascent, the worst thing he can do is to continue to go up.

Every scuba diver is at risk of a pulmonary barotrauma if he holds his breath underwater. However, other conditions and actions can also cause this life-threatening injury. Learn more about how scuba divers can avoid a pulmonary barotrauma here.

An overview of Decompression Sickness, including causes, types, symptoms, risk factors, prevention, and treatment.

The current recommended surface intervals before flying after diving.

How do scuba divers equalize their ear pressure to avoid ear pain when diving? Learn about the Valsalva maneuver and other ear equalization techniques, as well as how to deal with common equalization problems.

What is a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) and why might it increase a diver's chance of decompression illness or DCI? A patent foramen ovale is a hole in a diver's heart that has not properly closed during development. Up to a third of divers have this condition, which may increase the risk of decompression illness.

Can asthma sufferers scuba dive? It can be extremely dangerous for some asthmatics to dive. Learn why asthma is sometimes a contraindication for scuba diving.

DAN is a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization that provides emergency medical advice and assistance for underwater diving injuries, and underwrites a wide range of research, education and training programs that promote safe diving.

A detailed frequently asked questions all about dive medicine and safety from the premier dive medical society - DAN (Divers Alert Network).

Dedicated to Undersea Medicine and to issues of diving safety for both sport and professional divers

UMA is an educational organization devoted to diving medicine. At our web site you can register for the Temple Underwater Medicine 2000 program, read about diving medicine, check out new diving medicine textbooks, and look at other diving web sites. See our new Underwater Art section for interesting underwater photography.

A detailed overview of dive medicine issues.

A guide to diving medicine from Skin Diver Online.

The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) is an international, non-profit organization serving 2,500 members from more than 50 countries. The UHMS is the primary source of scientific information for diving and hyperbaric medicine physiology worldwide.

Do you pee in your wetsuit when scuba diving? Why or why not? Read other divers' answers and leave your own response here.

Divers should make an effort to stay well-hydrated during dive vacations. Dehydration can increase the risk of decompression sickness, and lead to post-dive fatigue and illness.