It’s always essential to be safe when underwater spearfishing. Such as being aware of the environment around you, ensuring you have all the gear, or diving where you are more experienced. However, the safety practices don’t end even after you come out of the water. There are a few things you should think about after a deep dive and several others you shouldn’t do.
When you go on a dive, your body takes in more nitrogen than it usually does when on the surface. The partial pressure of the nitrogen in the air becomes higher the deeper you go into the water. That’s why after a dive, you have to ascend slowly to give the nitrogen time to dilute. If you ascend too fast, the nitrogen will form bubbles in your blood, causing decompression sickness. Even though you ascend slowly to get rid of the nitrogen, some remains in your system, and hence you should be careful not to do this thing right after.
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Taking hot showers
After your dive, you may be feeling a little cold, and it may be tempting to jump in and take a hot shower or bath to try and warm your body. However, this is not advisable because your body will form bubbles due to the hot water temperature and maybe a danger for decompression sickness risk.
A gas’s solubility is related to temperature. The same thing happens when boiling water. Bubbles form when the water becomes hot enough.
It’s recommended to wait thirty minutes before you take your bath, and if you can’t wait, either shower with cold water or lukewarm water.
Traveling in high altitudes
If your vacation itinerary plans that right after the dive, you plan on going for a hike, you may need to reschedule. If the altitude is higher than 300m or 1000ft, then the risk for decompression sickness increases.
The high altitude creates increased pressure between the nitrogen in your system and your surroundings, which may cause the nitrogen in your tissues to expand, triggering DCS. To be safe, wait a day or two before taking that mountain hike.
Going for a massage
While there is no conclusive evidence supporting this theory, many scuba divers believe that taking a massage after a dive may trigger decompression sickness. When you get a massage, it increases blood flow which may form bubbles if you still have a lot of nitrogen leftover in your body.
Flying in an airplane
The same principle of avoiding high altitudes after a deep dive applies to flying in an airplane. It’s recommended to wait around 24 hours before flying.
As you go higher with the airplane, the pressure will cause the nitrogen leftover in your system to expand too quickly, and you could risk getting decompression sickness. Also, when the aircraft descends too quickly, the same risk could happen.
Spearfishing is fun and exciting, especially hunting for big prey or lobsters. Don’t forget to take precautions after a dive to ensure your safety. Another thing to remember is to always have the right gear underwater for your safety and carry a lobster bag if you are hunting for lobsters.
