Sneezing

[steve f]

On a few occasions I've had the urge to sneeze whilst on a dive though I've always managed to stop it by pinching my nose. What if it should happen? Has anyone had to sneeze whilst on a dive & were there any problems or issues as a result; ear problems, DV, mask leakage etc. Should you remove your DV? Should I tuck a hanky it my BC pocket so that I don't spread germs? It might seem a daft question but it would be nice to know what to expect if it does happen.

[angiemac]

On a few occasions I've had the urge to sneeze whilst on a dive though I've always managed to stop it by pinching my nose. What if it should happen? Has anyone had to sneeze whilst on a dive & were there any problems or issues as a result; ear problems, DV, mask leakage etc. Should you remove your DV? Should I tuck a hanky it my BC pocket so that I don't spread germs? It might seem a daft question but it would be nice to know what to expect if it does happen.

I sneeze quite often whilst diving. It doesn't cause too many problems - a little mask leaking and if you forget to clamp your teeth on the mouthpeice a little DV replacement practice. Laughing undewater causes me more problems - massive mask flooding!

[Keith Lawrence(BSAC)]

Make sure that you've got a grip on the reg, hold it in if you have to - and make sure that the mask flood/rinse/clear skills are second nature :-) No problem at all, it's happened to me many times.

K

[Beanie]

Laughing undewater causes me more problems - massive mask flooding!

yeah this gets me too and once you start (laughing) you can't stop - even worse when you've only got a 3l!! ;-)

back to the point
if i feel like sneezing I 'blow' my nose - just flush your mask out afterwards

[crofty]

On a few occasions I've had the urge to sneeze whilst on a dive though I've always managed to stop it by pinching my nose. What if it should happen? Has anyone had to sneeze whilst on a dive & were there any problems or issues as a result; ear problems, DV, mask leakage etc. Should you remove your DV? Should I tuck a hanky it my BC pocket so that I don't spread germs? It might seem a daft question but it would be nice to know what to expect if it does happen.

I do it quite a bit, I have perfected the techniqu of lifting my mask and re fitting it whilst the sneeze is in progress and I don't get any water in it or any nasty stuff out of my nose. It tends to stick to the lense and make the view all cloudy!!!

[Nick McV]

I second that - the only problem is the short period of reduced viz!

Do make sure your buddy is aware that you are sneezing and are not subject to some other form of seizure!!!

Happy Diving.....Nick

[dave covey]

I do it quite a bit, I have perfected the techniqu of lifting my mask and re fitting it whilst the sneeze is in progress and I don't get any water in it or any nasty stuff out of my nose. It tends to stick to the lense and make the view all cloudy!!!

I once had a tricky situation while hanging onto a wrecked trawler @15m near Balmacarra (kyle of loch alsh). I couldn't go up due to pain from trapped air & couldn't go down due to an ear problem so I decided the best thing to do was wait.......

To cut a long story short there was a cough & a fart & I managed to throw up through my regulator, after which I managed a normal ascent. My point being that if you don't panic & use a bit of common sense you should be ok.