Should I go Scuba diving When Sick?

Should I go Scuba diving When Sick, basically it’s a dumb question, it should be common knowledge that it might be dangerous. But I’m not positive. I’m only asking this because, I’m simply sick of not scuba diving, it’s been a year and a half, and my friend is going scuba diving tomorrow. It figures the day I pick to go I’m sick.

You’ll want to get cleared by your physician. The basic concerns are: sinus blockage and chest congestion. If your head is jammed up, a sinus squeeze is like having a nail hammered into your face. If your chest is congested, you’re at risk of pulmonary embolism (which can kill you).

Please don’t dive if you’ve been taking decongestants like Sudafed. I know that’s overly cautious, but medication fading out while you’re at depth leaves you with only painful choices.

I hear you’re itching to go. If I’d been out of the water 18 months, I’d be darned disappointed too. However, if you get hurt then you may not be able to dive again. Period. It’s better to blow off a dive than risk that.
Here’s the link to the Diver’s Alert Network “Dive Medicine FAQs” page. Please do some reading. http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/Default.aspx

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