Scuba & smokers

[outwest]

Does smoking cigarettes make a difference if you want to try this sometime? I would think that anything that changes the way you normally breathe, including smoking would do so.

 

[EddieK47]

I quit smoking 10 yrs ago.My understanding is that when smokers cough first thing in the morning when they wake,thats the tar in the lungs dripping.Can you imagine that at 50 or 60 ft down?

 

[oldsarge]

I knew smokers who are divers. They had no issues. I also had a freind that would have a wad of Red Man in his cheek while diving. Always hoped and prayed that I would not have to buddy breath with him for any reason.

 

[ejdixon]

I'm a smoker myself. So far, I haven't experienced any issues when it comes to scuba diving.

 

[littlefire]

I used to be a smoker and I've often wondered the same thing. Glad to hear there are people still able to scuba that smoke or used to smoke without any issues. I would like to try sometime.

 

[danny28]

I don't scuba but I do know some people who have and they were smokers. They did not have any problems when they were under water. I would think it would be ok to do.

 

[Sagebrusher]

I don't scuba but I do know some people who have and they were smokers. They did not have any problems when they were under water. I would think it would be ok to do.

No problems? Have YOU tried to light up underwater? :tinysmile_fever_t:

 

[MissyKitty]

It should not affect them too much. Sage i do not think they can light under water, but the idea is interesting. Still, smoking is bad, time to quit people :3

 

[kazkal]

im a smoker, a heavy smoker almost 2 packs a day, and i have no problems while underwater, although a friend of mine who smokes cant do it no more, but thats more off his COPD.

 

[JeepThrills]

I read somewhere that if you had to ascend rapidly, it could make you more likely to get the "bends." I think this is because smokers generally have less oxygen in their bloodstream.

 

[oldsarge]

I read somewhere that if you had to ascend rapidly, it could make you more likely to get the "bends." I think this is because smokers generally have less oxygen in their bloodstream.

Here are just a few of the dangers of scuba diving. I've known smokers who had no trouble diving. I don't think the amount of oxygen in the blood from smoking is an issue.

Pulmonary Embolism:
Another risk facing a diver who rapidly ascends to the surface is pulmonary embolism. The increased pressure of the undersea environment results in the gas a diver breathes becoming denser, as more gas is crammed into the same space under pressure. The gas held in the lungs will expand at the same rate that the pressure on the body is reduced, so a rapid ascent can cause the lungs to swell and even pop like a balloon. Scuba divers guard against pulmonary embolism by making slow, controlled ascents to the surface and by never holding their breath.

Nitrogen Narcosis:
Another nitrogen-related danger is the narcotic effect of all that extra nitrogen in the body. Anyone who has had nitrous-oxide gas at the dentist is already familiar with this effect. Nitrogen narcosis is a danger because it impairs judgement and sensory perception. As with the bends, the degree of nitrogen narcosis is related to how deep a diver goes and how much nitrogen they absorb.

Decompression Sickness
Often called "the bends," decompression sickness is caused by increased underwater pressure causing the body's tissues to absorb more nitrogen. If that pressure is suddenly reduced, this extra nitrogen forms potentially harmful bubbles. Deep divers return to the surface in carefully monitored stages so as to control the rate at which this absorbed nitrogen is released. Depending on the amount of nitrogen absorbed and the rate at which it was released, a case of the bends can range from aching joints or a skin rash to paralysis and death.

Oxygen Toxicity:
Oxygen toxicity is usually a problem only encountered by deep divers who go below 135 feet. Like nitrogen, the body absorbs extra oxygen under increased underwater pressure as well. For most divers this is not a problem, but at extreme depths so much extra oxygen is absorbed that this life-giving gas becomes toxic. The effects range from tunnel vision and/or nausea to twitching to loss of consciousness and/or seizures.