Scuba Diving FAQs: The Non-Divers’ Curiosities (Part-4)

Welcome to the 4th series of articles discussing – answering – some of the most frequently ask questions about scuba diving. I have a collection of questions contributed by my non-diver friends through a mini survey that I did a few weeks ago.

Some of the friends of mine, who agreed to take part in the survey -questions submissions -, might have tried scuba diving before but most of them has never tried it. I am holding on to the information until proven otherwise. Lol.

I have come to learn, through many years of experience, that some doubts – associated directly or indirectly – are keeping many people away from participating in this fun and exciting world of scuba diving. Some of the questions, from the survey, are almost similar so I’ll be combining them in one. Pay special attention because most of the questions asked are health related questions. Let us see the next 6 FAQ on scuba diving: -

1. Do divers have any special nutrition/diet to keep the body in good conditions?

Divers are just normal people like you and me. Becoming a certified diver and to proceed with active participations – being a Divemaster or Instructor – for a few years will not change your nutrition or diet intake – not at all. We are still what we were before becoming a certified scuba diver. I guess it’s the same for the astronauts who go to the outer space and come back to earth. There are no special nutrition or diet rules for scuba divers.

It is an individual preference or choice to observe their healthy diet and nutrition intake to keep their body in good conditions – divers or not. Nutrition is, of course, an important component of safety and enjoyment of scuba diving. It is recommended that every diver maintain healthy and balanced nutrition intake and at the same time maintain high physical and mental fitness. Maintaining your diving skill is equivalent to maintaining your overall healthy. “No one can do this for you – you have to do it yourself” <– the most famous piece of advise used by diving professionals.

2. Do divers need to get any medical report/ full medical check-up done prior to diving?

Dive courses from beginner level to advanced level; all you need is to furnish your dive instructor with an honest answer to the health/medical questionnaires, which is part of the course registration.

Well, just to re-phrase what I’ve covered in Part-3: you will be required to obtain medical report if you answer “Yes” to any of the questions in the Medical Questionnaires. If you decide to enter professional-level training, for example Divemaster course, you MUST undergo a full medical check up prior to the start of the course. To pass the check is a mandatory.

Some recreational divers go years and years diving after their certification. It is recommended that they go and get a full medical check up at least once a year. This is purely for personal satisfaction only and NOT a requirement. Well, it is always good to know your level of fitness and health no matter what you do in life. Right me if I am wrong, please.

3. Can diving cause eardrum injury after many years of diving?

During your entry-level course a.k.a. Open Water Diver Course, you will learn and practice how to equalize your ears during the dive. There are a few techniques that you can use like pinching your nose and attempt to gently blow through it or swallow and wiggle your jaw from side to side or both together – swallow and wiggle your jaw from side to side while attempting to blow through your blocked nose. As long as you apply the techniques on every dive your eardrums should be performing well.

Another concern is water contact with the eardrums. Some divers have sensitive ears. Some gets ear infection just after one or two dives. There is no other option for this one but to postpone or stop diving for a while until the ear is healed or the pain subsides. Another option is to apply ear solutions after each dives – physician prescribed is recommended.

Seasoned or experienced divers do get ear infections once in a while. So, the questions whether our ear drums get injured after years of diving is just a matter of taking careful steps to prevent it from happening. The above-mentioned techniques will be among the preventative measures you can take.

4. Does diving build up better lungs?

Personally, I have never heard or came across any statements – verbally or written – saying that diving build up better lungs. Note that scuba diving is only a simple outdoor activity that doesn’t require strong physical involvement and the whole thing will not help build up muscles and so on.

Scuba divers breathe compressed air under pressure – because divers go deep – all the time. You might be thinking that because of this given scenario scuba diving will help build better lung BUT this is not the case. The most effective way to build up better lungs is through games or sports activities that require constant physical involvements like jogging, football, cycling, kayaking and many more.

5. I have done leisure diving, does it add in to my points if in any way I were to take up diving certification later?

Yes and No.

Yes: if you sign up for the complete Open Water diver course within 2 weeks after the experience dives that you did. Actually the leisure dive that you did is called experience dives or a trial dives.

No: if you decide to sign up after more than two weeks after the experience dives. The two weeks validity is part of PADI’s standard and procedure that I am accustomed to. You will have to check it out with other certifying agencies if you prefer.

In any case, it is better to go through the complete lesson modules because then you will start from zero to hero. During the entry-level course, you’ll learn to do a complete equipment assembly, to dive with it and later to do disassembly: all by yourself under direct supervision by your instructor. The results will be more satisfying when you get to complete every tasks of the dive course on your own. Well, of course under minimum guidance.

6. My friend has taken up his diving course with ****** ****** Sipadan and has done a few dives after, but till today he hasn’t receive his license yet. They said they will send it by post… and that was what they keep on telling us since 3 years ago.

[* Identities hidden for my own protection]

There are a few reasons for such a very long delay. I know exactly, through experience, that the establishment’s representative(s) will keep on giving you all sorts of excuses if they can’t resolve this matter soon enough. But three years is very long… I am just like you: wondering what is it that taking them too long…?

Among the known reasons:

a)   The student’s Personal Identification Card (PIC) was not sent to the certifying agency for further processing,

b)   The dive centre might have misplaced the PIC – very bad. I know. I’ve dealt with the same case but I was fast to rectify the situation,

c)   The instructor(s) “forgot” to, a.k.a. did not, submit the course paper works including the PIC to the dive centre’s office for processing,

d)   The instructor quit, for some reasons, from the dive centre and left with that PIC and just ignored the PIC completely…

Try asking the dive centre what they have done to rectify the matter. To be honest, they will have to come out with their own money to pay for the processing. Yes! Again. Do not pay for their mistake. They have to deal with it.

Another option is to contact the certifying agency directly. Login to their website and send them email with details of the dive course and explain the situations as detail as possible. BUT be friendly in your email remarks, if possible too.

The last alternative is to find another active-status instructor under that certifying agency and get him/her to log in and check your friend’s certification status. See if that PIC ever reaches the desk of the certifying agency.

Well, there we go again. Another six of diving FAQ answered. The answers might not be enough, so it is up to you to find further clarifications or better yet leave your comments below so that I can be in touched with you soon.

Best fishes. Wet, wet, wet: diving makes divers wet.

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ADC would like to dedicate this article to my friends Aidah Ayub of Karlskoga, Sweden, Adrian Pui of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the forever cute Cynthia Lisu of Sarawak, Malaysia.

Thank you guys.

Related posts:

1. Scuba Diving FAQs: The Non-Divers’ Curiosities (Part-3)
2. Scuba Diving FAQs: The Non-Divers’ Curiosities (Part-2)
3. Scuba Diving FAQs: The Non-Divers’ Curiosities (Part-1)
4. Mini survey: Questions About Scuba Diving That Have Been “Bothering” You
5. How To Get Certified As Scuba Diver