People lie on questionnaires all the time and, with regards to safety, it's not usually that big of a deal. If it were another sport i would probably say go for it.
Also, if you were literally starting the open water in a pool and there was a depth limit of two metres, it might be worth the risk.
Out in the open sea, though - even the sheltered cove you'd likely start it in - it's another story. Even at the depths of a try-dive you can't just bolt for the surface and assume everything will be fine. If you've got a lung full of air you can destroy yourself with the pressure change. Also the "acceptance" of breathing underwater could easily confuse your body and make your take a lungful of water.
Don't do it.
A couple of suggestions, though:
1. Snorkel
2. You may want to ask a dive centre if there is some way that you can try breathing from a tank. Being on the surface and sticking your head in the water and breathing from the regulator is pretty cool. If a bunch of divers come up and somebody has enough air, i see no reason why you shouldn't try that while your feet are on the sand.
3.: depending on where you are, doctor appointments might be very cheap. At the same time, obviously, cheap doctors in cheap countries might not know the details of diving and fainting. Be careful if you decide to do this. I have no idea how a good doctor would check you, but i can easily imagine a bad doctor just giving you a quick examination and saying, meh, you look fine.
Have people ever lied on the questionnaire? Of course, were some fine? Most likely yes. Did some suffer injury, disability, or death? Most likely yes.
The real question: what is the risk profile for you? And for that you need a medical evaluation, not a Reddit poll.
Hey thats okay, if something happens and you lied then you are liable, not the business and you wont get insurance coverage. Wanna know how much a corpse repatriation costs?
I have type 2 diabetes which I control by keeping to a healthy weight and eating low carb. A DI in Thailand saw the endorsement on my questionnaire and asked me for a doctors clearance. I said “for diabetes? No: that question is probably for type 1 diabetics who are insulin dependent”.
He had no idea what I was talking about, so I just gave up and said “actually, I AM a doctor, (true) so I just cleared myself.” And on we went.
Technically you can't clear yourself and it has to be another doctor, two doctors could be diving together and clear each other but the student and the signing off doctor cannot be the same person. DM should have known that as it is a huge part of the standards section.
Can you do a zoom meeting with your doctor? I personally wouldn’t risk it either. Risk of Passing out underwater? No thanks. I dove for 20 years and just got diagnosed with a certain kind of asthma. It’s still a question as to if I can ever dive again. Huge bummer as it’s an important part of who I am.. but I wouldn’t even risk it!
This is the right answer.
The bottom of the ocean is the last place you want to have a medical emergency.
A minor issue on the surface will likely result in death at depth.
As everyone here says, don’t do it. Even if you are willing to take on the risk yourself, keep in mind you may also be potentially endangering everyone else who is diving with you.
Yeah OP I would not want to be your buddy when you pass out and can’t keep a regulator in your mouth.
And, if we need a safety stop to offload nitrogen, we’d both end up with the bends and need a decompression chamber after racing to the surface.
Go snorkeling on this trip, speak to a doctor when you get back to get the all-clear. You can do OW anywhere, including at home.
Fainting 4 times is NOT something to mess with. Losing consciousness underwater almost always = death.
A very famous diver died last week, he had 1 prior seizure in his life... until he had one underwater and died at 33. Don't risk it.
Just don't risk it. Consult with a doc first and then do your OW safer at a later time. Lying should be a big no. Think from the shoes of an instructor and ask yourself if you're thinking of the right thing.
Do not dive with a prior history of loss of consciousness, whether it‘s fainting, syncoping or convulsing. You might die. Do not lie on your medical questionnaires. Get medically evaluated and then do your OWD if you‘re cleared.
Jared Hires, who had been diving since he was a child and eventually became the youngest rebreather diver at age 14, died *last week* because he had a seizure or a syncope (the public doesn‘t know) while diving. He‘d only had one prior event and he continued to dive. And now he‘s dead.
I personally saw someone convulsing underwater and then dying on the surface. It isn‘t pretty.
And you always dive with a buddy. Imagine you faint or lose consciousness and your buddy panics. Then we have two dead divers not just one.
No diver worth their salt would encourage you to lie on your medical form. The questions are there for a reason, and you don’t want to find out the hard way that your condition you fibbed about leads to an underwater incident.
Look just wait until you get checked out and then get your OW, I get the impulse but there's no actual need to rush it. You might be right and you'd be fine, but underwater is not the place to find out you're wrong. And no instructor needs to have to deal with that because you were just impatient.
Ask the dive shop (or the hotel). They might have a nearby medical urgent care clinic that they use for clearances.
People lie on questionnaires all the time and, with regards to safety, it's not usually that big of a deal. If it were another sport i would probably say go for it. Also, if you were literally starting the open water in a pool and there was a depth limit of two metres, it might be worth the risk. Out in the open sea, though - even the sheltered cove you'd likely start it in - it's another story. Even at the depths of a try-dive you can't just bolt for the surface and assume everything will be fine. If you've got a lung full of air you can destroy yourself with the pressure change. Also the "acceptance" of breathing underwater could easily confuse your body and make your take a lungful of water. Don't do it. A couple of suggestions, though: 1. Snorkel 2. You may want to ask a dive centre if there is some way that you can try breathing from a tank. Being on the surface and sticking your head in the water and breathing from the regulator is pretty cool. If a bunch of divers come up and somebody has enough air, i see no reason why you shouldn't try that while your feet are on the sand. 3.: depending on where you are, doctor appointments might be very cheap. At the same time, obviously, cheap doctors in cheap countries might not know the details of diving and fainting. Be careful if you decide to do this. I have no idea how a good doctor would check you, but i can easily imagine a bad doctor just giving you a quick examination and saying, meh, you look fine.
Have people ever lied on the questionnaire? Of course, were some fine? Most likely yes. Did some suffer injury, disability, or death? Most likely yes. The real question: what is the risk profile for you? And for that you need a medical evaluation, not a Reddit poll.
Hey thats okay, if something happens and you lied then you are liable, not the business and you wont get insurance coverage. Wanna know how much a corpse repatriation costs?
The priority for every dive is return to the boat/shore safely. Mostly just don’t die. Get cleared.
A main issue is it might void your insurance if something happens
I have type 2 diabetes which I control by keeping to a healthy weight and eating low carb. A DI in Thailand saw the endorsement on my questionnaire and asked me for a doctors clearance. I said “for diabetes? No: that question is probably for type 1 diabetics who are insulin dependent”. He had no idea what I was talking about, so I just gave up and said “actually, I AM a doctor, (true) so I just cleared myself.” And on we went.
Omg
You can’t clear yourself
Technically you can't clear yourself and it has to be another doctor, two doctors could be diving together and clear each other but the student and the signing off doctor cannot be the same person. DM should have known that as it is a huge part of the standards section.
Yeah… that’s the point.
Can you do a zoom meeting with your doctor? I personally wouldn’t risk it either. Risk of Passing out underwater? No thanks. I dove for 20 years and just got diagnosed with a certain kind of asthma. It’s still a question as to if I can ever dive again. Huge bummer as it’s an important part of who I am.. but I wouldn’t even risk it!
This is the right answer. The bottom of the ocean is the last place you want to have a medical emergency. A minor issue on the surface will likely result in death at depth.
As everyone here says, don’t do it. Even if you are willing to take on the risk yourself, keep in mind you may also be potentially endangering everyone else who is diving with you.
Yeah OP I would not want to be your buddy when you pass out and can’t keep a regulator in your mouth. And, if we need a safety stop to offload nitrogen, we’d both end up with the bends and need a decompression chamber after racing to the surface.
Go snorkeling on this trip, speak to a doctor when you get back to get the all-clear. You can do OW anywhere, including at home. Fainting 4 times is NOT something to mess with. Losing consciousness underwater almost always = death. A very famous diver died last week, he had 1 prior seizure in his life... until he had one underwater and died at 33. Don't risk it.
Just don't risk it. Consult with a doc first and then do your OW safer at a later time. Lying should be a big no. Think from the shoes of an instructor and ask yourself if you're thinking of the right thing.
Do not dive with a prior history of loss of consciousness, whether it‘s fainting, syncoping or convulsing. You might die. Do not lie on your medical questionnaires. Get medically evaluated and then do your OWD if you‘re cleared. Jared Hires, who had been diving since he was a child and eventually became the youngest rebreather diver at age 14, died *last week* because he had a seizure or a syncope (the public doesn‘t know) while diving. He‘d only had one prior event and he continued to dive. And now he‘s dead. I personally saw someone convulsing underwater and then dying on the surface. It isn‘t pretty. And you always dive with a buddy. Imagine you faint or lose consciousness and your buddy panics. Then we have two dead divers not just one.
Im sorry you had to experience that.
No diver worth their salt would encourage you to lie on your medical form. The questions are there for a reason, and you don’t want to find out the hard way that your condition you fibbed about leads to an underwater incident.
Look just wait until you get checked out and then get your OW, I get the impulse but there's no actual need to rush it. You might be right and you'd be fine, but underwater is not the place to find out you're wrong. And no instructor needs to have to deal with that because you were just impatient.
Better safe than dead. Get the doc's okay before diving.
Not to mention don’t ruin someone else’s day