Divin' with Ivan

Trust your nose

❌ Any air that has an odor, whether oily, acrid, sweet or of an unknown scent, is not acceptable as breathing air.

📋 When in doubt, the dive operator should be approached for their latest air quality test certificate, compressor maintenance logbook or filter replacement schedule.

🤝🏼 When you cannot be assured of some degree of quality control at a dive operation, you should consider diving elsewhere. Your health and safety is equally their responsibility.

Read about breathing gas contamination here:https://dan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/psa_gascontamination.pdf

Did you know that middle-ear barotraumas (MEBT) are the most common dive injury?

It occurs when the pressure in the air space of the middle ear is not equalized to the ambient pressure. This can happen while flying or diving and can lead to ruptured ear drums.

If a diver has problems equalizing, middle-ear pressure during descent will first feel like clogged or stuffed ears and could progress to severe pain. Further descent will increase the pain. Other symptoms may include fluid buildup, bleeding, and eardrum rupture, leading to hearing loss or vertigo.

For more information on why this happens visit: https://dan.org/health-medicine/health-resources/diseases-conditions/middle-ear-barotrauma-mebt/.