It is a beautiful time of year as we welcome the summer season, and with it comes warm waters and the arrival of bigger fish for divers to explore. Amidst all the excitement, however, it’s essential to remember the importance of staying properly hydrated while enjoying your water adventures. It’s easy to overlook the need for hydration, but dehydration can have severe consequences.
Our bodies are constantly losing moisture as we breathe and sweat. Diving cylinders filter out moisture from the air we breathe in, but our bodies need to remoisturize it to maintain a healthy level. With three dives and surface intervals, it’s easy to become dangerously low on fluids. Problems such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, and stomach upset are common side effects of dehydration.
As a diver, dehydration not only affects your physical health, but it can also increase the chances of decompression sickness, which affects divers due to the rapid absorption of nitrogen in the bloodstream. Dehydration speeds up the absorption process, making it harder for absorbed nitrogen to be released quickly.
It’s effortless to prevent dehydration while diving. Avoiding caffeine, fizzy drinks, and excessive alcohol the night before a dive and opting for plenty of water, juice, or isotonic drinks is an excellent way to stay hydrated. The frequency of urination and its color is a simple way to monitor hydration levels. Infrequent and dark-colored urine are signs of insufficient fluid intake.
It is essential to replace at least 3-6 liters of fluids daily when diving, so we advise you to drink and dive-water, that is! Don’t forget to hydrate properly, be aware of the symptoms of dehydration, and above all, stay safe while enjoying your diving experience.
