MidnightDiver

how long are you suppose to wait after eating before you dive. I know that sometime back most people would of said 2 or 3 hours but now i hear that it's more safer to go just after?
Anyone know the real answer?

starfish

here is a very interesting article who i found as a Urban legend :
http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/hourwait.asp

scuba jerm

Starfish, you are a master of great articles!

I would say there would be little to no need for fear or worry about eating then diving. If fact, I've had some conversation with divers stating that eating a little snack before the dive helps with dizziness and just plain ol' fatigue. So in addition to staying well hydrated, eating a bit is helpful... unless you are prone to get seasick. Then it's just a matter of what you would and wouldn't like to see come back up

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Scuba Jerm

StevenB

Yes i think the food myth finaly was elucidated something like 5or 6 years ago right? I remenber when everyone would wait at least 3 hours before they'd go diving or swimming

Jen

I like diving in the morning most of the time. At around 10 am till noon so i don't realy have tht sort of problem. I take my breakfast at 7.30 am and by the time i finish my dive it's time for lunch, so i don't realy watch what i eat

hellosailor

If you have a heavy meal, like a steak and big bowl of pasta, your body will divert extra bloodflow from the limbs to the core to help with digestion. Some people with blood sugar problems can even fall asleep from that.

But for a normal meal (breakfast, lunch) and no medical problems? Eat, enjoy, dive unless you've got any discomfort. I can't say that I've ever really just had to eaet and dive right after, but lunch on the boat between two dives is common. The only problem is calm enough water so everyone can tolerate lunch.<G>

LifeSavers

I don't see why one would actualy go for a heavy meal before a dive... seriously all i wanna do after a heavy meal is go for a nap, let along go and dive...
I often have a nice sandwich as a meal before dive. It fills me up but doesn't give me that heavy stomach sensation

glynneco

OK, here is the ultimate dive day menu. After loading the truck with equipment a stop at 7-11 for 20 oz coffee (ref the thread about peeing in wet suit) and a box of powdered sugar donuts. The powdered sugar is important because during the buddy check observing white powder on mouth/equipment ensures proper caloric intake prior to the first dive. During the surface interval a big honkin' turkey sandwich (turkey IS important because you are what you eat!) followed by fresh baked brownies washed down with Gatorade AND water (ref the thread about peeing in wet suit). Post dive after stowing all equipment eat some trail mix (with salty nuts [ref all that peeing]) and washed down with diet coke (a diruetic [ref all that pee.......]). Then back to the dive shop for air fills and another quarry ticket. Finally into the Starbucks, conveniently located next to the dive shop, for some sort of hyper-caffinated drink to ward off falling asleep (ref the thread on being tired after diving [ref all that pee....]).

I believe this dietary routine is the basis for a good dive. Massive quantities of sugar and caffine insure adequate energy for swimming and fuel for "warming" your wetsuit. One cautionary note about the the consumption of so many fuilds. If you choose NOT to "warm" you wetsuit remember to add extra weight (ref the thread on how much wgt do I need) as the resultant bloating will cause increased displacement issues increasing boyuoncy and requiring extra wgt.

One further note I do NOT recomend this regimine if you are diving with a dry suit (ref thread on pee.....) unless you are DEPENDSably equiped (ref the thread on cleaning your equipment)

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Is that the bottom of the quarry or is the vis just really bad today?

Resqdivemedic

The only concern that I can see with eating before a dive refers back to the myth of eating before swimming. Some studies have found that there is a high potential for vomiting. This can lead to aspiration(vomit entering trachea then the lungs). This aspiration can result in a spasm of the vocal cords and surrounding tissue which can occlude the airway, causing low oxygen levels in the body which results in unconsciousness then drowning.This is refered to as a laryngeal drowning.