Why should a scuba diver avoid drinking alcohol the night before diving?

Question

Okay, I need to clarify. The diver has only a few drinks the night before. Specifically, I am looking for the physiological reason to avoid drinking alcohol prior to a dive. So, can the diver get a hangover from diving even though the diver didn't have one before diving?

Answer 1

A couple of drinks, is no issue. Stumble back to the hotel room, and have a greasy breakfast next moring is an issue.
It all boils down to dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic. The more you consume, the night before, the more dehydrated you will be in the morning. Having that greasy brekfast will compound matters as your body gets even more dehydrated dealing with digesting it.
The dehydration doesn't stop there. It gets worse on your first and subsequent dives. The air you are breathing in the tank, has had it's moisture content, significantly removed, during filling, further dehydrating your body. All of this adds up to having an increased suspeptibility to getting a DCS hit, not to mention that you may experience narcosis at a shallower depth than normal.
The increased incidence of a DCS problem should be the major concern and no, the hangover won't get worse from diving, but your diving will get worse from the hangover.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why should a scuba diver avoid drinking alcohol the night before diving?

Answer 3

I'll second what ScubaBob said above about dehydration. A couple of drinks the night before is fine - but if you're drunk, the following morning you'll not only be dehydrated but also far less focused. The combination of physical fatigue and lack of concentration is what can cause accidents.

Being hungover while diving also makes you far more susceptible to panic underwater - when I worked as a dive guide in Thailand, I had to deal with several people who freaked out at 20 metres and had to be brought to the surface. Not fun for anyone.

Bottom line - if you want to party hard the night before, don't schedule a dive the next day. Sleep it off and go diving the following day. Otherwise you're putting both yourself and your dive buddies at risk.

Answer 4

Even though more than one person has said a few drinks the night before don't matter, they can.
Alcohol effects every person differently without involving scuba diving.

When you drink the night before you dive, there is still alcohol present in your system. It doesn't ALL have to do with dehydration, if you experience problems while diving you are not only endangering yourself, but also your dive buddy.

Taken from http://nauiww.org/faq.php#025

"Among other things, alcohol "impairs alertness, coordination and judgement, and is associated with an increased risk for accidents." Consumption of alcohol is also associtated with increased risk of DCS, nitrogen narcosis, hypothermia/hyperthermia (depending upon the environment) and dehydration. The effects of nitrogen narcosis and hypothermia can also be magnified by the effects of alcohol. Because of these risks, drinking before diving is obviously unwise. Furthermore, drinking alcohol after diving further increases the risk of dehydration following the dive and may mask the signs & symptoms of Decompression Illnesses. Hangovers are also associtated with increased susceptibility of nitrogen narcosis and may be a predisposing factor of DCS. It is the individual diver's responsibility to practice moderation when consuming alcohol."

Answer 5

That sounds like a old wives tale. I have been diving for many years(5+), often times with professional divers and many drink a big cup of joe before and after the dive, especially when the water is a bit cold. The idea that it dehydrates you and then makes it more likely that you would suffer for dive injury is pure conjecture and there is no proof, especial as it relates to no decomp diving.

Answer 6

Diver's can sometimes suffer from Nitrogen Narcosis. This is when the nitrogen in the scuba tanks can affect the brain, affecting driver's vision and judgement. Obviously when underwater this can be a *very bad thing*.

Having alcohol in the blood makes the chances of a diver experiencing Nitrogen Narcosis much higher, and they may suffer from it at much shallower depths.

Answer 7

Drinking And Diving

Answer 8

divers shouldnt drink a few hours before a dive or any type of pressurized environment because alchohol thins out the blood and the pressure does the same which could result in hypoxia, causes them to black-out and increasing the chance of drowning.

Answer 9

Same reason military pilots do. The alcohol may cause your lips or lungs to burn when mixed with pure oxygen

Answer 10

I knew an irish man (good looking blok too) who would dive every day and then booze it up that night. He never had a problem. So, you tell me.