Slight dizziness and headache

[surf2live]

I was spearing for over 4 hours on Sunday- it was awesome!
I noticed that after every spearing session, once I'm on land, I'm always a little wobbly and slightly dizzy. On occassion I'll get a small headache- nothing big.
I don't feel dizzy when I'm in the water, just afterwards on land....then maybe a small headache.
I believe I am breathing properly, and I didn't have much of a problem equalizing either.....so, what's tha deal??
Why is this happening and can I prevent it??? Is it a sign of something wrong??


I will be posting a very detialed DIY Floatline thread this weekend...I made one and it is perfection!

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

Paddy,
Is the Alien giving you any pressure on your forehead that causes any discomfort?

[surf2live]

Paddy,
Is the Alien giving you any pressure on your forehead that causes any discomfort?

Nahhh....in fact I had it very loose-- I even had to flush it every once in a while by exhaling through my nose and holding my mask...its a very comfortable mask.

[surf2live]

I bettah get an answer to this question....or I'll bring many many inner city kids to our finest jettys and teach them to spearfish as well as teach them to take the Greyhound bus so they crowd our sacred hunting spots.

[takowill]

Possibly dehydration/malnourishment. 4 hours is a long time to be spearing, especially without food or drink (assuming you had neither...) It's super easy to become dehydrated while freediving. The mammalian dive reflex (greater production of urine), the expelling of huge quantities of water during ventilation, the chemical exchanges needed for energy production, and the amount of water we lose through osmosis is huge.

[surf2live]

Possibly dehydration/malnourishment. 4 hours is a long time to be spearing, especially without food or drink (assuming you had neither...) It's super easy to become dehydrated while freediving. The mammalian dive reflex (greater production of urine), the expelling of huge quantities of water during ventilation, the chemical exchanges needed for energy production, and the amount of water we lose through osmosis is huge.

Now THAT is a great answer!!!! Thanks!!
I will be sure to drink more water and nibble on some chocolate when diving that long.

[LeMonstier]

Eat a lot of spicy foods as well.
Going up and down again in the water over and over makes it come back up to be enjoyed again!

[jriggs]

+1 for takowill's advice....sounds like you're not replenishing enough. those are both signs of dehydration and malnurishment. <--spelling????


good rule of thumb.....i keep powergel GU packs on my float...and i suck one down every 30-45 minutes and take a couple huge gulps of water....and so far the longest i've been in the water was 7 hours straight. i was tired for sure...but was still holding some pretty decent dives towards the end of the day.

i've used those GU packs for a long time when mountain biking for fun and during races...it's the only way to keep energy in the body when you can't stop to refuel.

have fun!

riggs

[TriggerNJ]

Good advice. A few more things just to keep in mind just in case. If your diving with a suit that has a hood and the hoods down make sure it's not too tight around the neck. Also pace your dives well and be sure to rest long enough before each dive. Make sure your clearing your ears well too. Sometimes I've felt a bit of dizzyness after a surf session just from getting alot of water in my sinuses. Goes away once I get the nose drip I'm sure your familiar with.

[Igor]

good discussion ..
Just want to add that in addition to dehydration due to the osmosis (salt water and all) the mammalian dive reflex slows down your hart rate by 10% or more
(bradycardia ), this in turn can lead to low blood pressure, lightheadedness, dizziness, and even fainting.
One thing for sure 4 hours of continuous dive is a lot. To be on the safe side
take a break of at least 1/2 hour in between outside of the water and drink some type of electrolyte fluid - Gatorade or whatever and of course eat something .

[notyet]

i would avoid chocolate - quick sugar rush and caffeine will both boost your heart rate, which will reduce your bottom time. have some kind of complex carb like a granola bar or something... you'll get the same (if not better) long term energy w/o a spike to your heart rate

[surf2live]

Whoooa....so, I suppose no coffee an hour or two before diving? I love coffee.

I'll try to stay away from high sugar content foods as well and take ur complex carb advice.