Archive for April, 2009

Michelle has not been diving for a month or so as she has had an issue with her ears.
A possible inner ear barotrauma has sidelined her and although the doctor certified her for diving about a week ago, I can understand why she has been slightly nervous to get back in the water.
Inner ear barotrauma can cause vertigo and whilst a diver may be able to hug themselves, watch their bubbles or even rest on the bottom to sort themselves out, it is a daunting experience to get back in the water knowing that there is the possibility that you may experience vertigo and that you, or your buddy, may have to deal with this issue and ensure you reach the surface.

On Tuesday, I was more than happy to head down to Lake Pupuke with Michelle and complete a check out dive with her.
She knew if there was an issue then I was capable and confident to assist her and I knew of her problem so again if there was an issue then I could ensure that she reached the surface safely.
We planned the dive in stages.
Firstly, a nice slow controlled descent down the line stopping at intervals of a few metres to ensure we could both equalise and Michelle was not suffering from vertigo.
Secondly, if the descent went smoothly and we were feeling fine, then I was going to take her on a tour of my lake.  Now the crew on the Scuba Dive New Zealand forum give myself (and Andy as well) a lot of ribbing about how we like the Lake.  Sure, its full of duck and swan poo, sure its got a lovely green tinge to it, sure theres nothing in it to see … BUT!  its 5 minutes from my house and we can dive it in pretty much any condition.

On Tuesday, we were rewarded with lovely conditions.  The sun was shining, there was no wind and the cafe at The Pumphouse was open and was serving coffee.  We claimed a table, geared up and jumped in.
The descent was perfect – Michelle had no problems and I am finding that after my middle ear infection, I am not having any problems either.
At the bottom of the line, I decided we would head off towards the rocky overhangs to the north east.  We came across a freshwater eel and a perch – very exciting!
Michelle got stuck into the overhangs and the dark places with her torch and appeared to be having no issues at all – save for possibly having to admit later that she enjoyed a dive in the lake!

.. yes the Lake!!

Dive Data
Lake Pupuke : Depth 5.6m  | Time 53mins  | Visibility 3m  | Temperature 19°C

After the success of Tuesdays dive, we decided to head up to Matheson Bay and took our cameras for some photographs.  Alas, and I hear it happens to everyone at some time – I flooded my housing and thus had to make an extremely fast trip back to shore with the camera in the air and the housing thus held that no further water damage would be sustained.

Michelle waited in the water for me with my gear and once I had rinsed and disassembled my camera rig (including removing the SD card and the battery), I headed back down the stairs and back out into the water.  Another pleasant dive at Matheson Bay complete with Eagle ray and loads of juvenile snapper which is great to see!

Dive Data
Matheson Bay : Depth 5.6m  | Time 49mins  | Visibility 6m  | Temperature 19°C

For more details on Common Ear Injuries while Diving, check out the Divers Alert Network Article;
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=45