Safety Stop. My scuba diving story.
Several years ago I was diving with a group of 5 for my apprenticeship/training as a Dive Master when it happened. An easy dive to most experienced divers. It was a negative entry/descend towards a sunken fishing vessel. I was about to do a - some sort of pike dive position (Face down Feet up) when I felt it (in less than 4 feet from the surface), an extreme pain in my sinuses/ forehead and on my ears. I was embarrassed to abort the dive so I went on and with the help of a guide rope I pulled my self down slowly. Every inch deeper was painful (no pun intended) when we reached 90 to 120 feet the pain was completely gone. I was relieved… and so I thought. Then it was time to ascend back to the surface.
We were in about 80 feet when I felt it again. But this time it was sharper and more painful. The higher we go the more painful it gets. It's as if my eyes would pop out and my ears would burst (that's how it felt). I signed/signaled my friend who had more dive experience than I that there was something wrong. That something bad was happening to me but she could not do anything but stare and wonder.
By 50 feet I had pain on my entire left face and I felt it radiate towards my scalp and my nape. It felt like the veins and arteries in my head would burst. I could feel a lot of trapped air in my sinuses that could not escape – a reverse block. I became dizzy and a bit disoriented. My vision was shaking. My eyes were gong crazy. They kept trying to roll backwards.
I kept on exhaling through my nose thinking it would help. I kept on purging my mask and saw some blood in the water/bubbles. I did not dare to equalize thinking it would only worsen the situation in my ears (the pressure is from the inside). Every safety stop felt like forever. I kept on praying and hoping it would end. I got scared.
When we reached a depth of 10 or 20 feet and with at least 500psi left in my air tank I know I will survive so I decided to stay underwater a bit longer just to let some air pressure escape my sinuses. When I reached the surface I was thankful, but the pain and the feeling of fullness in my head was still there. I was still floating in the water when I felt and heard a pop in my nostrils then blood came gushing out of my nose like a faucet (literally). I could not care less on the blood that was draining out my nose (or the sharks - if they can smell my blood?!). All I could think about that time was "FINALLY! The pressure and pain in my head was gone.” I felt an instant relief.
Back at the resort, the other divers were stunned when I told them what happened. The only thing I noticed after the dive was my right ear. It was still painful. There was a throbbing pain and I could not hear. As if I have a worse case of the common cold. There was also like a crackling/crunching sound inside. I have the same problem on my left ear but it was minimal.
(I would only realize later-on that my right ear will be deaf for more than 1 month and I would only hear deep wind like noises.)
When I got back to the city, 2 ear doctors could not diagnose anything except that the veins in my ears were so red and as if it was mad and agitated. They did not allow me to dive for quite some time so I missed a lot of fun dives with my friends. But I guess the diving incident left a permanent damage to my ears because until now every time I hear loud noises from the TV, radio, movie house or even from people talking loudly, my ears would crackle (or as if my ears are making popcorn).
Lesson learned? From then on I promised myself to abort any dive if I don’t feel like it, felt uneasy or if I sense something is wrong. I will not care on what other divers would say. Don’t be overconfident and disregard safety rules (even if you think you are not sick).
And No, I’m still not a dive master nor a scuba instructor. I am still a regular scuba diver. I aborted my dream of becoming a professional scuba diver after that incident. I realized that being a DM/SI means having a great deal of Responsibility. Not just to myself but also to the lives of other scuba divers.
Our family still dives once in a while but only within our comfort zone/depth and only within the reach of sunlight and within the areas of lush color and abundance of sea life.