Chapter 7- Problem Solving Problem Solving 165 2. Make your first breath after clearing a snorkel or regulator shallow and cautious. If you must cough, keep the regulator or snorkel in your mouth. Keeping the mouthpiece in place will help you not breathe in any more water, which will make the situation worse. Swallow several times in quick succession to aid in your recovery. Trust your regulator. You can cough or sneeze into it and through it. You can temporarily choke if water enters the windpipe leading to your lungs. If this happens, it might be difficult or impossible to breathe without considerable effort for a few moments. Deliberately relax your body and wait for your airway to relax before you resume normal breathing. Air Starvation Any time you find yourself feeling starved for air, either below or on the surface, or if you feel that the regulator is not delivering enough air, stop what you are doing, and relax (figure 7-5). Concentrate on breathing slowly and deeply until you regain control of your breathing and the feeling of air starvation will pass. Be sure to exhale completely! If your cylinder valve is not fully open, it is possible that the valve could be restricting your flow of air. If your submersible pressure gauge needle dips with each inhalation, this is a sure sign of restricted air flow. It is also the reason you should watch the SPG as you check regulator function during dive preparations. Open the valve yourself if you can reach behind you, or have your buddy open it if you cannot. Summary Being able to solve minor problems without stress shows that you are a good, skilled diver. By the time you complete your training, you should feel capable of preventing or handling any problem described here. This feeling of confidence will make you much more relaxed so you can fully enjoy diving. FIGURE 7-5. IF YOU FEEL STARVED FOR AIR UNDER WATER, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND RELAX. Verify What You Have Learned Review the following diving situations and identify at least one correct action you can take to prevent the problem: 1. Chilling. 2. Overheating. 3. Muscle cramps. 4. Entanglement. 5. Vertigo. 6. Stuck power-inflator mechanism. 7. Seasickness. 8. Coughing. 9. Air starvation. ASSISTING OTHER DIVERS As a diver, you have two responsibilities to your buddy. First, you must help to keep problems from occurring. Second, you must help your buddy overcome any problems that do occur.
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