Drinking and Diving... Just Wait!
Let’s not beat around the bush… when it comes to diving vacations, you’d be hard pressed to find a boat or resort that isn’t offering a tasty adult beverage every day of the week. But there’s a multitude of reasons why we shouldn’t drink before a dive.
Hypothermia. It’s a well known fact that alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning it opens up blood vessels and allows blood from the core of the body (where we keep warm) to our extremeties.
Hydration. An overwhelming amount of diving maladies, such as cottonmouth, headaches, seasickness, and others can be largely attributed to how hydrated our bodies are. Well, guess what: alcohol is a major cause of dehydration. Imbibe a bit too much and you’ll be all the more susceptible to these potentially vacation ruining sicknesses.
Judgement. We all knew it was coming, but as with driving, don’t drink and dive. Not only can it be a major impediment to your own safety and judgement (not counting the effects the nitrogen narcosis), but it’s irresponsible on behalf of your buddy!
In sum, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with drinking during the dive trip, but save it for the evenings when you can reminisce over the awesome day’s dives!