Hydration and Diving...

No doubt you’ve heard it before: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate on the boat! Water comprises over half of our body, so it must be important to keep it functioning, right? More than you know, and this is especially important for diving. Not being hydrated can contribute to heat exhaustion, fatigue, headaches, increased cramps, poor air consumption, and of course, increased risk for decompression sickness.

We can lose water in a lot of way on our trips: sweating from the sun, our exposure suits, saltwater, alcohol, and especially our regulators. When we breathe our compressed air, it is very, very dry. Naturally, this air robs moisture from our bodies to humidify it while entering the lungs. This makes us dehydrated, too. On top of all of this, let’s not forget that classic “immersion diuresis,” aka “peeing in your wetsuit.”

So don’t forget to drink plenty of water on your dives, generally more than you think you’ll need!