I am currently just recovered from my first scuba injury and I thought I'd share a little advice on how to avoid and treat and reverse block for all you fellow scuba newbies :)

WHAT TO AVOID: So hopefully we all know the phrase, "Anyone can end a dive at anytime for any reason", Ya girl should have really taken that to heart.

I had a little trouble clearing my ears during our initial descent. At around 35ft I finally got them to clear but it was sharp and forceful, I was concerned that I had endured a barotrauma but I continued the dive.

On ascent I experience immense pain and was unable to get my ears to clear again. I made the choice to leave the water anyways. That left me with air trapped inside of my ears and intense pain.

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE: Have you ever taken an ice pick to your ear hole?

I had a very intense ear ache on each side and then my ears began the process of attempting to equalize themselves. Think popping popcorn inside of your very sensitive ear holes.

TREATMENT: Honestly your ears just need to equalize. That's it.

Mine took four days to finally finish popping and aching but some sinus issues have kept me out of the water for over two weeks (no fun!)

If I would have been able to clear the block underwater before we surfaced I don't think I would have had as much residual pain. If you experience a reverse block, it isn't always possible to equalize underwater.

Identifying the cause is important too. I found out the next day I was getting a cold. My sinuses knew it before I had any real symptoms. I should have turned the dive on the descent that is when I first knew something was wrong. I did signal to my dive buddy (my husband) and our divemaster who both encouraged me to just continue trying to equalize. I knew that it wasn't a good idea and did it anyways. I will never do that again.

When in doubt, don't dive.

Stay safe babes!

SCUBA ACROSS UTAH: HOMESTEAD CRATER

photo and copyright THE HOMESTEAD CRATER


One of our goals for the next (hopefully!) twelve months is to scuba our way across Utah. When we first became interested in scuba I didn't think that there would be very many local locations that we could practice our new hobby, but to our surprise, there are actually quite a few locations to scuba.

Our first scuba location we conquered is the place where we became certified the HOMESTEAD CRATER. Utah's very own hot springs! The Crater, as it's called is a toasty 96 degrees Fahrenheit year round. It is the perfect spot for beginning divers because it is only 70 feet deep.

So, I like to keep it real, and that photo you see above, that is NOT exactly what the crater looks like. Maybe it is because we came late at night, but the visibility isn't super great. The water is very very warm. If you are claustrophobic, I would stay far far away from here. The opening of the Crater is very small and at times very full of people.

While we had dive time reserved there were people who had swim/soak time reserved. So unless we were underwater, it was pretty crowded. The changed rooms were very very small as well, so the second time I came, I came already dressed. Plus, there is a constant stream of people in and out, kind of chaotic.

Just be aware that you need to reserve your dive time ahead of time. So call BEFORE you plan on diving! They do full rentals for gear too if you need it but its affordable with dive time starting at $22/hr. I think I heard them say they can have 12 swimmers/soakers and 10 divers at a time in the Crater.

The small walkway to stage your gear and enter is pretty crowded and it we had someone lose a fin over the edge before we could all get our gear on. They do charge you for gear retrieval, but it is pretty easy to descend to the bottom and find your gear.

I lost a weight but by the time I realized it I was at the end of my final dive and didn't have enough air to make another dive for it, I just lost it forever. (oh well!) 

Overall, the water, which is high in sulfur, was warm and wonderful. The few things to be seen underwater can be seen in one dive, a wheel, a gate, and a wooden platform for those who are practicing scuba skills. They have some PVC structures that you can swim through to test your trim but after two trips there to qualify, I'm good. I don't feel like I HAVE to come back. I'm glad that I was able to enjoy the hot spring, it is something to see underwater.

But please, come out, enjoy the hot spring, enjoy the warm water, Utah is Beautiful.

BEST HAIRSTYLES FOR SCUBA DIVING

When I first started my scuba diving lessons I was really worried about how I would manage my long hair in the water. I searched google and didn't really find any good articles, so I decided to ask my dive instructor, a man, who only had moderate knowledge, so I went through the process of trial and error so that you don't have to!

FIRST TIP: If you are super serious about scuba, BUY A HOOD! The best way to keep your hair out of the way, is to eliminate it all together, I personally don't own a hood yet, but when I buy my wet suit, I plan on investing a good one. HERE is a link to the best rated one on amazon. I just think it is a little silly to dive with a hood, without a wet suit.

A lot of people suggest just keeping your hair cut short, but your mask strap will still pull on your hair. My husband's hair is short and still gets tangled in the strap occasionally. We purchased THIS strap cover (mine is yellow and my husband bought black) IT CHANGED THE WHOLE DAMN GAME! I went for several dives without the strap cover and especially during training when they require you to remove your mask a lot. During recreational diving it makes it more comfortable to put it on and keeps it from pulling your hair after the dive when you remove it.

Now onto the main purpose of this post, the best hairstyles for scuba diving. One little disclaimer, I don't have bangs and all of my hair is one length, I did try two hairstyles that will work for people with layers, but I don't have any advice for bangs, I apologize, My husband's hair is a little long in the front and sometimes it does interfere with his mask, so he pulls it up in a little ponytail when he dives.

OPTION ONE (MY FAVORITE!) - I usually braid my hair into dutch braids with one braid on each side of my head. I pull it tight and try to have the braid towards the back of my head so that if there is loose hair it doesn't get in the way of my mask sealing to my face.

OPTION TWO - I pull the top portion of my hair into a pony tail. (This would be great for people with layers!) and then gather my hair into another ponytail and braid the ends straight back.

OPTION THREE - I pull my hair into a military style bun. This is a great style to keep your hair from being snatched by anything. You can do two different ways, the traditional sock bun way or I like to take my dutch braids, put them into a ponytail and twist into a bun.
In the above picture I have two braids twisted into a bun, similar to the way I twist my dutch braids into a bun.

These are my three favorite ways to do my hair to keep it controlled during scuba diving but there are several other ways that I've seen it done. The main goals are to keep it PULLED OUT OF YOUR FACE, NICE AND TIDY, and COMFORTABLE.

Now, I'm not an expert! Far, far from it, but I'm falling in love with scuba and I hope to share all of the ways to make it easier for other people to fall in love with scuba too!