Have You Contracted COVID-19? This Is How You Can Return to Diving
Testing positive for COVID-19 could be the worst day of your life. But with the right interventions, you can overcome it and return to doing the things that you love including scuba diving.
You just need to follow these tips:
Ensure that you are not carrying the virus first
You can’t put others at risk for COVID-19 just because you miss diving. According to experts, you should wait at least one month if you tested positive but you are asymptomatic and three months if you tested positive and had symptoms of the virus. If you want to be extra careful, you can also have yourself tested before a dive.
Get an all clear from your doctor
The COVID-19 virus attacks the lungs primarily causing a small or significant damage for some time. Those who have been in intensive care may also suffer from permanent lung damage, which increases the risk for pulmonary barotrauma or the injury caused by the overexpansion of the lungs in the effort to breathe.
Whether you had symptoms or not, it’s best to get an all clear from your doctor before diving gain to make sure that you won’t have any lung problems during and after the dive.
Never share your gear with anyone
Even if you already tested negative for COVID-19, it’s always better to make sure that you’re not spreading it to other people by avoiding buddy checks where you share a regulator with another diver. This should only be done in a real emergency scenario and with proper precautions.
Protect yourself from decompression illness
In a normal scenario, decompression illness is easily preventable with the right diving practices. But when you suffered from COVID-19, your lungs may have incurred damages that will make it difficult for your “bubble filter” to work properly.
This is why it’s important to stay within your no decompression limit, especially during your first few dives after recovering from the virus.
There are no specific studies that pinpoint the long-term effects of COVID-19 to those affected by it. So if you want to enjoy diving again without the risks, it’s best to follow the necessary precautions every time.
