Yeah, just read about that while i was looking up the name of the other place. Looks like a top place to have a proper fuckabout at depth without too many other problems. Like filling latex gloves with air and letting them rocket to the surface where they explode about 3 feet from the top.
It’s only deep when you’re at the bottom of it, though…
And if you’re not a diver, your local decompression chamber may do rides in it for fund-raising, where they pressurise the air to a 50m depth and bring you back up. If you’re not used to nitrogen narcosis, it can be a great laugh.
OT, but since you sound knowledgeable on the topic…
Can anything be done for someone who seems to have developed a late-in-life issue where going more than a few feet underwater causes my head to feel like it’s about to explode? Quite painful, and even affects snorkeling, if you can imagine.
IANADoctor and not even the most experienced diver I know. All I’ve got is a handful of certs from various training orgs that means I’m qualified to teach newbies. So for this, I can put my instructor hat on.
I can’t tell you what’s wrong, you’d need a doctor for that, ideally one specialized in underwater medicine.
I can tell you one possible reason why it might be happening. Again, real medical advice trumps anything I say.
The pressure difference in water is the most severe in the first few feet.
Water pressure goes from 1 atm at the surface to 2 atm in the first 10m of depth, so the volume of any gas will decrease by 50%. (Ideal Gas Law)
Any gas trapped in your head (such as your sinuses) will shrink and expand as you dive and surface, which can cause pain. Typical locations for this can be the middle ear, nasal cavities and even teeth (due to dental surgery) but anywhere where there is a cavity in your skull is possible, or it may be even referred pain from elsewhere. This is only one of many potential explanations.
As an instructor, my professional advice would be to stay dry and seek proper medical advice. Underwater is not the best place for a medical emergency. Pain is never a good sign and trapped gas can potentially migrate when it shrinks and expand elsewhere, causing pain, paralysis and even death, which would suck and really ruin your day.
