Asthma & Freediving ??

[Brandon T.]

I been wondering about my future becoming an Apneist with having a mild reactive airway (ASTHMA). Is that a show stopper? Do you know of other Apnea Divers that have it and still enjoy the sport/way of life? I have talked to 2 of my local (DAN) dive doctors and they both feel free diving is more dangerous to a person with a history of asthma than regular compressed air diving. If so how did the pass the dive physical to get cleared to take an approved certification class and compete?


Thanks,
Brandon

 

[The_frogger]

It's a very personal thing. I am a PADI Divemaster, a freediver and regular spearo and I have asthma. I have never ever felt that it in any way holds me back. In fact, freediving has helped improve it quite a bit and I now rarely get the symptoms.

 

[Rik]

Asthma has different subtypes. Some forms of asthma bans you from SCUBA diving, some not. Especially exercise induced asthma is considered to be hazardous for SCUBA diving because you could get an asthma attack during an rescue attempt or while swimming against heavy current.

Currently, there is no consensus about freediving and asthma. The french freediving physican J.H. Corriol believes that freediving can be even beneficial for mild types of asthma. DAN seems to think otherwise.

The current problem is that there doesn't exist a specialised freediving medical check-up. Currently SCUBA diving guidelines are used, which aren't always useful, especially regarding the lungs. Also, the current guidelines don't have the option to limit freediving to recreational or pool disciplines only.

 

[calliecal]

I'm a NAUI DM and spearo amd I have exercise induced asthma, though never had an actual asthma attack (thank goodness for my asthma pump). Some medication can help reduce the asthma and you should never let it go untreated or it does get worse. Spearfishing has improved my asthma and the more exercise I do the better it gets.

I had a really good dive physician who also dives check me out and give me the go-ahead first though in all honesty I would have done it against his recommendation if it had been negative. By the same token I do have a very close friend that has chronic asthma and got the go ahead from her doc a while ago to dive with it but in a susequent check up after years of diving he has advised her against continuing and she has hung up her wetsuit for good now.

It's very dependent on the person and their asthma type etc. Even then on some days if I'm having a bad chest day i won't dive just to be safe.