Sleep, rest, and their effect on diving
How good sleep affects your diving performance and the relationship between fatigue and marine accidents.
A tired diver is a diver in danger. Good sleep is not a luxury but a necessity for safety underwater.
The effect of fatigue on diving
Weak judgment
Fatigue weakens your ability to make sound decisions, which is very dangerous in an environment that requires constant alertness.
Delayed reactions
The time between seeing a danger and acting increases with fatigue, which makes it harder to avoid emergency situations.
Increased blackout risk in freediving
Fatigue reduces the body’s oxygen reserve and increases the chance of blackout underwater.
How much sleep you need
An active diver needs 7 to 9 hours of good sleep. The night before a dive trip, good sleep is a necessity, not an option.
When to refuse to dive
- If you slept less than 6 hours the previous night
- If you feel unexplained fatigue or dizziness
- If you have not recovered from a previous hard dive
A simple rule
Do not exceed three dives in one day, however enthusiastic you are, and take a nap between multiple dive trips.
Rest is not weakness. It is what keeps you able to dive for years.