When you are going to undertake a diving experience, you will have to prepare everything correctly. But if you have doubts about what to take, don't worry because we will be in charge of telling you that you should not lack one of the most important elements: the first aid kit!
Remember, don't forget it on your travels!
It is true that the diving equipment is already quite bulky to carry more "junk". But it is even more true that if you have not brought something, it will surely be what you need most. And think about the team; If you don't have a tube... you have to navigate on the surface; that you forgot the compass... there is almost no visibility; you have put the 5 millimeters... there is a thermocline at 14 degrees; you are equipped with the macro lens... and the sunfish appears, etc. Scuba diving requires equipment similar to that needed to go to space.
Therefore, carrying something as important as a first aid kit with the most essential things to "repair ourselves" can be very useful. Obviously, it may be unnecessary to dive next to home in our usual center (they must carry a first aid kit with oxygen therapy equipment). It will not be so much if we are going to dive freely in our boat or from a coastal area far from health services. And it is essential in case of trips to tropical destinations or cruises through countries with limited health infrastructure.
With it, we will be able to attend most of the small accidents that may happen, recover from some ailments or improve our condition for diving.
Like any activity that takes place in nature, there are a series of factors for which you must be prepared. The sun, insect bites, small wounds or cuts, dizziness, injuries from contact with marine beings, digestive disorders and nasal congestion, among others, are some of the discomforts that can motivate us to stay on land.
The first aid kit is only used to relieve minor discomforts, in no case does it replace the diagnosis and treatment of health personnel for any ailment. But when we do not have specialized care quickly, it can be very useful.
Preparation of the first aid kit
First of all, we better let ourselves advise by a doctor, he will advise us to carry only the most practical, which is summarized in those elements that serve to treat the most common setbacks. Remember that this is not a mobile pharmacy, but it will be very helpful to have a first aid manual inside to consult in case of doubt.
The dimensions of the bottle itself will be reduced in order to be easy to transport. Inside we will find the medications and drugs that are necessary and, of course, we will often review the expiration date of the elements and how we advise you to write down on the boxes what each product is for, dosage, possible incompatibilities, and... Of course, do not lose the instructions.
Depending on the destination, we mustadapt its content. To do this, we will study the temperature, meteorology, animal species of those funds, quality of drinking water, accessibility to health services, etc. Like anything that will be near seawater, it is best that it be contained in a waterproof box or briefcase.
Components of the immersion kit
Next, we will relate a list of different elements and medications that will be more than essential to have in our first aid kit. Don't get overwhelmed! It's better to play it safe.
- Antiseptic material. Products to disinfect any wound, cut or puncture. Neutral soap, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine...
- Gloves, sterile gauze, scissors, needles, tweezers to remove any stuck foreign body, such as hedgehog tips.
- A bottle of Vaseline to apply on stuck hedgehog tips that cannot be removed with tweezers.
- Bandages, cotton, band-aids and tape.
- Medications against dizziness. Pills, gum...
- Products to combat sunburn. In the vicinity of Ecuador they are essential.
- Antidiarrheal medications. The quality of drinking water is usually very low in some parts of the world. The best prevention is to drink self-opened bottled water. Do not consume drinks with ice or fruit washed from the tap.
- Analgesics. From a toothache to a sprain or the classic headache.
- Lotion against insect bites.
- Ammonia and vinegar. Stings from jellyfish, anemones and other "poisonous animals."
- Corticosteroids and antihistamines for bites from fish with more powerful venoms, such as scorpions; and the lionfish or the stonefish, in tropical seas.
- Broad spectrum antibiotics for any infection that may occur.
- Medications for topical use for the ears; for infections caused by traces of moisture or bacteria.
- Cold bags very useful for trauma.
- Some container to heat water, since most marine animal poisons have thermolabile substances, whose potency decreases if we submerge the area in water as hot as we can bear it. Ice also works in these cases.
- A vial of local anesthetic (Scandicain 2%) and a syringe with an insulin needle to infiltrate the area of the puncture of a sea spider or some scorpion, since the The pain is very intense and would be indicated as the first treatment. A legal problem arises here since no medication can be administered parenterally if you are not a healthcare worker, but it is advisable to carry it because in the group there may be some healthcare provider who does not carry a first aid kit.
- Cannulas (plastic tubes of different sizes) to perform artificial respiration.
Be proactive and remember the second law of diving: "Anything you have forgotten, you will definitely need." The first is: "If a thing can be broken or lost, it will happen."
