A common concern for women scuba divers the world over is whether it’s safe to scuba dive when they’re menstruating and whether they should be concerned at all about sharks.
According to DAN (Diver’s Alert Network) theoretically, there is a slight possibility of an increase in the risk of Decompression Sickness (DCS), mostly because of fluid retention and tissue swelling. However, it’s not proven for a fact, and statistics of DCS in women divers who experience DCS showed that a large percentage of them were also taking oral contraceptives at the time, which could influence the outcome.
The common conclusion, though, from experts and ordinary women divers, is that diving during your monthly cycle is safe. However, everyone is different, and our bodies react differently to Decompression Illness, too, so it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to dive a little more conservatively when you’re menstruating. By conservatively I mean, less dives per day, shorter and shallower divers and maybe little longer safety stops to ensure more time for nitrogen to escape the body. Overall, though, there is no reason women shouldn’t dive.
What about sharks? Everyone knows about a shark’s keen sense of smell, especially of blood in water. But, in the case of menstruating women, this doesn’t put a big target on their back for a shark attack. While sharks would most definitely be able to smell the blood in the water when they dive, they’re not drawn to it. This is because menstrual blood contains a high percentage of dead cells, which experiments have shown doesn’t excite the shark. It’s only fresh blood that piques their interest. Also, the average blood volume during menstruation is not very high and is spread over several days.
The risk of shark attacks on divers is pretty low as it is, and it does not appear to increase significantly during a woman’s cycle either. So, really, there’s nothing to stop a woman diving during menstruation. According to DAN, however, women taking oral contraceptives, particularly if they are menstruating, should dive a little cautiously and/or heed medical advice from their gynecologists regarding the contraceptives when scuba diving.
