KIRSTYANDREWS
Ship ’ s cat
Kirsty Andrews adores a doze on a dive boat , notoriously nodding off on the high seas
Napping is one of my Top Five Skills . I ’ m quite proud of it , and it ’ s stood me in good stead in life so far . Not limited to a diving scenario , I find it almost impossible to resist the Land of Nod when in any kind of moving vehicle , and I put this down to excellent sleep training as a child .
One skipper who ’ s known me for some years has referred to me as the ‘ Ship ’ s cat ’ as I have a habit of finding the warmest sun-drenched spot in the wheelhouse and curling up catlike in it for a snooze in between dives for as long as I can get away with it . I ’ ve heard it said that the optimal timing for a power nap is between 20 and 30 minutes , which is perfect to fit in during the surface interval . Not very sociable perhaps , but forgive me , dive buddies : I ’ ll be far cheerier afterwards .
All of us who ’ ve enjoyed a liveaboard have hit the sundeck ( albeit perhaps a safely shaded part ) in between dives , haven ’ t we ? But it doesn ’ t have to be warmth and sunshine : oh no . With my trusty dryrobe , I ’ m an all-weather snoozer ; driving rain or freezing winds - if it ’ s diveable , it ’ s nappable . If the wheelhouse is unsuitable , I favour a spot near the stern , curled up in a nest of BCDs and kit bags for ultimate comfort .
I ’ ve had reason
“ I ’ m not the only one who feels rather lethargic after a dive ” to be thankful for this sleeping skill on many an occasion . I ’ m not completely immune to seasickness and I find where there ’ s a long crossing , be it the Minch or the somewhat more extreme 26-hour crossing to get to the ( totally worth it ) Revillagigedo Archipelago in Mexico , the best solution for me is to get to my bunk and put my head down until it ’ s over . I ’ m not even the best diving napper I know : Marko , your reputation precedes you .
There is though a slightly more problematic aspect to this , potentially . I ’ m not the only one who feels rather lethargic after a dive and , while I ’ m no expert myself , studies have been conducted which suggest that post-dive fatigue , lethargy and sleepiness after scuba diving could indicate ‘ decompression stress ’ in our bodies , or subclinical decompression sickness . Not to an extreme level and not to a point which would require treatment as standard , but something to look out for and monitor , nonetheless .
Nitrox is often cited as a way to minimise this effect , especially where it ’ s used to add an additional safety factor in a conservative dive profile . While I subscribe to the many benefits of nitrox and use it myself where possible , I ’ m uncertain whether I personally feel significantly more sprightly after a swig of 32 %. Divers have reported feeling more alert after a nitrox dive , but studies conducted to quantify this have so far proved inconclusive . It does promote more efficient off-gassing and reduce micro-bubbles after a dive so I ’ m certainly still a fan , even if I may still also fit in a nap now and again .
Looking back through my social media feed , several paparazzi-esque buddies have felt the need to photograph my happy dozing moments over the years . There are actually fewer photos than there used to be , so either I ’ m not dozing as much or it ’ s so commonplace , they can ’ t be bothered to record it for posterity any more . I ’ m sure they ’ re only jealous of my impromptu siesta skills . �
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