Tours and courses by certified dive masters & tour guides speaking English, Spanish and French.
Home » Blog » Can I Swim, Snorkel or Dive While Pregnant?
Can I Swim, Snorkel, or Dive While Pregnant?
There’s no simple answer to this. You should always consult your doctor and listen to your body. Let’s consider all the aspects of your possible water activities, so you can still have fun in the water on your vacation, starting with:
Can I Swim While Pregnant?
The answer to this question is yes, you can! It can be a great way to exercise during the first two trimesters – a bit riskier in the third as energy and dexterity levels lessen.
Relaxing on the surface of the water and watching the fish can be extremely stress-relieving. As long as you check with your doctor and take note of possible dangers, you’ll be good to go.
So, we know that swimming and floating is good exercise, but what about snorkeling?
Can I Snorkel While Pregnant?
Snorkeling isn’t normally classed as vigorous exercise but you need to bear in mind your level of fitness, whether you’ll be wearing an inflatable vest and fins, and your location. Water aerobics are safe during pregnancy even if you’re not accustomed to too much exercise.
Even when the cool water cools your skin you can easily underestimate your body temperature whilst you’re swimming. Make sure you sip water frequently to help regulate your body temperature and prevent overheating. A body temperature of 38.9 degrees Celsius for more than 10 minutes can lead to neural tube defects miscarriage in the first trimester, and dehydration later on.
Don’t overexert yourself, particularly during the first and third trimester when exhaustion is at its greatest. You won’t be able to take a break when you’re in the middle of the ocean! Remember to stay close to the shore and come out of the water if you experience any signs of discomfort.
Things to Weigh Up If You Snorkel While Being Pregnant
Consider these while snorkeling in your pregnancy:
A history of premature labor, anemia, and high blood pressure will all affect your ability to fly and snorkel safely
Be careful not to overheat as birth defects can happen when elevated temperatures are prolonged – take regular breaks and stay hydrated
Pay attention to warnings given to snorkelers such as avoiding the sharp spines of sea urchins and keeping an eye out for jellyfish
Make sure you get in and out of the water carefully to escape nasty cuts from the reef outcrops that can lead to infection
Cover your stomach with a swimming costume to prevent unpleasant feelings from contact with sea creatures
Research the currents in the spot you’ve chosen to snorkel as the water can look calm then suddenly experience high breaks
If you’re not snorkeling in a protected area use a dive flag to enable other boaters to see you clearly as you float
Never go snorkeling by yourself – have a buddy system so there’s always somebody right there
What Аbout Scuba Diving During Pregnancy?
Can I dive while pregnant? Diving while pregnant needs to be avoided if possible as there are a few predictable risks like decompression sickness.
In the OPEN WATER COURSE, divers are taught that women should not dive while pregnant.
Potential Diving Risks of Diving for Moms-to-be
Holding your breath is not a good idea as your baby needs a constant supply of oxygen and compelling evidence shows that breath-holding even during any exercise whilst pregnant isn’t advisable.
Decompression illness caused by coming to the surface too quickly can cause nitrogen bubbles to expand causing the baby distress if these bubbles can’t be diffused. Repeated decompressions can lead to the death of the baby.
But if you insist on diving during pregnancy, a depth of 60ft maximum should be adhered to with half of that being recommended by Navy dive table times. But the reality is that definitive conclusions can’t be made about the effects that diving has on the fetus.
So whether you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, diving should be the first thing to put in your list of dos and don’ts. The best advice is to consult your medical physician before any activity that you may not be sure you are able or allowed to do.
Moms-to-be – You Can Still Enjoy The Crystal Clear Caribbean Waters
You don’t have to worry about anything! Let us take you snorkeling in Riviera Maya, your safety always comes first! Skilled dive masters will guide you through the wonders of an underwater world – and teach you how to be environmentally cautious. You’ll experience the beauty of The Caribbean beaches with the mysteries of unique cenotes. And you’ll be able to capture it all on camera to show your baby later on in life.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
3rd Party Cookies
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!