My daughter is 16 and is a competitive diver. What effect do high blood sugars have on this? (She is frequently in the 300/400 range. We are working with her diabetes team to lower the numbers.)

From what I have been told, divers are prone to dehydration. If the blood sugars are very high, your daughter might develop dehydration faster.

It is important to remember that your daughter should be careful not to dive alone in case of a low blood sugar. There are special water bottles that can be used by divers to drink while diving. If your daughter takes 2 of these water bottles, she can fill one with a sugar free liquid for hydration purposes, and another one with juice to drink in case of symptoms of low blood sugar (or to sip periodically while diving to prevent low blood sugars). A low blood sugar can be especially dangerous while diving, so your daughter should work with her physician to cautiously strive for improved control with lower blood sugars, but again, not be so aggressive that she develops low blood sugars while diving.

TGL