Why Do We Sneeze When We Are Underwater?

We sneeze underwater because our body is trying to clear something out, just like when you try to blow your nose but can’t quite get rid of that last bit of dirt.

Sneezing happens when something irritates the inside of your nose, and your body wants to push it out. Usually, you sneeze into the air, which helps your nose send that irritant flying away, like blowing a small cloud of dust off your face.

But when you're underwater, you can’t just blow that irritant into the air. Instead, your body still wants to get rid of it, so it sends a sneeze out through your nose, but now it goes into the water around you! It’s like trying to blow a cloud of dust off your face while you're in a bathtub, the dust just goes into the water instead.

Sometimes, this can even make you sneeze underwater so strongly that you actually get water or bubbles coming out of your nose, it's like your body is saying, “I’m not done cleaning my nose yet!”We sneeze underwater because our body is trying to clear something out, just like when you try to blow your nose but can’t quite get rid of that last bit of dirt.

Sneezing happens when something irritates the inside of your nose, and your body wants to push it out. Usually, you sneeze into the air, which helps your nose send that irritant flying away, like blowing a small cloud of dust off your face.

But when you're underwater, you can’t just blow that irritant into the air. Instead, your body still wants to get rid of it, so it sends a sneeze out through your nose, but now it goes into the water around you! It’s like trying to blow a cloud of dust off your face while you're in a bathtub, the dust just goes into the water instead.

Sometimes, this can even make you sneeze underwater so strongly that you actually get water or bubbles coming out of your nose, it's like your body is saying, “I’m not done cleaning my nose yet!”