Narc'ed - what does it do to you

[Mako Mark]

Sue you are probably not in denial either right??

I have learned a lot about narcosis during my technical training as I did it before deep air became such a horriffic boogieman.

I have found that to about 30 meters there are not really many noticable effects except under rare conditions such as dark and cold.

between 30 and 40 meters there are noticable effects such as lack of concentration, mild confusion, communication problems, frustration at minor tasks and the occasional spooks

The example MechDiver gave of swimming down a gentle slope and swimming back up a steep one is an excellent example and has happened to me many times.

At greater depths, I have noticed tunnel vision. I have noticed occasions when I look at my computer/gauges and havent got a clue what the information is that I just looked at. Which is one reason (I believe) that GUE promotes the use of simple bottom timers. What do you need to know how cold it is? You know its freakin cold and there is a chance that you confuse that number with something else.

At great depth I have had vertigo, particularly when someone is below me and their bubbles are around me. on the deepest air dive I ever did, I got a colour change and I had to ask myself, has this water turned orange or is it time to bug out? I bugged out.

The conclusion

You dont gain a tolerance to narcosis, but you can learn to recognize it and adapt tasks to overcome its effects. I dont think it really affects your ability to coordinate or your ability to make good descisions, just the speed at which you can make them.

If you can keep you END above 100 ft 30 meters, then you are following recent concensus on what is acceptable. The effects of narcosis are very subtle and often go un noticed particularly by inexperienced deep divers. Dont under estimate it.

 

[Hank49]

I got a colour change and I had to ask myself, has this water turned orange or is it time to bug out? I bugged out.

I had that happen once too. It was a rather deep air dive, then up to a little cave at about 50 meters. Inside the cave I was asking myself, "why is it so red looking in here"? I thought maybe it was the first sign of O2 toxicity. I waited for my wife/buddy and when we ascended 10 meters or so, it went away. It was awesome though, looking out of this red, shallow cave out into the sunny blue water with white sand bottom....
Times are achanging. I rmemeber a lot of friends who liked getting narced.

 

[SueMermaid]

I am NOT in denial!!! Am not. Am not. Nuh-uh.

 

[Mako Mark]

I thought maybe it was the first sign of O2 toxicity. .

That passed through my mind too and at the depth I was it was a probability rather than a possibility. Gone are the days that it was deemed do-able to go that deep on air. nowadays if you go deeper than 190 ft on air you turn into a pumpkin, and if you admit it on the scuba board you get boiled in cyber oil. Not that I am condoning it, but I have personally taken air to 2.3 repeatedly and did it with a guy who has taken it to 3.2 (depth converted to newbie defeating "secret code" unit to avoid the boiling in cyber oil, and in the interests of avoiding copycat insanity in light of modern concensus)

 

[baitedstorm]

I was narced around 127-130 feet, I just remember finding everything extermely funny and looking up thinking, damn thats a big ol' ocean up there. Somewhere between 130 and 138ft I was told I kept taking my reg out and was trying to share my air with the fishes.... Thank God I got noticed and one of the DM's brought me up a bit.

 

[ShakaZulu]

I was narced around 127-130 feet, I just remember finding everything extermely funny and looking up thinking, damn thats a big ol' ocean up there. Somewhere between 130 and 138ft I was told I kept taking my reg out and was trying to share my air with the fishes.... Thank God I got noticed and one of the DM's brought me up a bit.

Geeeezuz.........nice one.

 

[Hank49]

Gone are the days that it was deemed do-able to go that deep on air. nowadays if you go deeper than 190 ft on air you turn into a pumpkin, and if you admit it on the scuba board you get boiled in cyber oil. Not that I am condoning it, but I have personally taken air to 2.3 repeatedly and did it with a guy who has taken it to 3.2 (depth converted to newbie defeating "secret code" unit to avoid the boiling in cyber oil, and in the interests of avoiding copycat insanity in light of modern concensus)

I hear you Mark. I've only gone to 1.7....quite a few times. But it almost makes me want to post a whine and cheese thread pertaining to SOME, not all, Americans and all the "wimpifying" things they are laying on the youth of today. Damn, let them play dodge ball...and instead of cowboys and Indians, maybe Navy SEALS and terrorists... As I believe ZZ Top put it...."let that boy boogie". Yee haaaa

 

[dlwalke]

I recently did my deepest dive (141 ft on Nitrox at the "Hole in the Wall" in WPB) and got pretty narced for the first time. My experience was that the range of my attention narrowed. While ascending, I was watching my computer very closely, counting down time at a couple of stops. My entire attention was pretty much occupied with that, intruded upon only by the sound of my regulator bubbles, which seemed unusually front and center. Auditory perceptual disturbances seem to have a low threshold vis-a-vis other sensory modalities, be it with recreational drugs, schizophrenia, etc. It is interesting that a couple of others in this thread also noted changes in the sound of their reg exhaust. I also felt rather alone, not in a bad way...actually in kind of a peaceful way.

Dave

 

[Tom R]

I recently did my deepest dive (141 ft on Nitrox at the "Hole in the Wall" in WPB)
Dave

What was your helium mix for that dive?

 

[Snowbear]

I have never been narced.

Unless you've never been deep, that's like someone who just finished off a 6-pack in an hour and says he's not drunk

True, he may think he's not drunk, but more likely he does not recognize the symptoms of his drunkeness.

When I took my tech1 class, we dove the Munson a few times. First on Nitrox (32%). We were pretty task-loaded and stressed, so I didn't notice the narcosis at all. The next day we used 30/30 Triox. I did not notice any difference at all. Until the gas switch to 50% at 70'. Then WHAMMO!!! It was like a really good hit of.... uh.... never mind Anyhow - although I was still able to read my guages and time the stops, and after a couple of minutes I felt just fine, I definitely knew I was narced. One of these times I'll remember to use the 50% as a travel gas on descent just so I can feel the reverse effect of suddenly being clear-headed.

I don't believe people when they say they don't get narced at 130'. I believe they don't notice the symptoms, but I don't believe they are not narced.