PADI Deep Diver course

[TTOUPS]

(old commercial diver here) Narcosis can be a very subtle phenomenon and different divers are affected differently. In my case, I've never really "felt" especially narced on deep air and so had to be especially careful. I would "know" that I was narced, given certain depths, but would "feel" like I was 100%. This is no doubt more dangerous than feeling really buzzed, because it's too easy to assume that your performance is not impaired.
In a chamber test in dive school (long ago), at 225' on air, I completely ignored half of the test problems on a sheet of paper. I simply DID NOT SEE THEM. I saw and correctly completed half of the problems and then spaced the other half on the same page, all the while FEELING like I was at 100% performance level.
In the field on deep air, this more frequently takes the form of miscounting bolts and committing similar, simple errors. Commercial air divers can more safely endure this than scuba divers as they have surface air, comms and a surface support crew figuring deco, etc. In scuba, you're very much more on your own.
I don't recommend that anyone rely on their perceptions of impairment as a gauge of narcotic effects. Rely on your intellect and understand that no matter how good you feel, if you're deep, you're narced...

Best regards
Doc

 

[TCDiver1]

Originally posted by Doc
(old commercial diver here) Narcosis can be a very subtle phenomenon and different divers are affected differently. In my case, I've never really "felt" especially narced on deep air and so had to be especially careful. I would "know" that I was narced, given certain depths, but would "feel" like I was 100%. This is no doubt more dangerous than feeling really buzzed, because it's too easy to assume that your performance is not impaired.
In a chamber test in dive school (long ago), at 225' on air, I completely ignored half of the test problems on a sheet of paper. I simply DID NOT SEE THEM. I saw and correctly completed half of the problems and then spaced the other half on the same page, all the while FEELING like I was at 100% performance level.
In the field on deep air, this more frequently takes the form of miscounting bolts and committing similar, simple errors. Commercial air divers can more safely endure this than scuba divers as they have surface air, comms and a surface support crew figuring deco, etc. In scuba, you're very much more on your own.
I don't recommend that anyone rely on their perceptions of impairment as a gauge of narcotic effects. Rely on your intellect and understand that no matter how good you feel, if you're deep, you're narced...

Best regards
Doc

Thx Doc, good post. I've made the "subtlety of narcosis" argument in here several times but not as well as you put it here.
PS: remember when it was called "the rapture of the deep"?