Trying to figure something out

I recently did an Adventure dive as part of my AOW and we reached depth at 96 feet off of Molokini, and I'm trying to figure out if I got narc'd at all...I don't think so but I want to be sure.

I have never been narc'd (that I know of) in the past, though that was by far my deepest dive to date.

I didn't get a nervous or panic feeling nor did I feel like I just finished of a tasty daiquiri.

I've read and listened to what others have explained about their experiences but I'm just not sure...

Any thoughts?

I'd say you experienced narcosis, just weren't aware of it. I'll let others debate the best way to test for it though.

I'll quote from the PADI Deep Diver manual to give you an idea of what I mean: "narcosis is a physiological phenomenon, it is variable depending upon the individual, and upon physical condition .... most divers begin to find the effects of narcosis noticeable at approximately 30 meters/100 feet .... Narcosis itself is harmless. The hazard is that a strongly affected diver might act inappropriately, such as fail to monitor depth and time."

We had 6 people on our AOW deep dive to 100ft. At the surface we played a quick timed game. numbers 1-30? were scrambled in squares (a large tic-tac-toe type grid painted on a board). We had to point out the numbers in proper order.

At 100 ft we played the game again. Only one person scored the same. My time was cut in half, and the whole experience seemed aweful funny (especially since I couldn't even find some of the numbers) - needless to say I was narked. Based on the varied scores I would have to conclude that all of us but one were impared by narcosis --- and that different people are affected by narcosis at different depths.

It was a very educational experience--perhaps the best in my AOW class! And one I highly recommend!


I have heard body mass, fitness, etc. play a role but will leave that discussion to those of you who know more.

In my AOW class, we used a combination lock. We were timed to open it sitting at a picnic table, and again at 104FSW. All 3 of us in the class were within 3 seconds at depth as we were sitting at the table.

Jmarsland:

Any thoughts?

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I think it's a given that you were impaired. Your experience, was a neutral one neither dark or euphoric.

Pete

I notice narcosis most when I'm trying to read & comprehend something. I was once at 100 ft. & trying to read a sign. I recognized it was a sign, I could see the letters & knew they were letters, but I could not put the letters together to form comprehensible words for a couple of minutes. My buddy kept flooding his mask laughing at me (at least I could be of some entertainment value ). I had the same problem during my Adv. Nitrox class. When the instructor would hold out the little slates dictating what simulated problems we were having, I would have to stare at the card for a few moments before I would b able to understand them. For me narcosis usually manifests itself as a sort of "mental static", like when your car radio is getting out of range of a radio station. It doesn't always happen that way, though. I can do 3 identical dives in a day & on one dive be a little narc'd, on the next dive be narc'd out of my skull & then on the last dive, not feel it at all. It's very strange how it affects me.

cajunfla:

In my AOW class, we used a combination lock. We were timed to open it sitting at a picnic table, and again at 104FSW. All 3 of us in the class were within 3 seconds at depth as we were sitting at the table.

Click to expand...

The funny thing about narcosis imparement is that, like being "buzzed" you may not be aware of it... or how it's affecting you...

When I went through AOW we did the 'add a column of numbers' thing. So... the instructor hands me the slate on the surface... sez' "GO"... I add em' up... she checks to make sure I got the right answer... checked the time... life is good.

... so we dive to 85 feet... it's dark... it's COLD... (Octobers in a quarry can be that way)... we're using lights... she hands me the slate. Now... I'm prepped for this... I know what's what... I focus...

Zip... zip... zip... numbers added... time clicked... WOW... added the column up in LESS time than I did on the surface. Instructor checks to make sure I got the right answer... nods... gives me the "OK" signal... I'm feelin' very proud of myself...

... get to the surface... we're laughing about 'reverse narcosis'... then I look at the slate and realize that the answer was wrong... not by much... but wrong... and we BOTH missed it...

... that's narcosis for ya'...

Yeah, the effect of narcosis is real. Still, the do-it-at-the-picnic-table and then do-it-at-depth thing is kind of a parlor trick. I mean, the only real comparison would be to do the test in 30' of dark water and then in 100'. Sitting at the picnic table will give most people better results than at any depth, where you are also focusing on trim, buoyancy, position in the water, etc. Just being in the underwater environment on scuba will slow down the thinking process.

cajunfla:

In my AOW class, we used a combination lock. We were timed to open it sitting at a picnic table, and again at 104FSW. All 3 of us in the class were within 3 seconds at depth as we were sitting at the table.

Click to expand...

Pretty much demonstrates why lots of narcosis tests are pointless. The human brain has a massive ability to adapt to repeated tasks. The second time you perform a task it'll be a lot quicker than the first, the third will generally be better than the second and so on. Hence "practice makes perfect"

Quite often with things like number games, combination locks and so on this fact alone masks any possible slowdown due to narcosis.