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DEEP SEA

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Why is it that when I dive in warm tropical waters, I can go deep and not feel the effects of Nitrogen Narcosis too much? But, when I dive in cold water :cold:, N2 starts hitting me hard shortly after going past 120 feet? Is it just me?
 
Deep Sea,
Perhaps it has something to do with less equipement constrictions. In cold water you wear thicker, tighter fitting wetsuits and even big clunky drysuits that increase drag and reduce mobility. Since you have to work harder to over-compensate you retain more Nitrogen, quicker. I've submitted an interesting article to King Neptune, that should be up for viewing soon on the Scuba Source front page.

Of course on the flip side of the coin, you are generally wearing less gear in calm blue, clear waters. Perhaps even relaxed a bit more, and therefore not breathing as hard at depth. With a slower ingassing rate of Nitrogen into your lipid tissues, you feel the effects later than you would in colder waters.

My $0.02, I'm looking forward to hearing other responses here.
 
I dive the Gulf and for most of the year it is warm. When the water cools off I have the same problem. It was 52 deg. the last time I dove. Anyway I was told that as my core temp. drops the chances of narcosis increases. Just my 2 cents.
 
It is weird stuff. One time I was filming and felt a little funny. When I looked at my gauge, I was at 165'. I told the two people I was filming we should go up (Stuart Cove, Nassau Bahamas - warm). Felt fine and got lots of good footage.

On the other hand I made a dive on a crashed plane off of Oceanside California. It was at 139' - cold. I spent the first 20 minutes trying to focus my camera. When my dive partner came over and told me it was time to go up, I was still sitting on the wing messing with my camera! I shot nothing and I would have bet we were only down 5 minutes :confused:.
 
I dove a wreck off the California Coast, right on the edge of La Jolla Submarine Canyon. It's an 18ft bayliner sitting in 142 ft of water with all of her gear intact. My buddy was my roommate, who begged me to to see it. Well I took him down to it, but at 120 he was a space cadet. He was staring at his gauges and seemed to be very occupied with them... Upon the completion of the dive he admitted to not seeing, or not even slightly remembering the wreck we were on! LOL!
 
I would wager a bet that you are feeling the effects of Nitrogen Narcosis anytime you descend below about 80ft. You just aren't aware of it. I have only been truly aware of the effects one time during a dive and that was on a dive this new years eve. I was having problems and ascended to 60ft to clear my head. After I realized what was happening, I corrected the problem, with a little help from my buddy (thanks Walter) and descended to depth.

DSSW,

Dennis
 
I would suggest that the task loading in cold water is greater. Warm water, light equipment, good visibility. you will be narked, but it will be less obvious to you as you are not actually having to *think*.

Now, in the darker colder water, you have different equipment, (Dry suit?) darker water, with much poorer vis. At this point you actually have to start thinking about things that you didn't in clear tropical water. The more you think, the more you realise you can't think. The more you realise you can't think the more narked you *feel*.

Narcosis is how your brain experiences what is going on around you under the influence of nitrogen. Don't have to do much thinking, and you don't *feel* as narked, even though you are.

Next time you are down in clear tropical water get your buddy to give you a set of tables and a problem to work out. Time how long it takes. Something that will take you 30 seconds on the surface will take 2 - 3 mins at depth (30m -99ft is good enough), even thought you don't realise it is taking that long. Repeat in cold murkey water at same depth. - The times should be the roughly the same, as you have the same ammount of nitrogen in your body.

Just .02

Jon T
 
Readers:
It is my feeling that it is probably not physiological. "Task loading" is a good example of a psychological alternative. :confused:

Dr Deco


For those with a special interest, here is the next scheduled Decompression Physiology course. http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm
 

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