Bad experience this AM

[The Iceni]

Jason Boltz once bubbled...
OK,

So a lot of people have been throwing out all these worried, anxious, notes about your having gone down to 100ft and "no wonder you had some problems." Well, the fact is, there is not that much difference in the way the weight of the water will feel to your body from 70 feet to 100 feet. [SNIP] As long as you look at your gauges and have plenty of air and aren't below 135ft just take a deep breath and realize nothing bad has happened. If you remain uncomfortable , and haven't been down long enough to require a deco stop, just rise slowly not to exceed the rate of your bubbles and stop at 15 feet. [SNIP].

Jason ut:

From - eMedicine Consumer Journal, August 1 2001, Volume 2, Number 8


"DISCUSSION

Breathing nitrogen under pressure has an intoxicating effect. Most divers will begin to experience symptoms at depths greater than 100 feet, but symptoms may occur in as little as 33 feet of depth. Use of compressed air deeper than 120 feet is not recommended for this reason.

Symptoms are reversed with ascent. Factors that increase the risk of narcosis include cold, rapid descent, anxiety, alcohol, sedatives, fatigue, and carbon dioxide excess.


SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Symptoms include light-headedness, inattention, difficulty concentrating, poor judgment, anxiety, decreased coordination, hallucinations, and coma. The condition can lead to death."

Uncle Pug,

I am yet to be convinced that Scott descibed the features of CO2 retention alone since

1) This was a one-off which mitigates against equipment failure.

2) In all likelihood he was hyperventilating due to the task loading and baseline anxiety, not hypoventilating, which would have been the prerequisiet for CO2 retention given he had perfectly functioning euipment.

3) The symptoms fit narcosis, while CO2 retention would have at least produced a headache on the surface AND the effects would not have worn off rapidly during the ascent as tampascott described.

4) narcosis is worsened by CO2 retention in any case.

Or have I missed something?

 

[Uncle Pug]

Dr Paul Thomas once bubbled...
Uncle Pug,

Or have I missed something?

I agree completely....

You must have crossed over from another thread where I was beating my drum about CO2

I think the only post I made here was to call this a classic *dark narc* ... which can be exacerbated by CO2 retention but also dark environment, cold, current and any other anxiety inducing elements.

There was a song about this:

"Paranoia strikes deep... into your heart it will creep...
Starts when your always afraid... step out of line the man come...
And take you away...."

Anyway... you and I usually sing the same song... in harmony... just sometimes I have my mike turned up too much

 

[Ana]

I'm late coming to this thread but I'll put my two cents anyway.

Reading that you felt comfortable doing your solo dives (right or wrong depending on the judge) is definetely a sign that you are basicaly comfortable in the water. Which is already more than many divers can honestly claim.

I would have to blame the cold fresh water, not because I have any scientific base, just because something very similar happened to me a year or two ago.

For non-working dives I like salt water; colorful reefs, a wreck, even a sand dive but with the salty stuff. One day I joined a couple of excellent friends for a trip to "the springs".

At 99' looking at the "Do not go farther" sign I got the darkest narc trip ever. This was the bottom of a cavern with a line that run all the way up to the very visible entrance. None of us stirred anything so the vis was good. I went to the line, looked at my gauges: and one of my personalities saw lots of bottom time left, plenty of gas, not even cold yet, what a shame I had to die that day, just when I was having a good time. Another personality was a very loud "you are going to die..die DIE... NOW" a third one yet, decided to call the attention of one of the guys with me and told him I'm NOT ok, he ask if I wanted to go up and I say yes as I proceeded to hold his arm and pretty much cut his blood circulation.
Very soon while going up, the screaming personality decided I wasn't going to die after all and dissapeared, I decided to keep going up to the surface just to make sure the "voice" really went away.

At the surface both of my buddies claimed I looked and moved very normal, the only unusual action was holding one of them to go up.

Soooo I'd say keep doing your dives in salt water in whatever fashion you feel comfortable. When is time to go to the fresh stuff keep a good friend by your side.

 

[Walter]

Ana darlin', I wasn't about to go into that cave, I promise.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

bottom line if it was little bit narc or cold water and darkness either way you did the right thing and should be very commended for that !!!!! job well done if more divers i have meet would listen to there common scense there might be fewer accidents