Breathing trouble at 80'?

[ignivomous]

Hey all,

I'm a new diver, just completed my advanced open water today, but had a near miss during the deep dive that has the instructors and I baffled.

This morning, the instructor, another student, and myself set out for a 100' deep dive. We made our way down to depth and swam around a bit, wrote our names in the silt on a platform and then started swimming to an 80' platform towards the end of the dive. When we got there, it started feeling like the air my second stage was delivering had gotten a lot colder and I started to have trouble breathing the colder air. I got my instructor's attention, and by then it felt like my regulator had started to free-flow, so I went to grab my alternate. My primary wasn't free-flowing though, and even switching to our emergency pony bottle didn't help. It felt like I was "breathing water" in with every breath. I made an emergency ascent, stopping at 15' for an unbearable 3 minutes with the feeling of "breathing liquid" / drowning.

I wasn't working hard / exerting myself, nor was I showing any narcosis symptoms, and while the water was chilly (about 40 degrees, in a 7mm suit) it wasn't terrible. I'm not prone to anxiety, and certainly wasn't stressed or uncomfortable down there until I had gone a minute or so without a good breath.

I'm a firefighter paramedic, and not estranged to out-of-air exercises. This was very different, it felt like the air transfer in my lungs was bringing water in and out with it. I've had a wet cough all day since, and made one short dive about half an hour after the incident to 30' with no issues.

Has anyone had students with this before, or experienced it themselves? I would feel a lot more comfortable diving at depth if I knew what I did to cause this and how I can avoid it in the future.

Thanks for any help or tips ya'll can give me!

-EDIT-

I forgot to mention that I don't have any relevant medical history, I'm 21 years old, and this was my 9th dive (second dive below 60').

Also, I do not believe this is equipment failure. I know that I must have done something wrong, just trying to figure out what it was.

 

[flots am]

It's possible that you had Immersion Pulmonary Edema, although it's rare:

DAN Divers Alert Network : Immersion Pulmonary Edema

Actually breathing water is really unlikely since it occurred with both your main tank and pony bottle.

Other than that, I'm out of wild-assed guesses.

flots.

 

[Basscat]

Possibly narcosis manifested as "wet breathing", and it stuck in your head? If you were really "breathing liquid" all that time, I should think you would be way sick. I'm certainly no expert, just thinking out loud....

 

[Doubler]

I agree with the possible IPE. I have a question, if you felt you were breathing liquid with every breath why the three minute stop? If you had no decamp obligation, the stop in this case was actually a dangerous undertaking. There is a story I read some where about an IPE where the guy almost died. Drowning from the inside out is a definite reason to forgo a "suggested" safety stop.

 

[Doubler]

"I have had a wet cough all day since."Please go to the doctor.....NOW!

 

[ignivomous]

Day two, I still have the cough, sore throat now. Starting to wonder if maybe I had a muscle spasm in my throat or something from the cold water.

It's possible that you had Immersion Pulmonary Edema, although it's rare:

DAN Divers Alert Network : Immersion Pulmonary Edema

Actually breathing water is really unlikely since it occurred with both your main tank and pony bottle.

Other than that, I'm out of wild-assed guesses.

flots.

Very interesting read! There were definitely some similarities in the article to what I experienced, but rather than a simple shortness of breath, I felt a distinct aspiration. The article also mentions that IPE "usually occurs after only a few minutes in the water at a shallow depth", and I haven't coughed up any frothy sputum. I could have still experienced it, but it might have been something else.

Possibly narcosis manifested as "wet breathing", and it stuck in your head? If you were really "breathing liquid" all that time, I should think you would be way sick. I'm certainly no expert, just thinking out loud....

I highly doubt that I was really breathing in water, but something made my body believe that it was, and made made my lungs lose tidal volume. Is "wet breathing" a possible manifestation of narcosis? Would it have been relieved after ascending above deep depths?

I agree with the possible IPE. I have a question, if you felt you were breathing liquid with every breath why the three minute stop? If you had no decamp obligation, the stop in this case was actually a dangerous undertaking. There is a story I read some where about an IPE where the guy almost died. Drowning from the inside out is a definite reason to forgo a "suggested" safety stop.

I followed a guideline up hand over hand trying to fight the overwhelming desire to surface as quickly as possible from that depth. The other student and instructor held on to my BCD at the safety stop so I wouldn't surface. I don't think they understood what was really going on, and just thought I was experiencing anxiety. If I could've skipped the stop, I most definitely would have.

"I have had a wet cough all day since."Please go to the doctor.....NOW!

Yeah, the cough has persisted overnight. I still cough any time I take deep breaths so I might go get it checked out. I doubt my primary doc knows anything about diving injuries, is there a divers recommended list?

 

[flots am]

Yeah, the cough has persisted overnight. I still cough any time I take deep breaths so I might go get it checked out. I doubt my primary doc knows anything about diving injuries, is there a divers recommended list?

There are a number of SCUBA related injuries that could cause the cough, however I don't know anything that would cause an actual sensation of "wet breathing" except water or other contaminant in the tank or a damaged/improperly-assembled second stage.

If you still have either or both tanks, hold a dry, clean, white cloth over the tank valve, then open the valve for a couple of seconds and see if the cloth is wet. Then invert the tank and try again. If you have anything but a clean, dry, cloth when you get done, your tank is contaminated.

Water or oil contamination in tanks is possible, although it's really unlikely you have it in both tanks unless you had them both filled at the same time or place.

You can call Diver's Alert Network for a referral to a diving doc in your area, and I would recommend doing so.

While you don't need DAN insurance to call for a recommendation, I won't even get into the water without it, and it's cheap (about the same cost as a 2 tank boat dive)

If you get injured on a dive, especially outside the country, evacuation and treatment can cost you every penny you have, and without it, you're stuck trying to argue with the chamber operator, or see if your credit card will honour a thousands-of-dollars charge.

flots.

 

[ignivomous]

There are a number of SCUBA related injuries that could cause the cough, however I don't know anything that would cause an actual sensation of "wet breathing" except water or other contaminant in the tank or a damaged/improperly-assembled second stage.

If you still have either or both tanks, hold a dry, clean, white cloth over the tank valve, then open the valve for a couple of seconds and see if the cloth is wet. Then invert the tank and try again. If you have anything but a clean, dry, cloth when you get done, your tank is contaminated.

Water or oil contamination in tanks is possible, although it's really unlikely you have it in both tanks unless you had them both filled at the same time or place.

You can call Diver's Alert Network for a referral to a diving doc in your area, and I would recommend doing so.

While you don't need DAN insurance to call for a recommendation, I won't even get into the water without it, and it's cheap (about the same cost as a 2 tank boat dive)

If you get injured on a dive, especially outside the country, evacuation and treatment can cost you every penny you have, and without it, you're stuck trying to argue with the chamber operator, or see if your credit card will honour a thousands-of-dollars charge.

flots.

Thank you, unfortunately I don't have the rental tanks anymore, but I may get a DAN referral this afternoon. Thank you for your help guys!

 

[aaronburcham]

I'll echo Doubler: "Please go to the doctor.....NOW!"

 

[WSOPFAN]

I'll echo Doubler: "Please go to the doctor.....NOW!"

No kidding doctor now.......