CO2 retention, Overexertion, and Panic

[Lopez116]

Sounds like a CO2 narc from overexertion/hyperventilation. I had one in Ginnie once just after getting cave certified. It was back near the keyhole. Fairly close to the entrance in the grand scheme of things, not nearly close enough when something like this happens. It happened the exact same way too. I had a more experienced buddy who was moving pretty quickly, but I hadn't quite figured out how to avoid the flow, so I was working my ass off to keep up. I got the exact same sensation you wrote about. Feeling like you can't get enough to breathe, desperately wanting the reg out of your mouth, etc... I felt that same sense of panic and doom set in. If I'd been in open water, I would've immediately headed for the surface. It was that bad. I was pretty close to full on panic. Not exactly proud to admit that, but it happened. But I remembered reading something about CO2 narc and overexertion at depth, specifically in the cave environment. The only thing you can do is stop moving and focus completely on restoring a normal breathing pattern. So I signaled my buddy and gave him the stop signal. In reality, we only sat there for about 2 minutes (I checked the dive log). In my head, it felt like about 20. It took pretty much all of my willpower to convince my brain that I wasn't dying and I needed to calm down. Once it cleared up, I thumbed the dive. We talked about it on the surface, figured out what had happened, waited for my killer headache to clear up a bit, and I took the lead on the next dive to set pacing and avoid overexertion. Since then, I've learned to monitor my workload much closer and maintain a pace that isn't strenuous. A bit of helium doesn't hurt either. It shook me up for a bit, but I found that going back after a couple weeks and doing a few dives focused purely on pacing and monitoring effort level did a lot to rebuild my confidence.

When you say, “it took all my willpower...”, that’s exactly right. I remember it being such a mental struggle to convince myself to stay down and keep that reg in.

 

[EireDiver606]

Well done for keeping your cool. It sounds like you ran a marathon underwater. Normally we train for those on the surface

 

[dlofting]

Despite it being a bad situation for you, it sounds like you did everything right, so you can take that as something positive.

I'm in good shape for my age and have no problems with aerobic exercise on land. That said I hate the feeling of not being able to get enough air so I avoid any intense exertion while diving, if at all possible. I know it's probably psychological but just want to play it safe.

 

[Scubamat]

I let my fitness slip for a long time and had a requirement to pass a fitness test. I pushed my self way too hard and did find myself having the only panick attack of my life. Looking back I remember the feelings leading up to it. This experience on dry gas helped me recognise these symptoms when pushing myself a little too hard while diving so I can slow down before it becomes a problem. Introspection like this will help in the lead up next time.

 

[ajduplessis]

It was an important experience and one that will serve you well in the future. Understanding how panic sets in and how disabling it is to make the correct decision is priceless.

You really only learn when you make mistakes or experience real problems while diving. Uneventful dives teaches you nothing...

 

[CLoP]

You really only learn when you make mistakes or experience real problems while diving. Uneventful dives teaches you nothing...

An instructor at my LDS mentioned this too. I asked him what makes a scuba diver "good" and he his answer was the ability to problem solve. Hmmm...maybe I need to push it or be less careful next time. Most of my scuba dives have been uneventful.

 

[ajduplessis]

Sure, go ahead. You seem to have everything figured out already.

 

[Billy Northrup]

Great job on self rescue!

Take a peak on Chatterton's website, he has a good read/links on CO2 hits