250 on air rick?
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
Walter:There are superficial similarities. While there are additional problems, I usually think of narcosis as lowering one's IQ. The deeper you go, the stupider you are.
Cheekymonkey:250 on air rick?
rookers:I would disagree, I have been extremely drunk and severely narc'd and they are different beasts. I would also point out that I have extensive experience with other intoxicants long ago, so perhaps having a broader experiential range allows me to comment a bit more. Personally I find narcosis at shallower depths 110->150ft to be a bit like a cross between nitrious oxide and any number of opiate derivatives. At deeper depths (150-180ft) it becomes more like a cross between nitrious oxide and maybe methaqualone, though without some of the more severe effects of either. I have very limited experience at the deeper depths (150-180) and don't intend to have further experience on air, so my observations are suspect (as are all narc'd observations).
If one has only alcohol to compare it with, I could see someone saying 'yep, just like alcohol'. I would suggest that others carry on further experimentation.
lamont:yeah, going through about 70-80 fsw on air is more like coming up on a psychedelic than having a drink or two. the first effect is that your short term memory drops out, then you start thinking strange thoughts (either the giggly narcosis kind or the cold dark paranoid narc kind). this is a common experience of 'coming up' on a psychedelic when the first effects start to be felt. if it was like alcohol you'd get that fuzzy head feeling first along with losing inhibitions and coordination and getting the anxiolytic effect of ethanol. its not the same thing. at greater depths the similarities in gross impairment of motor function and IQ probably make it seem more like alcohol, but the mental effects are still more like N2O.
not that i have any idea of what i'm talking about from personal experience though...
That's what I get, if anything. It'll vary between divers, and between dives with the same diver - but I really don't feel much. The fact that I don't worries me some, so I remind myself to work on being careful - which is not at all my style.....if it was like alcohol you'd get that fuzzy head feeling first along with losing inhibitions....
MarkMarshall:The tip off at 200 was when my watch bezel started spinning an throwing sparks off. The good news was that the fish still liked me...of course I felt he same about them. And I knew I had nothing to worry about.