Fear Of Narcosis

[Nemrod]

I am a grown up and I do not have to ask what an instructor said and "my instructor" is long gone and buried so I will have a hard time asking him his current opinion on rapture of the deep. My opinion is it is not an issue at any depth I have dived during my lifetime and I do not worry over it one little bitsy bit.

N

 

[TMHeimer]

Don't understand the poll really. My many instructors over the years and currently never said anything. PADI manuals say 100' is the norm. I'm one of those who can't recall problems at 130'. I don't understand why any instructor would say you are seriously affected by narcosis at said depth when it is common knowledge that everyone is affected differently, there are many factors, and the same person can be affected one day and not the next.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I voted 30M but I was warned it could happen even shallower depending on the person and conditions. There was no fear mongering involved tho. I did a chamber dive to 30 and 50 M wanting to find out what I was like when narced. I learned more that way in a safe setting than in my in water courses. I wasn't really effected till closer to 40M. It is nice to know how you are effected... esp important for your buddy to know how you are effected as well. I know I get tunnel vision so it is not a good idea for me to consider taking pictures below about 30M as a safety precaution. So far there hasn't been anything worth breaking that self imposed rule for

 

[Storker]

Re. the poll: what Tigerman said.

I've noticed mild impairment - about one pint of beer's worth - at ~25m/80ft and always try to take the narcosis into consideration whenever I'm approaching or exceeding that depth.

 

[Subcooled]

We were told to be aware of narcosis somewhere after 30m. We were also told the maximum diving depth (56m) caused by oxygen partial pressure. And then we were certified to dive to 18m.

The complexity of the narcosis phenomenon makes explaining it accurately very time consuming. In dive business time is money.

Cold stress and light hypothermia also cause narcosis, as do fear, hunger, trouble at work, immersion, ... I do feel a slight mental impairment at least at 27-29 meters depth. A certain slowness in awareness and response and a kind of relaxation as compared to the better awareness at shallow depth (and especially warm water abroad). Dexterity is also slightly affected. At 40 m narcosis causes a noticeable mental and sensory impairment and "stiffer fingers", and everything becomes much harder to do. Adding the effects of low visibility and darkness and a general lack of visual references into this can sometimes result in 'interesting' sensations. Visual or balance. Deeper diving than that becomes very unpleasant. I have experienced, and documented, how higher logic fails at these depths. And how issues thought to be resolved, are not. How awareness of time may sometimes be hard to maintain. It is no longer enjoyable.

Explaining things like these in full detail, and then aswering questions, takes a lot of time. Hours, possibly. It is more cost efficient to say that after 30m/100ft there is narcosis. Period. It may also be better from a liability standpoint. Not everybody can be an amateur instructor.

 

[NAM001]

We covered it in the 60's but i dont recall just how much. Its there and its a drink every 50 ft adn should be prevelant at 3 drinks or 150.
I know from experience that after a while at 100 i have taken pics and when looking at them on the boat i found all sorts of things i did not recall seeing when i snapped the shutter. Other times my recall is ok,,,,,,,,,,, i think... its a good self test method anyway.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I advise the divers I work with ( mostly advanced open water divers) to be aware of narcosis and how to recognize and deal with it. As we discuss deep dives (over 60 feet) I tell them that narcosis can manifest at any time, and be aware fro 60 feet onward. I am one of those who have never been narc'ed, but have observed others, including my wife, to have experienced symptoms at 75 feet or deeper. Revise you poll and you will get more responses, because you options are too limited and for many of us, it's "none of the above."
DivemasterDennis

 

[Adventure-Ocean]

I dove deep most of my diving life. I routinely felt the narcosis and enjoyed it. Adventure-Ocean

 

[rivers]

I remember being taught to be aware of narcosis on deeper dives during my OW course, and had to assemble a PVC pipe square during my AOW. I vaguely recall it taking a few extra seconds at depth as opposed to on the surface.
Some days, I feel more narced than others. It depends on the conditions. If there is quite a bit of ambient light, it's not that bad. I know it's there, but it's manageable. If the vis is crap or it's dark, it's more noticeable and harder to control. There was one day I took off chasing a jellyfish, when I should have been shining my torch on my buddy's DSMB during deployment. Very much looking forward to getting a bit of He into my twins.

 

[TMHeimer]

Can't recall what any instructor has said about narcosis, just that the manual(s) said 100' seems to be a depth that affects a lot of people. Can't recall ever being narced, even at 130'. But we all know that you have to be at least a little slower when you are deep.