Nitrogen Narcosis: What It Is and How It Affects You - Maluku Diving

[DevonDiver]

No one said they "Don't" get narc'd... It's at what depth does it start to show and how it effects the person....

The problem is (and this is what many fail to appreciate) that the 'noticeable' signs and symptoms of narcosis are just the tip of the iceberg.

The truly debilitating effect is that you just don't mentally process as much information. What you see with your eyes, doesn't reach your brain. Your mind doesn't see the connections it should, doesn't see solutions it'd normally see.

This effect is rarely 'noticeable' - the individual will be ignorant and unaware of their Impairment.

I've seen very narc'd divers who were oblivious to it...and would deny it absolutely afterwards. I've seen divers mystified at silly mistakes they've made at depth, but still adamant they weren't narc'd.

Everyone keeps believing that if they don't feel 'drunk' or 'high', then they're not narc'd. It's a dangerous misunderstanding to have.

 

[RainPilot]

When I was still with NAUI one of the elective dives on the Master Scuba Diver course was a chamber dive. We used to take the students down to 50m and then bring them back up on a deco schedule. What was always funny and enlightening was that they would start to display drunk behaviour ( as per Pete, the stuff we can't see underwater) from about 100' and on, by 120' it was quite pronounced.

Afterwards EVERY single diver would categorically state that they were surprised that they "didn't get narced "

Showing them the video of them giggling like drunk school kids from 40m up to about 20m was the best part of the whole course.

 

[The Chairman]

Afterwards EVERY single diver would categorically state that they were surprised that they "didn't get narced "

At one end of the extreme is the diver who goes catatonic with depth. I had this happen on a wreck near Miami. I wish I could remember the name, because I really want to do it now. He and I had no business on that wreck and it had an appreciable cant to it, like 20 degrees fore to aft. We hit about 110 and he stopped moving. No kicking at all, but he started a slow tumble down the deck. He was actually on his back, breathing, and sliding down the deck. I was freaked and thought he had died or something. I swam quickly to him, grabbed him and started to ascend... AWAY from any downlines. Yikes. I barely grabbed one as we were being quickly whisked off of the wreck. He 'came to' at about 70 ft (if I remember right) and looked surprised. We continued our ascent with no probs, did our safety and got back on the dive boat. His first words were: "That was fantastic!" I was flabbergasted at this and asked if he remembered passing out? He claimed he was lucid the whole dive, was never narced and certainly didn't remember being upside down. Wow. Well, one of us was really narced! I asked him how deep he thought we went and he said about a hundred or so. The 140 on his PDC startled him. Time and spacial distortions at depth are funny after the fact, if no one gets hurt. IF no one gets hurt.

 

[oldschoolto]

So you were a little narc'd and your buddy was so narc'd he was unable to save his own life... Am I understanding that right? Both diving the same gas and at the same depth, But not effected the same ? Is that right ?

Jim.....

 

[Storker]

You're still on the "people react differently" tune. Fine and dandy. Still most - if not all - divers are impaired to some degree as they approach and/or pass 30m/100'. It's not a matter of stupid or not stupid, it's just a matter of how stupid. And how unfamiliar the situation is. Moderately stupid and in a familiar situation isn't particularly dangerous, just as most people are able to keep the car on the road with a BAC of .08-.1 percent. The problem is when a situation that requires complex problem solving abilities, or in the case of driving drunk, quick reflexes, arises.

 

[oldschoolto]

Because people do... To say that a person can't think right after 100' or 130' is bull.. If that was the case, All us old divers that were doing deep air dives inside wrecks would be Dead... You think I never have a problem at 170' inside a wreck taking out the stainless steel drive shafts ? You think John Chatterton never had a problem inside the Doria at 220' on air...

Your case doesn't hold water... Deep diving air effects people differently.. That's all I'm saying..

Jim...

 

[Storker]

I see your Chatterton, and raise you two Rouses and one Fargues.

IOW, IMO your argument about who survived complex deep air dives suffers from some serious cherry-picking.

 

[oldschoolto]

Ok, So now they are diving tri-mix and still dieing in wrecks and caves deep... You are blaming Air as the cause of the accident's and saying if they were on tri-mix they would be alive.. I don't think we have the facts to say that..

Don't get me wrong.. I'm not saying that you "SHOULD" be diving deep on air.. I'm saying "SOME" people can dive deep on AIR.. There is not some hard and fast depth that you must never pass.. People are effected differently...

Jim..

 

[wedivebc]

I can't believe these arguments still go on. Deep air diving is far more dangerous than deep mixed gas diving. Lots of statistics to bear that out. Sure we've all done stupid stuff and survived but lots didn't.

 

[Storker]

You are blaming Air as the cause of the accident's and saying if they were on tri-mix they would be alive..

I am? Huh. Thanks for telling me what I think.