Nitrogen narcosis

[100days-a-year]

So denial is a symptom of narcosis too ? Pretty sure I had it before I started diving

 

[tursiops]

The narc test, once a requirement for PADI AOW, was removed years ago because of the opposite phenomenon. In far too many cases (the majority for me, in fact), the student did better at depth than on the surface. It was thus delivering the message that narcosis was no big deal. Part of the problem, too, was that the maximum depth for the AOW deep dive was 100 feet, so the student was barely getting into narcosis range. The dive could even be done at 61 feet.

In my experience people did better at depth because they had just practiced the test at the surface.

 

[Kay Dee]

It cannot be stated clearly or often enough that some people are more impaired @ .79 pN2 than others are @ 3.95 pN2 and that it is even more subjective and variable than decompression theory.
I assume everyone is impaired to some degree but that most folks are fully capable of pulling off dives to rec limits.

While I agree with your first sentence I would have to respectfully disagree with your second, particularly or precisely the words "most folks are fully capable..........". If I am to understand the rec limits as 40m / 130ft then I would say that most experienced divers would / should be, but not necessarily your twenty odd dives a year diver, and there are a lot of those.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I always start feeling VERY anxious at depth around 35m, and my perception of time become weird, no matter the environmental conditions and my tasks.

When I have a task to do, although I manage to focus on it, I tend to lose situational awareness (or at least, this is how I feel... maybe it's just the anxiety).

That said, I still can manage those dives. But, frankly speaking, I do not like them.

No reason to go to that depth then. What are these tasks? Are they necessary? If not, just quit doing dives to that depth. You're wasting your dive enjoyment so what's the point.

 

[Centrals]

Midlands Dive Chamber Decompression Dry Dive with Nitrogen Narcosis Experience - Scuba Diving UK

Enjoy.

 

[ginti]

No reason to go to that depth then. What are these tasks? Are they necessary? If not, just quit doing dives to that depth. You're wasting your dive enjoyment so what's the point.

Any task, literally. Even a look to the spg if I have drygloves with thick undergarments.

Anyway, I totally agree with you, and since I got a trimix card I avoid these dives as much as I can. Without trimix, I usually stop at around 30m; if possible I go with nitrox.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Any task, literally. Even a look to the spg if I have drygloves with thick undergarments.

Anyway, I totally agree with you, and since I got a trimix card I avoid these dives as much as I can. Without trimix, I usually stop at around 30m; if possible I go with nitrox.

I can't see nitrox helping you.

 

[grf88]

Could not have said it better myself, and especially relevant is the "breathing part"!

On another note, and make of it what you will, this from a 'test' Tom Mount and some associates performed back in tbe 80's with new divers from, IIRC, a unniversity dive club / courses in Miami. They used two separate groupings over a period of time and set them test to do during the dive/s. They found in the cases where the instructor told the group they would get severly narced at 30m / 100ft, the majority did and on the whole pergormed the test poorly. Of the other group that was told there would be some effect from narcossis but as long as they were aware of such they could ' handle' it, the majority did 'handle' it, and the majority could perform the tasks set. However, in the end, the standout best 'performer' was a person from the first group, so again goes to show one shoe does not fit all.

So a take-away from all that is never overlook the power of suggestion, especially those divers that are just repeating ancedotes of what they have heard, or expect will happen to them, at depth. But dont get me wrong, narcosis cerainly does exist, and has proven a killer, but if you read some of the preceeding posts, and the above quote, you should realise that there were plenty of exceptions to the 'rule'.

But if I had my choice between air and gas (trimix), well it would be gas every time of course

Oh, and to the videographer I 'offended' a few pages back, your are right, there is more to shooting u/w video than just press and play. I, personally, just found it less demanding than u/w still photgraphy is all.

This article includes a bit more information on the Mount-Milner Test:
Nitrogen Narcosis: A Critical Conversation - DIVER magazine

 

[ginti]

I can't see nitrox helping you.

You're right, it was off-topic, sorry

Nitrox does not help with narcosis... I use it to help with deco-related issues (bottom-time within ndl, time between dives, etc.)

 

[tursiops]

You're right, it was off-topic, sorry

Nitrox does not help with narcosis... I use it to help with deco-related issues (bottom-time within ndl, time between dives, etc.)

LOL. In a way, Nitrox DOES help with narcosis: it gives you more BT so that helps with thinking slower.