Student got Narced at 25' - cause?
- Thread starter wavetrain75
- Start date
Please register or login
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
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
- Messages
- 22,171
- Reaction score
- 2,790
- # of dives
- 5000 - ∞
What's the old saying: "It's a poor workman who blames his tools."?
Dsix36
Contributor
- Messages
- 1,657
- Reaction score
- 1,405
I have always been a good swimmer and felt very comfortable in the water. When I finally decided to get certified to dive, I had similar issues in the pool. My problem was very simple but it caused me to have the feeling of suffocation and not being able to get enough air. I had to stand up and take the regulator out of my mouth on more than a couple of occasions to catch my breath. I was determined and just forced myself back underwater time and time again until I was OK with it.
Turns out that I was too relaxed underwater and I would breathe very slow and shallow. I still have to work on this from time to time as I will almost forget to breath sometimes.
CO2 retention can be a bitch and can really make you feel narced or paniced.
Turns out that I was too relaxed underwater and I would breathe very slow and shallow. I still have to work on this from time to time as I will almost forget to breath sometimes.
CO2 retention can be a bitch and can really make you feel narced or paniced.
BUGBAGGER
Contributor
- Messages
- 108
- Reaction score
- 48
Wavetrain
I understand the issue with many Physician's not having enough knowledge about diving medicine and clearing people that have conditions which are absolutely contraindicated for SCUBA. This is a problem in more than just your area.
However, I was not recommending that your student just talk to a doctor. I was recommending that you might want to talk with your student about the dangers of hidden or undiagnosed medical conditions and encourage him to have a complete physical examination particularly if he has not had a physical in quite some time. You will have to judge whether or not you think the door is open for you to have this discussion or even if it is necessary based on other results of your discussion with him.
As for being too complex with something simple as one writer felt, perhaps that writer has not had experience with ALL of the scenarios that I relayed and more. I have seen dive students experiencing the symptoms described turn out to be each of the situations I described and many more far too often. Sometimes what seemed simple had a combination of causes.
All too often students have come in to the dive shops where I have worked still suffering from symptoms that were not followed up on. Sometimes the student didn't disclose the full extent of their symptoms and sometimes the instructor told them they were just anxious and would get over it with more experience. Some instructors would make their students feel inadequate if they admitted to problems.
Divers that I had personal contact with that were not cautioned to get additional medical evaluation based on almost identical symptoms included a diver who in addition to his anxiety had 3 arteries with 90% blockage at the age of 51 with no other previous symptoms, a diver that had a ruptured ear drum though he had not experienced the typical searing pain on the dive, a diver that through forceful equalization on a dive apparently dislodged calcium crystals in the ear causing them to shift and develop into severe vertigo on land that would come and go unpredictably but severely, a diver who had undiagnosed uncontrolled diabetes which the doctor said might have lead to his death if not diagnosed before his plan to continue diving, etc. Just a few examples from many that have been seen.
I agree that if you see hoof prints you should think horses...but horses come in many colors and sometimes have riders.
adeu.
I understand the issue with many Physician's not having enough knowledge about diving medicine and clearing people that have conditions which are absolutely contraindicated for SCUBA. This is a problem in more than just your area.
However, I was not recommending that your student just talk to a doctor. I was recommending that you might want to talk with your student about the dangers of hidden or undiagnosed medical conditions and encourage him to have a complete physical examination particularly if he has not had a physical in quite some time. You will have to judge whether or not you think the door is open for you to have this discussion or even if it is necessary based on other results of your discussion with him.
As for being too complex with something simple as one writer felt, perhaps that writer has not had experience with ALL of the scenarios that I relayed and more. I have seen dive students experiencing the symptoms described turn out to be each of the situations I described and many more far too often. Sometimes what seemed simple had a combination of causes.
All too often students have come in to the dive shops where I have worked still suffering from symptoms that were not followed up on. Sometimes the student didn't disclose the full extent of their symptoms and sometimes the instructor told them they were just anxious and would get over it with more experience. Some instructors would make their students feel inadequate if they admitted to problems.
Divers that I had personal contact with that were not cautioned to get additional medical evaluation based on almost identical symptoms included a diver who in addition to his anxiety had 3 arteries with 90% blockage at the age of 51 with no other previous symptoms, a diver that had a ruptured ear drum though he had not experienced the typical searing pain on the dive, a diver that through forceful equalization on a dive apparently dislodged calcium crystals in the ear causing them to shift and develop into severe vertigo on land that would come and go unpredictably but severely, a diver who had undiagnosed uncontrolled diabetes which the doctor said might have lead to his death if not diagnosed before his plan to continue diving, etc. Just a few examples from many that have been seen.
I agree that if you see hoof prints you should think horses...but horses come in many colors and sometimes have riders.
adeu.
Last edited:
Mike
Contributor
Maybe save his life and tell him you can see a lot of fish snorkeling? Is it just beyond possibility to consider that sometimes you won't be able to sell everybody that walks into your shop? I mean why set this poor bastard up to die?
Anxiety, nerves, adrenaline and quite possibly CO2 retention.
Certainly not narcosis. Its standard nervous diver in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar equipment panicing.
Certainly not narcosis. Its standard nervous diver in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar equipment panicing.
Scuba-dan
Contributor
I'm a new diver and just enjoying it. My only problem that I had was the mask removal. I could half flood it or even full flood no issues. I was able to do it and last the 30 seconds, but somehow my breathing was in section not a smooth flow. Anyhow I still practice it everytime I go diving, when the dive is finish I take off the mask. One thing I think PADI should change is the advance courses. I think there should be a minimum of maybe 20 dives before someone could go for that certification. Some of the students that were in our class barely have any dives like 6-7 and they are already going for the advance. I'm in no rush, as I'm just enjoying it and gaining some experience and confidence.
That plus a panic attack - adrenaline overload.
- Messages
- 964
- Reaction score
- 163
Similar threads
