This is most relevant to those using oxygen enriched air (Nitrox)
A more detailed account of this is at:
After several hundred dives in the Port Huron region of the St. Clair River (one of North America's most intense navigable waterways ... current under the Blue Water Bridge can exceed 10 knots), we were looking for something a bit more challenging (thrilling). We decided to do a "fly" (never touch the bottom) under the Blue Water Bridge starting from the mouth of the St Clair river to our favorite exit spot, the (now non-accessible) Bramble dock. Since we knew the current would be intense and this dive would require major physical exertion, we chose to do the dive using an oxygen enriched air breathing gas (NOAA I or 32 % oxygen). Our thinking was the added oxygen would facilitate the anticipated extreme aerobic exertion of the dive.
Our plan was to enter above the mouth of the St. Clair River, drop down into the main channel (~60 ffw) and then to be rapidly hurled downstream. After 12 minutes, we would move to a posture at right angles to the current and vigorously swim until we reached a bottom contour. Then, we would use our "river sticks" (see
River diving lecture slides that illustrate our specialized river diving equipment) to facilitate moving towards the exit point.
At 12 minutes, we went to right angles to the current and started swimming. Shortly after doing this, I felt enormously tired ... more tired than I have ever been underwater. This surprised (and concerned) me 'cause I considered myself to be in excellent physical condition (At this time, I was doing an hour a day of high-impact aerobics from national champion aerobic instructors at a studio known for its intense workouts. I was even a token male on their aerobics exercise TV program). The experienced fatigue was extreme. Once reaching the river bottom, we stopped several times with our "river sticks" embedded in the river bottom to hold position while we caught our breath. We reached our exit point (after covering a total of ~1.5 miles (2.4 km) ) in 14 minutes. 1.5 miles in 26 minutes means our average downstream speed was ~ 3.5 miles/hour ( 5.6 km/hr, 3.03 knots.)
I did not understand why we both had felt so fatigued (air starved) on the dive.
A few years later, I ran across an article in Undersea Biomed Research where the Israeli military reported that the slightly increased density of oxygen enriched air exacerbated CO2 retention. We then repeated this dive on compressed air and did not experience the sensation of massive air starvation associated with our earlier dives. So, I now believe that the extreme fatigue we both experienced was a result of unanticipated CO2 retention.
We thought we were being clever in using an oxygen enriched air mix, but it turns out that our cleverness worked against us on that particular dive.
The points Emphasized:
1. A little (insufficient) knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
2. In diving, as in life, it is the unknown that can pose a significant risk
3. Divers doing physical tasks on oxygen enriched air (Nitrox) should pay particular attention to symptoms of CO2 build-up.
4. No matter how much is known, there is always more to learn.