nitrogen narcosis stories
SeaDollars
OK so we have all heard of the scary stories that can happen to you as a
diver when you push the limits and dive at that unsafe level you weren't
supposed to be at anyway....my instructor shared a comical story about a
poor man who dove too deep in a freshwater lake and found himself swimming
for his life from a giant octopus. Although nothing this exciting has
happened to me yet during my four years of diving, I am interested in
other people's experiences with nitrogen narcosis. If you have
experienced this event, or you have heard an entertaining story about
someone who has...please contact me or post your response. Thank you and
watch out for the killer octopus.
Lee Bell
If you dive below about 90 feet, you've experienced narcosis. You may
not have been aware of the slight effects, but that doesn't mean they
weren't there. To test it, take about half a dozen different size bolts
with appropriate nuts. Record the time it takes to put them together to
a predetermined point on the surface, then try the same thing at around
100 feet. I think you'll be surprised at the difference.
Lee
Dave
Could rouse a response by this.... But I have never expereanced Narcosis
ever! However maybe I have never dove deep enough? Multiple dives to about
130' no effect of narcosis? Many have told me that below about 80+' you
could experiance it.
my wife likewise dives all the same dives with me... No Narcosis? how deep
do yo have to go before this may pose a potential problem???? What can
effect your suseptability to it??? (neat spelling problem... ay?) I have
talked to my instuctor and other dive trainers/ masters that have never
experianced this narcosis thing?????
Kent R. Frazier
When I did my deep dive for my Advanced Open Water cert. our instructor
had written a simple math problem on his slate for us to work. The
problem was something like ((2*5)+5)/3. Before the dive we were shown
the problem and all agreed the correct answer was 5. We were told that
when we reached the bottom (100 ft) he (the instructor) would pass the
slate to each student. We were to write our name and answer on the
slate. It was very interesting to see the different answers we all had
at the end of the dive. Some of the student even had problems spelling
their names.
--
Kent R. Frazier
PADI Divemaster DM-39230
FCC Amateur Radio License KD5AES
Jean Smith
I haven't done a lot of deep dives but I definitely narced on my first dive
over 80' but I didn't realize it until I was doing a safety stop. I was
diving with my computer which I had owned for years. At depth I remember
checking depth and air but the other features on the computer were totally
forgotten. Fortunately, all info was fine but I could have easily exceeded
the deco limits.
--
Jean
Remove XXX to email
Andrew L. Jenks
We had to do the same thing, kinda. Write your name and SS#
backwards at the surface and at 130. I was, um, 6 seconds faster w/
it at 130...
There's a moral here, someplace.
--Andrew
Kent R. Frazier (kfra...@nmsu.edu) wrote:
: When I did my deep dive for my Advanced Open Water cert. our instructor
H NED Huntzinger
Dave wrote:
>
> Could rouse a response by this.... But I have never expereanced Narcosis
Ever have a dive that right afterwords, you couldn't remember what you
did most of the time...just that it was a "nice" dive?
That's one symptom...
Keep in mind that there's a few different kinds of Narc's and the
symptoms can vary widely.
-hh
Andrew Drapp
Lee Bell (lee...@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: If you dive below about 90 feet, you've experienced narcosis. You may
I never believed this test. To many variables. Instead, I would recomend
this modified form of this "test". Take two tasks, as noted above. Do one
at the "deep" depth of whatever (100feet is probably fine). The difference
comes from where the control is done. I would say do the other test first
at say 10-20feet.
Personally, I feel that doing one on the surface, not in the water or scuba
gear and the other in the water and in scuba makes a big enough difference that
the time difference will have nothing to do with narcosis.
Furthermore, if the task is simple enough, the fact that you have done it
once may make the second time around quicker.
Way back when I did my AOW class, my "narced" time was significantly faster
than my ssurface time. YMMV.
Andrew
and...@cet.co.jp.i.hate.spam
Jason Rogers
Andrew L. Jenks (gt2...@acmex.gatech.edu) wrote:
: We had to do the same thing, kinda. Write your name and SS#
: backwards at the surface and at 130. I was, um, 6 seconds faster w/
: it at 130...
: There's a moral here, someplace.
Well the moral is complex. Tests like this often get results like
this. It seems that inert gas narcosis interferes with your
ability to do multitasking. In a simple problem like the one
you describe, you forget about everything but the problem, and
without distractions, generally can do better.
Where you fall down is when you have several things to do at the
same time. The more narced, the less you can do at once and you
end up just doing one thing. A practical example is where a
diver is told they must monitor their pressure gauge more often
than normal, because of the greater depth, and then they spend
the whole dive staring at the gauge and nothing else. They're
doing what they're told very well, but...
The best story of this effect in an experienced diver, that
I've heard, is told by Rich Pyle.
He describes the lack of multitasking ability while deep on air,
and someone asked for an example. Rich described diving at 360ft
where he was so limited, he could swim, or breathe, but not both
at the same time...
Cheers Jason =:)
Joey R.
A better comparison is to record the time it takes to put them together
just below the surface and the time at depth.
Simply performing the task underwater, without any effects of nitrogen
narcosis, will take longer than on the surface.
Lee Bell <lee...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in article
<339393...@ix.netcom.com>...
> If you dive below about 90 feet, you've experienced narcosis. You may
> not have been aware of the slight effects, but that doesn't mean they
> weren't there. To test it, take about half a dozen different size bolts
> with appropriate nuts. Record the time it takes to put them together to
> a predetermined point on the surface, then try the same thing at around
> 100 feet. I think you'll be surprised at the difference.
>
> Lee
>
Setel
once i was diving in the keys and my buddy got "narked" he decided to give
his regulator to a fish luckily he decided to take my octopus (he had
given his away) we started up towards the surface
Msc225
here is my favorite story in this regard: when I got my advanced ccard;
they had me go to 90 feet and do a simple math problem on a slate while
being timed; then they had me repeat the problem on the slate at the
surface; the theory being that it would take more time when narked.
Imagine the instructor's surprise when it took half the time underwater!
I concluded that I was so narked that I lost my normal math anxiety.....
WaleHug
How deep were you and where were you at?
Marcel Cossais
Wale,
Depth is not the only factor.
Diving in Cuba, I very often went to 40-50 meters down chimneys. I got
narced twice. Both times, I suffered the same symptoms: Accute anxiety,
excessive difficulty to breathe. Once, I was in about 30 meters, the second
time, I was at around 35 meters. I went up some 20 feet or so, and I was
all right. Fine, you will say, it's around 100 feet anyway. However, I must
have dove 200 times at these depths, without any problem.
I'm afraid that feeling giggly, irresponsible, passing your second stage to
a fish is minor compared to other possibilities, one of which is simply
passing out. I've seen a lot of stupidity about narcosis, including diving
deep to see one's tolerance to it. The fact is simple. You do not want to
be hit * because you don't know what will be its effects on you *. Giddy is
one thing. Passing out is another, especially in over 100 feet.
Marcel
_____________________________________
Marcel Cossais
MC Communication
mcos...@synapse.net
http://www.synapse.net/~mcossais/welcome.htm
WaleHug <wal...@aol.com> wrote in article
<19970626214...@ladder02.news.aol.com>...
Charles L. Ehlers
Excessive difficulty breathing at depth sounds like a regulator problem,
not nitrogen narcosis.
Marcel Cossais <mcos...@synapse.net> wrote in article
<01bc82f9$6959ed60$0e34...@mcossais.synapse.net>...
Kuty
>Marcel Cossais <mcos...@synapse.net> wrote in article
><01bc82f9$6959ed60$0e34...@mcossais.synapse.net>...
>> narced twice. Both times, I suffered the same symptoms: Accute anxiety,
>> excessive difficulty to breathe. Once, I was in about 30 meters, the
>>second time, I was at around 35 meters.
"Charles L. Ehlers" <JoeReyr...@edtec.com> wrote:
>Excessive difficulty breathing at depth sounds like a regulator problem,
>not nitrogen narcosis.
No Charles. Excessive difficulty breathing at depth, combined with
accute anxiety, + the fact that you don't have any problems
breathing from the same regulator the next deep dive, without tuning
it, is a very common sign of nitrogen narcosis.
Regards,
Kuty
Mike Gray
Charles L. Ehlers wrote:
>
> Excessive difficulty breathing at depth sounds like a regulator problem,
> not nitrogen narcosis.
>
breathing.
regards
m