wavetrain75
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Hope this thread is ok here, tried it once before in a different part of the forum that was deemed incorrect.
I was conducting checkout dives for two students after they completed their pool sessions a few days earlier.
What happened: Second day of checkouts. The student in question was with the divemaster doing a very slow descent. The student was uneasy about the dive, saying that the night before he had dreams of drowning and did not sleep well. He wanted to do an orientation dive before doing any skills. I did not witness the event but I trust the divemaster completely (otherwise I wouldn't have paried them up). At 25' the divemaster said that the student's behavior matched nitrogen narcossis. The student said "It was like someone was giving me a drug and I had to just keep taking it." He said he was dizzy and disoriented. No injuries resulted. Computer indicated the minimum possible nitrogen loading at the end of the dive.
What happened the day before: First day he had been unable to complete the checkout dive after saying he was unable to breathe. Maximum depth was 11'. This was attributed to a heavy wetsuit and tight BCD. The BCD was the same one he had been using in the pool, but he did not use a wetsuit in the pool. A larger suit and BCD were used for the second day. He tried them on before the dive and said he no longer felt constricted.
The Diver: Male, ~50 years old, medical release for shoulder surgery 18 months ago. Active and in good health.
The Lake: Fresh water, 70*, 20' visibility, 3500' above sea level.
In the Pool: Did well with the skills in the pool class but never "settled in" to the water. At times said he felt claustrophobic, he would blame this on a fogged mask or the heavy humid air in the indoor pool. He would occasionally stop on the surface to rest. At no time do he want to abort the class. We moved to an outdoor pool and he said he felt much more comfortable and his behavior in the water was much more relaxed.
I sent him a general "how was the trip home" email after the class but we have not talked specifally about the dive since we left the lake. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this and what if anything can be done. I'd like to have some ideas for him the next time we get together.
I was conducting checkout dives for two students after they completed their pool sessions a few days earlier.
What happened: Second day of checkouts. The student in question was with the divemaster doing a very slow descent. The student was uneasy about the dive, saying that the night before he had dreams of drowning and did not sleep well. He wanted to do an orientation dive before doing any skills. I did not witness the event but I trust the divemaster completely (otherwise I wouldn't have paried them up). At 25' the divemaster said that the student's behavior matched nitrogen narcossis. The student said "It was like someone was giving me a drug and I had to just keep taking it." He said he was dizzy and disoriented. No injuries resulted. Computer indicated the minimum possible nitrogen loading at the end of the dive.
What happened the day before: First day he had been unable to complete the checkout dive after saying he was unable to breathe. Maximum depth was 11'. This was attributed to a heavy wetsuit and tight BCD. The BCD was the same one he had been using in the pool, but he did not use a wetsuit in the pool. A larger suit and BCD were used for the second day. He tried them on before the dive and said he no longer felt constricted.
The Diver: Male, ~50 years old, medical release for shoulder surgery 18 months ago. Active and in good health.
The Lake: Fresh water, 70*, 20' visibility, 3500' above sea level.
In the Pool: Did well with the skills in the pool class but never "settled in" to the water. At times said he felt claustrophobic, he would blame this on a fogged mask or the heavy humid air in the indoor pool. He would occasionally stop on the surface to rest. At no time do he want to abort the class. We moved to an outdoor pool and he said he felt much more comfortable and his behavior in the water was much more relaxed.
I sent him a general "how was the trip home" email after the class but we have not talked specifally about the dive since we left the lake. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this and what if anything can be done. I'd like to have some ideas for him the next time we get together.