How did you know you were narked?

[RandomGuy1]

So another thread made me start wondering about unique symptoms that people might attribute to being narked. I know in "Shadow Divers" one of the divers talks about the crabs talking to him. Personally the only thing I have felt was the typical slight buzz. Hoping to hear from some other divers about that moment when they realized they were really narked. Should make for some interesting stories.

 

[tbone1004]

I feel it coming on the same way that alcohol comes on. If you are self aware, you should be able to tell when it is coming on. The intensity will be about the same as when you are drunk. I get dark narc'd unfortunately, so I get the sense of impending doom and can feel myself slowing down. Very much different than the euphoric narc's. Maybe the dark narc allows me to sense it come on faster and is a good thing for my diving safety, but it's distinctly unpleasant

 

[Storker]

As I've said on other occasions, my first and most typical symptom is that I become stupid. My thinking flows like cold molasses. I'm quite fine doing stuff I've done a hundred times before and that aren't too demanding, but if I'm in a new situation which requires rational thought rather than acting on learned reflexes, I get the "deer in the headlights" reaction. What's scary about that is that it's a gradual process; the decline has to be pretty severe (or I have to be in a situation for which I haven't trained much) before I notice. That's why I prefer to stay within rather conservative depth limits.

Never wanted to donate gas to a fish swimming by, never heard, felt or smelled anything out of the usual, never felt "tipsy". I have, though, had irrational feelings of anxiety. On occasions, enough to bring me pretty close to freaking out.

 

[Nirvana]

I have never felt some clear symptom of narcosis. However, it is usual that when I get to about 30m, I start feeling my head a little bit different.

The only experience I've had where I can with some certainty point to narcosis as a cause to a problem is when I did a dive to 55m on air. I felt I lost much of dexterity on the bottom, having trouble clipping my SPG to the d-ring, for example.

 

[northernone]

I have three kinds.

1. Just progressively slower mental processing (photography exposure calculations and lighting position gets more difficult to handle) reduced ability to handle taskloading and slower response times.
2. Symptomatic, tasting metal, narrowing vision, body uncoordinated, difficulty functioning.
3. co2 buildup.... darc narced. Feeling of dread, shortness of breath, irrational fears.

I've had symptoms in cold, high flow, low viz (0 viz) in as shallow as 50ft and been as mentally clear as the surface (math tests and logic problems on wetnotes) at 180ft on air in good viz, comfortable warm conditions.

Deeper (unspecified on the public forum) I only have experienced narcosis along with the possibility of oxygen toxicity as of yet so symptoms may be combined and their severity and my awareness of them is different day to day.

Feeling narced, thinking your narced and being narced are 3 very different things occasionally. Handle with care.

Dive safe.
Cameron

Ps. One story when I realized I was really narced. Turned my dive at the planning time, began ascent, swam up a long time while taking pictures, checked my depth, I had gone up 15 feet and I could not longer remember when I began my slow ascent nor had a written it down. Pulled myself together and ended my dive with an extra 45 minutes at 15ft on top of my plan. Post dive, my dive computer logged I had only been an extra minute at depth and my camera data confirmed it so that 'long swim up' was only moments though I'd swear it was 10 minutes thinking back on the dive.

 

[hammet]

I started liking the Grateful Dead again.

 

[Bubblesong]

So I conciously noticed the taste of oysters after I did not think there was anything unusual in that the bubbles were singing a happy song. Since I had had nitrous Oxide at dentists, I long knew that this wierd taste change comes on as soon as I started breathing the stuff. at the time I was narced, I was at the blue hole in Belize and I am really glad I had an alternative signal to my own judgement to get my attention.

 

[sea_ledford]

I also get a dark narc. I tend to get paranoid, especially when leading other divers, and I will check their air about every minute. Idea fixation is the most insidious of the symptoms I get, as it starts off as a goal to accomplish (look for a particular fish, try to get to a particular spot, etc) that was potentially part of the dive plan. But if you are fixated on it, you'll keep trying to accomplish that goal regardless of other circumstances like leaving buddies behind, going into unplanned deco, not checking air, or if you are like me all three at once!

That was a fun dive.

Things I notice on every dive is the sound of bubbles changes. At about 120 they sound like breaking glass, by 160 they boom, at 180 they boom and echo.

-Chris

 

[RandomGuy1]

So I conciously noticed the taste of oysters after I did not think there was anything unusual in that the bubbles were singing a happy song. Since I had had nitrous Oxide at dentists, I long knew that this wierd taste change comes on as soon as I started breathing the stuff. at the time I was narced, I was at the blue hole in Belize and I am really glad I had an alternative signal to my own judgement to get my attention.

I think it was seeing your taste of oysters in another post that made me post this question. I had never heard of that before. I had heard a few mentions of people having a metalic taste in there mouth though.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

My most obvious symptom is checking my gas, then a few seconds later realizing that I don't remember what my gauge said. Could just be old age though ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)