PADI AOW - Narcosis Training?

[Bubblesong]

I had Nitrous oxide at the dentist a few times, and learned the narcosis gave me an aftertaste of oysters. so when I dove to 130 at Belize Blue hole, the aftertaste of oysters was my “wakeup” that I was narced, and Only then did I realize that it was not normal that I was listening to the bubbles singing. Up until the aftertaste “woke” me, i thought the bubbles singing was perfectly normal.
Not that I am recommending this, but land based narcosis experience is similar to Dentist Nitrous oxide, or the mis-use of Nitrous propelled whip cream in the high from “whippets”, which can really show you narced-stupid if you get a nose full of whipped cream. Not that I’d know...

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Here is a test you can do...
Dive to 30 feet and look at your computer. You should be able to look and understand what each number means. Current depth, maximum depth, NDL, time of day, temperature, and whatever other info is displayed. Now do the same at 130 feet. Can you look at your computer and understand the info easily like you did at 30 feet? Do you need to stare at a number and think about what it means. I remember going to 146 feet. I didn’t feel narked. Then I looked at my computer and all I could see was the NDL. Like I had tunnel vision. And I had to think - what does that mean

 

[DanielRJones]

Here is a test you can do...
Dive to 30 feet and look at your computer. You should be able to look and understand what each number means. Current depth, maximum depth, NDL, time of day, temperature, and whatever other info is displayed. Now do the same at 130 feet. Can you look at your computer and understand the info easily like you did at 30 feet? Do you need to stare at a number and think about what it means. I remember going to 146 feet. I didn’t feel narked. Then I looked at my computer and all I could see was the NDL. Like I had tunnel vision. And I had to think - what does that mean

40m doing a dive on air. Plan was 30mins bottom time. 2min descent 12mins to turn point so turn at 14mins
Forgot to turn on stopwatch on petrel so turned on the bottom. Swam out looking at comouter checking spg all good got to 11mins then saw a different number in the top of screen 14mins.
Lucky i signaled turned and headed back with no issues.
I had tunnel vision on the stopwatch section of computer that had been started 3mins into dive.
Now i dive at 35m air depth max

 

[lermontov]

the ability to react quickly or process information when in extremis is probably the most crucial down side of narcosis - having said that ive noticed for myself on deep air i really have to discipline myself to stick to a dive plan. The feeling of lets just stay a bit longer is hard to resist especially in warm tropical waters and good vis as im used to cold water and poor vis - gives one a sense of being a shallower dive than it really is

 

[soggybadger]

I had Nitrous oxide at the dentist a few times, and learned the narcosis gave me an aftertaste of oysters. so when I dove to 130 at Belize Blue hole, the aftertaste of oysters was my “wakeup” that I was narced, and Only then did I realize that it was not normal that I was listening to the bubbles singing. Up until the aftertaste “woke” me, i thought the bubbles singing was perfectly normal.
Not that I am recommending this, but land based narcosis experience is similar to Dentist Nitrous oxide, or the mis-use of Nitrous propelled whip cream in the high from “whippets”, which can really show you narced-stupid if you get a nose full of whipped cream. Not that I’d know...

Did you get a kind of glinking ringing sound? I have extensive experience with whippets and have wondered whether narcosis at depth is similar.

 

[Bubblesong]

Did you get a kind of glinking ringing sound? I have extensive experience with whippets and have wondered whether narcosis at depth is similar.

Maybe the ringing was the bubble noise i interpreted as singing, i am just glad my sense of self-preservation was still alive when I was narced; I flipped my fins and turned around to go up without any indecision at all.

 

[soggybadger]

Maybe the ringing was the bubble noise i interpreted as singing, i am just glad my sense of self-preservation was still alive when I was narced; I flipped my fins and turned around to go up without any indecision at all.

probably a good move . I have experienced the ringing in the ears a few times and tunnel vision. Not an unpleasant situation but that is probably where the danger arises from as you feel warm and fuzzy in the head. I have heard of dark narks but have only met one person who has had one and they stopped diving .

 

[kafkaland]

I have one symptom of narcosis that hasn't been mentioned, although it's not useful as a diagnostic during the dive: my short term memory is impaired. I don't remember much of the dive when I'm back on the boat. Yes, on a cold water dive to 130' on air I can recall that I swam along the wreck and checked out the bowsprit, but I won't be able to tell exactly what I saw there. No such problems at shallower depths. So I have concluded that, apart from all the safety concerns, a dive that I don't really remember is not worth doing, so I'm limiting myself to about 110' in cold water, until I can put some helium into the mix.

 

[Steve_C]

At 100 + ft I usually feel a need to focus otherwise I would drift off and forget about checking air etc. Pleasant light headedness. Once diving a ledge I had dove before, under good conditions, with frequent dive buddies, I got a feel of dread and discomfort. Other than being a bit gloomy due to the cloudy day there was no reason for it and I have dove in gloom many times before. Just wanted to turn back. Once I got to the anchor line and went up a few feet, the feeling left. My one dark narc experience. Maybe more a gloomy gray narc,

 

[northernone]

probably a good move . I have experienced the ringing in the ears a few times and tunnel vision. Not an unpleasant situation but that is probably where the danger arises from as you feel warm and fuzzy in the head. I have heard of dark narks but have only met one person who has had one and they stopped diving .

I've dark narced a few times. Once deep and twice shallow. Unsettling experience for sure. Took a few dozen dives off before returning to the same conditions and dove nicer/easier profiles.

The ringing, taste, tunnel vision. Those clear symptoms are the rarer ones I find.

Mostly as divers we get cow dumb and completely unaware exactly how dumb we are.... never ask a drunk if they are drunk... or how well they can sing when unable to stand...

Only way i know to demonstrate narced is when on a dive, switch from air to trimix for a few breaths and feel what "sobering up" feels like. Amazing all the details we miss.

...we can learn to be functional drunks. Narcosis management I do value and practice.

The AOW narc tests I've seen, to me, are worthless in accurately preparing a diver and I do not waste dive time with them.