Tumbler31
Registered
URGENT
Hello friends! I had an issue last week that I could use some advice on. I apologize for the lack of brevity, but I suppose the details are important. It’s also import to tell you that I’m writing this because I’m scheduled to fly from the USA to Europe on Thursday and am wondering if I could have a serious problem with nowhere to land.
Background - I’m 53/m in very good health all the way around, nitrox/master diver certified with 150+ dives over the past 6 years, plus many more when I was younger before I took a 25 year hiatus.
I had a 2 tank nitrox dive scheduled last Thursday. 1st dive was max 83’ wreck with kind of a strong current. I got through 1/2 my tank (1700 lbs. left) in 16 min or so and signaled to the DM. All seemed normal, although I did feel a little “off” during the entire dive, but fine beforehand. 5 min later I checked my gauge and had 500 lbs., no idea how. I showed the DM, and we were close to the mooring buoy line, so I started up. Normally, I’m VERY calm and cool at all times, and as embarrassing as this is to write, I felt a wave of panic set in and ascended more rapidly than I should have, but stopped at my safety stop, where another one of the DMs let me buddy breathe with him. I didn’t shoot to the surface, but I went hand over hand up for about 25’ not in panic mode but faster than I should have, until I slowed down to my safety stop, where I did 5 min. I still had 15 min NDL before I began ascending.
Back on the boat, I felt kind of crappy. In hindsight, I definitely should have skipped the second dive (especially bc we only did a 30 min surface interval, but I guess that is a topic for another post), but it was a relatively shallow dive, max 45’ with only 4 min below 30’, so I did it and ended with a 5 min safety stop.
Back on the boat, I still felt crummy, slightly nauseous but not debilitating. The only residual effect was a mild headache the next day.
I had some private dives set up Saturday and Sunday. First dive I got down to 81’, was self-assessing and felt normal, but after 5 min or so my heart began racing and and I started getting lightheaded, so I signaled the DM and we ascended in a slow, controlled fashion. I believe if I had continued the dive, lightheadedness could easily have become dizziness and disorientation and panic. I did a safety stop and felt better once I was on the boat but decided to cancel my dives for the rest of the weekend.
So I’m wondering what could have caused the residual effects 2 days later (assuming that’s what it was). I was well rested and don’t drink alcohol or smoke. I spoke with DAN and a few other local professionals, and they all feel strongly that it wasn’t DCS.
As I said above, I’m scheduled to travel to Europe on Thursday, and hopefully do some diving. But now I have concerns that something happened to me on that first dive that could cause me to have a life-threatening problem with nowhere for an emergency landing (Philly to Madrid). Philly is my connection, so I suppose if I were to have any problems, they would show up on the flight there, right?
Thanks!
Hello friends! I had an issue last week that I could use some advice on. I apologize for the lack of brevity, but I suppose the details are important. It’s also import to tell you that I’m writing this because I’m scheduled to fly from the USA to Europe on Thursday and am wondering if I could have a serious problem with nowhere to land.
Background - I’m 53/m in very good health all the way around, nitrox/master diver certified with 150+ dives over the past 6 years, plus many more when I was younger before I took a 25 year hiatus.
I had a 2 tank nitrox dive scheduled last Thursday. 1st dive was max 83’ wreck with kind of a strong current. I got through 1/2 my tank (1700 lbs. left) in 16 min or so and signaled to the DM. All seemed normal, although I did feel a little “off” during the entire dive, but fine beforehand. 5 min later I checked my gauge and had 500 lbs., no idea how. I showed the DM, and we were close to the mooring buoy line, so I started up. Normally, I’m VERY calm and cool at all times, and as embarrassing as this is to write, I felt a wave of panic set in and ascended more rapidly than I should have, but stopped at my safety stop, where another one of the DMs let me buddy breathe with him. I didn’t shoot to the surface, but I went hand over hand up for about 25’ not in panic mode but faster than I should have, until I slowed down to my safety stop, where I did 5 min. I still had 15 min NDL before I began ascending.
Back on the boat, I felt kind of crappy. In hindsight, I definitely should have skipped the second dive (especially bc we only did a 30 min surface interval, but I guess that is a topic for another post), but it was a relatively shallow dive, max 45’ with only 4 min below 30’, so I did it and ended with a 5 min safety stop.
Back on the boat, I still felt crummy, slightly nauseous but not debilitating. The only residual effect was a mild headache the next day.
I had some private dives set up Saturday and Sunday. First dive I got down to 81’, was self-assessing and felt normal, but after 5 min or so my heart began racing and and I started getting lightheaded, so I signaled the DM and we ascended in a slow, controlled fashion. I believe if I had continued the dive, lightheadedness could easily have become dizziness and disorientation and panic. I did a safety stop and felt better once I was on the boat but decided to cancel my dives for the rest of the weekend.
So I’m wondering what could have caused the residual effects 2 days later (assuming that’s what it was). I was well rested and don’t drink alcohol or smoke. I spoke with DAN and a few other local professionals, and they all feel strongly that it wasn’t DCS.
As I said above, I’m scheduled to travel to Europe on Thursday, and hopefully do some diving. But now I have concerns that something happened to me on that first dive that could cause me to have a life-threatening problem with nowhere for an emergency landing (Philly to Madrid). Philly is my connection, so I suppose if I were to have any problems, they would show up on the flight there, right?
Thanks!
