fookisan:
The other day the viz was very poor, sandy, silty and I felt like I was in a white out. During this dive I had hard time telling up from down and felt very dizzy. Is this common in such low viz dives? If so, what is the best remedy.
Thanks,
Dan
It's not unusual ... and the previous response about bubbles was excellent advice.
Some other things to consider doing ...
- Signal your buddy right away that you're having a problem.
- If it's a silt-out, rise up a few feet and see if you can get above it.
- If it's general visibility, look for a stationary object you can focus on ... such as a rock or piling ... to get your bearings. If necessary, place a hand on the stationary object to establish a physical reference (at a time like this, not accidentally ascending is the paramount consideration). Focus on the stationary object ... not the background ... since surge, current, or backscatter can play visual tricks with your frame of reference and make it seem like the stationary object is moving.
- Stay stationary till the vertigo passes, then decide whether to continue or end the dive.
If the vertigo doesn't go away within a couple of minutes, thumb the dive and ascend as slowly and carefully as you can. In this case, stay close to your buddy, and definitely pay attention to your bubbles ... they may be the only visual reference you can count on.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
