Dizziness & panic!

[diver_girl]

Hi,just to clarify a few points, I was diving on normal air, and not nitrox. I was also descnding head first with my buddy when I started to go funny! I really don't think I was narked as i was on;y in about 7m when this occured. I HAD also closed my eyes to try and stop the dizziness - its from this point it goes a bit blank.

As to not diving i cold water, my four certification dives were done in water that was 10*C in a 6mm semi dry. I'm not sure why I've had these incidents but I want to sort it out so I can dive in britain. My dive buddy understands this and wants me to go back out with him. But am taking it one dive at a time right now, am diving next week in warm clear water, so should have more of an idea what I'm going to do after that.

There was a very valid point though, I AM very lucky to be here, if it wasn't for my buddies very quick thinking and cool reaction its very likely that I could have been another stat. I know that I can completely trust him, and he knows he can trust his rescue training!
However I point I would like to make, I won't be diving with just 1 other person for quite a while, until I feel confident that I can look after my buddy the same way he looked after me.

Wow, this seems like a huge post with not much in it - sorry guys!

 

[ScottNY]

What little I'm aware of regarding vertigo comes from the one time I felt disoriented in very low vis diving conditions, but as well, training and ongoing flight during what pilots call "instrument" or "Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)" conditions. (That is, in clouds, dark nights or otherwise with no external references for "what is up and down or anything else.") In those cases, you have to rely on instruments.

First: Different people have different natural propensities towards the potential for vertigo or disorientation/dizzyness. This depends on attributes of the vestibular system I'm not expert enough to comment on in detail. As well though, there are temporary conditions that can affect this as well as some diseases. So I'd suggest - as others essentially have - rule out organic/medical issues first.

Next: It's actually natural in the absence of a horizon and visual cues, and with movement - specifically of your head/vestibular system - to become disoriented. The brain has us wired for bipedal locomotion mostly on earth. I haven't checked, but I'd bet even the monkeys don't swing in low vis. We're not set up for things like odd movements in three dimensions, be they water or air. As a pilot, one aspect of instrument training is to ignore what may be Very Loud brain signals from your body and depend on instruments that show you what's what. Reaching down quickly for a dropped pencil in zero outside vis conditions can bring a bout or disorientation. So you learn not to make those kinds of movements. The same sort of momvents in SCUBA... checking a gauge, messing with a piece of equipment, in low vis may have a similar effect. So I'd suggest being more deliberately slow when performing such actions.

Lastly: Others have alluded to this... find a reference point to look at. Essentially, you're trying to figure out which way is up and orient appropriately. Just looking at particles in the water doesn't seem to quite cut it. Maybe leave a tiny bit of water in your mask. It will be at the bottom, essentially functioning as a bubble level. For that matter, use your own bubbles, use a compass that has a side window where you could see if it's level. All these things MAY help. (Of course, one could just choose not to dive in such low vis conditions. : )

All of my suggestions are not based on any serious medical knowledge of this as specific to SCUBA. But it strikes me that the analogies to flying seem essentially the same.

Scott

 

[ch0ppersrule]

i have vertigo and have to take antivert (which is dramamine) before diving and flying. It makes me disoreinted and dizzy also so the antivert helps tremendously. I am not saying that will help with your problems. Get medical advice.

 

[PenguinAdLitem]

I dive cold water (thus far, exclusively). Low viz is typical (I don't know if this is a common euphemism, but we often have "Braille diving conditions" up here). I haven't experienced what you have, but I have some basic coping mechanisms for these conditions that you may find helpful.

First, you mentioned that you weren't wearing a hood. If I were you, I would change that. Hood will help you acclimate to the water better - a sudden splash of cold water to the ears will likely make almost anyone feel a bit disoriented!

Second, some people swear by a quick dip before donning their hood and SCUBA and starting the dive. They get in the water without mask or hood and soak their head until the cold isn't a bother. The basic idea is to take the cold water out as a variable. I don't do this myself, and find the logic of it baffling, but maybe it'll help.

Next, when the viz is low in an open environment, it usually means there is lots of muck in the water. Lots of muck means plenty of visual references, as TS&M mentioned. Pick out some floating gunk, a few particles in particular, and really concentrate on them during your descent. Watch them "go up" as you go down. Then pick a few more and concentrate on them. With due respect to ScottNY, I can attest that particle matter in the water in low viz situations can provide very valuable visual cues.

Finally, I always descend either head up or (preferably) perfectly horizontal (parallel to the surface of the water). I generally rotate from vertical as soon as my head is below the surface, and do the rest of the descent that way. You mentioned that your descents were "head first." If that means head down, it seems as if it could contribute not just to your disorientation, but to your tendancy to flip around and end up on the bottom in an awkward position. You may find a head up descent to be easiest until you have your trim worked out in whatever cold-water gear you're using.

 

[Doc Harry]

What about the effect of cold water in the ear?

I remember reading about "cold caloric" tests of the brainstem and cranial nerves - instilling cold water in the ear canals to induce nystagmus. Could cold water in the ear canals induce vertigo?

Perhaps a neurologist could answer.

 

[TSandM]

Cold water in ONE ear can produce vertigo. If you get cold water in both at the same time, it won't.

 

[cfelliot]

I wanted to add my experiences with vertigo over the last week to this thread.

Last Saturday my wife and I did a shallow lake dive to help a friend with his mooring chain. The deepest we got was 20’. When we were exiting the dive we surfaced from this depth. At about 6’ I had a very quick period of dizziness that passed just a quickly once we were on the surface.

During the week I had some minor pain in my right ear to the point that I canceled our planned AOW dives on Friday and Saturday.

I used some alcohol in my ear during this time and the pain went away to the point that I felt perfectly normal.

I decided that I felt ok so we did a dive this morning. This was a 25’ shore dive in the ocean. We are practicing navigation so we surfaced at the end of the outbound leg.

At about 10’ I had a massive whack of vertigo. Again it dissipated seconds after reaching the surface and otherwise I was fine.

We came in a bit and continued the dive above 10’ in the shallows of the cove. I still feel fine.

I’m going to make an appointment with my ENT tomorrow AM, but I’d appreciate any info that I could pass along to her.

I have never been prone to motion sickness or vertigo in the past. My dive experience is limited – this was #28.

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[AJ Tudor]

Just sounds to me like vertigo, not a nice feeling and I relate being a fellow UK diver that our waters aren't always perfect. I tend to look at any visual reference I can, if there aren't any, I'll look for my buddy, I'm careful about ascending and descending without refernce points after I messed up once, but look at thgings like large pieces of suspended sediment for reference, it doesn't always work and can make you dizzy if you concentrate on them too long but it sometimes works fine.