First dive to 30m and narked out of my wits

[iamasmith]

Hi,

I have just returned from a holiday in Greece where I booked to go on a couple of dives last Thursday then asked if there were any other opportunities to get any more diving in.

The instructor at the resort said that he was going out Wednesday with an O/W student but one of the other instructors could come along, buddy me and we could go for a dive which sounded fine.

I wasn't expecting a deep dive and have to say that I had a beer or two the night before. The instructor led me over a reef and kept descending and giving the OK sign which I responded OK to... finally we bottomed out on a sandy area past all the sea grass and he gave me the OK sign and suddenly I felt utter panic.

I rationalised that I was narked but it seemed like I had tunnel vision, I think there was a boat travelling overhead but the droning seemed like it was coming from inside my head and I was sure I was going to pass out... I even kept touching my reg thinking it was falling out

I kept centred and signalled that no, I wasn't OK, and he led me back up and the symptoms finally subsided but I have to say I was still a little disorientated about 15 mins later when we finally surfaced.

We had hit 30m almost exactly, his dive comp showed 30.2 and mine showed 29.5.

I did pass an Advanced O/W earlier this year but didn't quite hit 30m on the deep dive and now I'm wondering if this kind of experience was just hightened by possible dehydration or if these symptoms are likely to recur and be something that I'm going to have to adjust to and work with on deeper dives.

It has certainly put me off considering the Deep Rec course for a while and I think I'm going to set my depth alarm for 25m for now.

Incidentally I mentioned later that I had no idea that we were going to do a deep dive and the instructor said that he hadn't intended on going that deep... he just wanted to see what I was comfortable with >_>.

Thoughts folks?

-Andy

 

[eponym]

[ . . . ] now I'm wondering if this kind of experience was just heightened by possible dehydration or if these symptoms are likely to recur and be something that I'm going to have to adjust to and work with on deeper dives. [ . . . ] Thoughts folks?

Good post, Andy. Good detail.

Some other factors to consider:

Was it cold water? I remember Crete as being pretty cool water--haven't dived in Greece.
Were you kicking hard? Fighting a current?
How easy was your second-stage breathing?​

I ask because I found myself in similar straights once, in cold water (Canada) and having to work hard to keep up with a rocket-ship buddy. On the debrief (this was a decompression course) the instructor and I agreed that CO2 buildup, from over-exertion, was the probable cause of narcosis turning from pleasant to dark (at around 40m).

At significant depths (breathing really thick air) it's astonishingly easy to work harder than your system can deliver O2 and remove CO2.

-Bryan

 

[iamasmith]

Interesting questions, the water was 21 degrees C (69 F) so not so cold, had a 5mm full suit and felt pretty comfortable but yes, we did work against a bit of current to get around the edge of the island and I was chasing my buddy, probably working a little harder than I would naturally to keep up.

I have a Delta 4 and it breaths really easily.. I actually have it screwed down all the way generally and it's still comfortable to breathe. I'm working on improving my SAC rate but with a normal breath I can fill a balloon in one go so I have a huge natural breath and need to work on my gas use.

-Andy

 

[ltw123]

I'd stay away from this resort and this "instructor". If you're going to 30m, it should have been talked about before you got in the water. An instructor shouldn't be taking someone deep if they don't intend to do so and doing so just to see what you're comfortable with is completely inappropriate.

I'm glad that you were able to recognize that your weren't OK and that you were able to communicate that.

Some days you feel better than others. Ease the depth on a little at a time (under good conditions) and see how you feel. This may be the norm for you or maybe it just wasn't your day.

Either way, stay away from people that offer this kind of leadership. If you you're under someone else's leadership, ask what the dive plan is before you get in the water. It's much easier to express a concern and change it while you're still dry!

Stay safe!

 

[don Francisco]

For me as I go deeper, it can get hard to recognize the line between the effects of Nitrogen vs. the legitimate concerns of depth, air consumption, NDL, and general dive management of deeper dives. My only clearcut Narc experience occured in a cenote at 156'.

I'd been having difficult reading my digital gauges and when I finally checked my analog depth gauge, it read over 150'. "(Expletive deleted)!! What am I doing down here!!? I probably shouldn't have taken my camera (rated to 130')".

Sure enough when I looked at it, the lucite housing was half full of water which was sloshing back and forth inside. Fortunately, I'm kind of stoic about stuff like that, so I mentally wrote off my loss and slowly made my way back up to a more reasonable depth, and then continued the dive, ascended normally, and ended it with an extra long safety stop.

Once I was out of the water it was finally time to examine my ruined camera. Miracles of miracles it was dry and perfectly OK. Turns out I was worried about the camera and projected my fears into a full blown halucination. When I think back, I can still see the water sloshing in the housing clear as a bell.

My lesson; you might know when getting narced gets more likely, but you never know exactly when or how it'll hit. Good thing I wasn't worried about a giant squid at the time.

 

[iamasmith]

...
At significant depths (breathing really thick air) it's astonishingly easy to work harder than your system can deliver O2 and remove CO2.
-Bryan

Noted and filed , also I consider this a good gentle reminder that whatever I know in theory I also need to experience gently at first hand and gradually.

I have that kind of 'sticky brain' that all the theory of something really sinks in and possibly I come across sometimes as more experienced than I am... I understand well though that diving involves a lot of experiencing situations and understanding what your limitations are and this really can only be learned safely by going at it progressively gently.

And thanks, good point ltw123... I considered this was going to be a simple orientation/chill out dive given the circumstances. Last time that I'll make an assumption like that.

..and Don, that's plain spooky :O. I never had any experience quite like that under any circumstance (and I partied hard when I was younger ). Seriously, that sounds the scariest to me. Understandable and traditional warning signs that you can immediately sense that things aren't right are one thing. The thought of some full blown hallucination that takes over higher reasoning sounds really scary to me.

-Andy

 

[eponym]

I consider this a good gentle reminder that whatever I know in theory I also need to experience gently at first hand and gradually. [ . . . ] diving involves a lot of experiencing situations and understanding what your limitations are and this really can only be learned safely by going at it progressively gently.

Good conclusions.

And thanks, good point ltw123... I considered this was going to be a simple orientation/chill out dive given the circumstances. Last time that I'll make an assumption like that.

Outstanding. I stress to my students (beginning, advanced, whomever) that they will encounter divemasters who think they need to ramp it up to impress clients and earn big tips--and that it's up to them to say, "no thanks, I'd rather do something less extreme this dive."

-Bryan

 

[CamG]

Greetings iamasmith! Sounds like you had a interesting vacation. It seems a little odd that your dive leader did not brief you or at least ask about your diving experience. I would be very cautious diving with this Dive shop / Dive leader in the future!
Deep diving can be fun and safe when you are properly trained, comfortable, and have built up your experience level. I have just completed helping with a Deep Diver Specialty not a few hours ago.
The symptoms you have mentioned are normal to new divers not experienced with the effects of narcosis and or stress. That is why it is vital to train and progress to diving deeper a little at a time. It would not be a bad idea to study up on deep diving procedures, and or the effects / dangers associated with deep diving. There is a PADI specialty coarse that covers this material.
I am glad that you are ok and the dive ended well. For some it has not ended well, keep this in mind and seek more training / experience.
As for the tunnel vision you suffered it is called perceptual narrowing and can lead to many problems. I remember my first deep dive and I can remember the tunnel vision also. With training and experience your comfort level will increase as will your enjoyment of deeper dives. Just do not push it! Be patient and slowly increase your personal comfort level "depth". Always be conservative and dive with in your limits make sure your dive operators know and understand this.
Good luck and safe diving!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

 

[Louma]

Well, you made it back up, you've larned some "stuff". Who knows what happens when we get narked or bent, there are sooo many variables. Why don't you search S/B for "Trust me dives" and see what comes up.

 

[austriandiveress]

Hi Andy... I had a similar experience on one of my first dives to that depth: it was a nice sunny day in Croatia, but it was my first wreck dive and I was really rather scared. My descent was too fast, and I felt pretty severe tunnel vision/perceptual narrowing, as Cam says. I signaled my buddy that I needed to ascend a bit, which we did until I was feeling better. Since then I have had that feeling one other time at the same depth, but in the past few years it hasnt returned, even at depths more signifigant than this.
I have learned that its important for me to get plenty of sleep the night before a "deep dive", descend feet first and slowly, then everything is ok.
Of course this instructor should have been more careful to talk with you in detail. He is lucky that you kept your head and that you could communicate your discomfort effectively.
Judging from what I have learned here on SB, I do, however think that in Europe many divers are apt to dive deeper than their american counterparts. I am not in any way suggesting that this is the correct thing to do, nor do I find deep diving in any way a bigger/better "accomplishment" than dives at a shallower depth. (I have read many posts whch state that the more interesting marine life is in shallower depths, and I agree with this for the most part) But maybe this guy simply figured that you would let him know when you felt you had gone deep enough, who knows...
I'm glad that it turned out ok!
s