First time getting narced...Yipes!

[bamamedic]

First off, I'm a fairly new diver, with about 23 dives...because none of my close friends dive, I usually find buddies on Scubaboard, which generally turns out OK. Unfortunately, this means I'm usually diving with new-to-me diving buddies on a rather frequent basis.

I arranged to meet up with a couple of Scubaboardians (also fairly new divers) at the semi-local quarry. I'm diving with a BP/W and long hose with bungeed backup for the first time in open water. I knew that the Scubaboardians I was diving with wanted to make a fairly deep dive, and since I've been down to about 80 feet or so before, I felt it would be no problem.

All is well, until I hit 99 feet. I realized that there was once heck of a lot of water above my head...and I started to get a bit anxious. I looked for my buddies and realized that they were quite a ways ahead of me...about 20-30 feet or so. I started to get more anxious, and checked my SPG...2,000psi. I checked my computer...95 feet. I've dealt with anxiety before, and I concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths, and tried not to focus on how deep I was. Still not helping...I felt even more anxious, and for the first time ever in my diving career, I was considering bolting to the surface. Now, that thought made me realize that I needed to ascend before I started to panic, so I started making a gradual, controlled, slow ascent to the surface. I signaled to my buddies with my handy can light...(couldn't remember the signal for "this sucks, I'm getting out of here!" so I just waved it around until they looked back).

Around 75-80 feet, all anxiety completely disappeared! Then it hit me...I was narced...duh. We continued the dive for about 10 more minutes, and one of my buddies thumbed it due to being at 500psi.

This was a big learning experience for me. This was the first difficult thing I've ever had to deal with underwater, and I'm really proud I didn't panic or lose control of the situation.

On the plus side, I love my new gear setup!

Anyways, I feel I learned a lot from my experience...and I'm glad it ended the way it did...'cause I completely realize it could have ended quite differently.

 

[BGF]

wll done on realizing the situation, realizing you could bolt topside, and most of all keeping calm and knowing NOT to bolt. I'm also pretty much a noob (35 dives but loving my BP/W) so I completely relate to the uncertainty of new gear and insta buddies in new locations. Like you did, I have had to make a mental effort to think through the situation, stay calm, and make decisive actions to not freak out. I have yet to thumb a dive, but have had a couple where I got disorientated, cold, and needed to stop finning and chill out on the bottom for a few to clear my head. I have always been able to get myself centered and move on, but those moments really make you think. I love this sport, but man it sure can be mentally and physically draining. Good luck, and keep diving.

 

[EMT Scuba]

I've done over 100 dives and didn't get narced til recently. I was on air and down to 130 feet (looking at a dead moray) all of a sudden I felt really...well like I had 1 1/2 martinis! At first I thought... hey this is cool, then realized what was happening and slowly ascended, all was well.

For someone with 20+ dives I think you learned a VERY VALUABLE lesson! It pays to keep your cool and THINK about the situation. then act. Too many new divers will just bolt for surface.

Keep up the diving! and stay safe

 

[nereas]

I remember many years ago my first narcosis experience. It was on air, of course, in those days, there was nothing else, at 130 fsw. I was fortunate to have a hard bottom beneath me, and I sank onto my knees and marvelled at how beautiful the sea stars all looked, even at this depth, with the sun fairly straight overhead at late morning of the day. I really was not concerned about anything else except the beauty of the sea stars, totally relaxed and at peace with the universe, so unlike me. After my buddies swam away, one of them came back to me, and made hand signals which meant nothing at all to me. Finally, he signalled up, and he had to do it several times, before I agreed to leave the paradise of sea stars on the shining white sandy sea floor.

I recall the old 2 martini rule, that every 100 fsw equals 2 martinis. I think however on that day I was closer to 3 or 4 martinis.

Since then, I have always made it a point either to keep my depth shallower than 100 fsw or else to use trimix. That would be a good rule for you too.

 

[irishsquid]

..this means I'm usually diving with new-to-me diving buddies on a rather frequent basis.

All is well, until I hit 99 feet... I checked my computer...95 feet. I've dealt with anxiety before, and I concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths, and tried not to focus on how deep I was. Still not helping...I felt even more anxious, and for the first time ever in my diving career, I was considering bolting to the surface. Now, that thought made me realize that I needed to ascend before I started to panic, so I started making a gradual, controlled, slow ascent to the surface. I signaled to my buddies with my handy can light...(couldn't remember the signal for "this sucks, I'm getting out of here!" so I just waved it around until they looked back).

Around 75-80 feet, all anxiety completely disappeared! Then it hit me...I was narced...duh. We continued the dive for about 10 more minutes, and one of my buddies thumbed it due to being at 500psi.

This was a big learning experience for me. This was the first difficult thing I've ever had to deal with underwater, and I'm really proud I didn't panic or lose control of the situation.

On the plus side, I love my new gear setup!

Anyways, I feel I learned a lot from my experience...and I'm glad it ended the way it did...'cause I completely realize it could have ended quite differently.

Glad everything came out well. Way to keep your head about you. I emphasised one item of your post. Was the buddy still at 99ft. when he thumbed the dive with only 500psi?

 

[TSandM]

"Dark narcs" are no fun. I had two very similar experiences, with high anxiety, except I also had delusions . . . I became convinced I was beginning an uncontrolled ascent at 100 feet, and dumped EVERYTHING out of suit and wing, and whomped into the silt at the bottom. Another time, I became certain that my regulator was malfunctioning and I wasn't getting enough air. As a result of those experiences, my hard deck is 100 fsw, and I don't go down there very often. And I've taken a class in recreational helium use for those rare times when I really want to go down to 100 feet and stay there a while.

 

[Rick Inman]

Doesn't happen to me anymore, but it use to be that at around 110' in dark cold water, I'd get the dark-nark heavy-gloom thing, but then as I descend, at about 120' everything felt GREAAAAAT! WOW, this is Soooo Cool!

It was the So Cool feeling that concerned me the most after the dive.

One of the things I try not to do is add new gear on an intensive dive, or a dive that adds something new (like buddies! ).

Yeah, I would also be most concerned about a dive being thumbed at 100' with 500psi, if that is what happened.

 

[Plumb bob]

I can't say i've really been conscious of getting all that narked (at least in the euphoric sense) but definitely noticed the "dark narK" on a dive or two that have been to about 120.. not nice but yeah if you can recognise that that impending feeling of doom may just be illusion that helps.

I did a chamber dive just recently to 200 and we got "blown" down very quickly, I think in about 40 seconds.. I cannot believe how off my face I was! I was just a giggling wreck and would no doubt have had difficulty in tying my laces.. Good fun! (in a very controlled environment of course)

 

[Walter]

If this was your 23rd dive, it was the 23rd time you've been narced. We are all narced on every dive. As we get deeper, the narcosis gets worse. We are not always aware of symptoms, but we are always narced. Making every dive with that concept firmly in mind will make every dive safer.

 

[potablewater]

Some diver friends that are more "newbie" than myself, scoffed when I told them I could feel the relaxing effects of narcosis at 50'. They said no way, that their instructors had taught them that the effects start to be noticeable at 90-100' and that I must be mistaken. I don't think so.

Maintain awareness and control.

All the best,
Geoff