Galapagos Experience -what do you think?

[TheRedHead]

I hope the OP analyzed her mix. However, most of the Galapagos liveaboards use membrane systems.

 

[ianr33]

I hope the OP analyzed her mix. However, most of the Galapagos liveaboards use membrane systems.

She said she did in post#5 and it came out at 32%. Knowing that it seems unlikely that her problems were due to O2. The symptoms are consistant though.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Now if anyone can find me a reputable source that state otherwise I will retract my statement.Untill then go bavk to school.

The symptoms of oxygen toxicity, CO2 build up, narcosis, etc are touched on in most OW/AOW/Nitrox courses, and are explored in detail in every entry-level technical diving manual (with links to sources). Ditto there are several excellent tomes on hyperbaric medicine out there and the accounts of deep divers pushing the envelope on air also have many personal accounts on the above symptoms. The narcotic properties of breathing gases/lipid solubility etc is covered in all trimix courses.

Good as the the DAN website is, the best way to get familar with the subject is to do a tec course and read as much of the above sources as you can.

A tingling feeling and tunnel vision are rare symptoms of oxtox as Ianr points out. Unlikely in this case unless her mix was way wrong, but the consideration of all options is an important part of discussions such as these.

Ditto, as sting and swankstein point out from personal experience, not all symptoms for CO2 build up may be present in mild cases, or may only be noticed post dive. Particularly if the diver is panicking or near panic. The effects of CO2 build up can also work in tandem with narcosis: which can hinder blaming a given symptom on a particular gas.

Iluvdiving:

Were you finding it hard to breathe or hyperventilating?

Was the tunnel vision an actual blacking out/narrowing of your vision or do you think you were getting object-fixated?

How did you feel back on the boat: any residual discomfort, light-headiness, dizziness etc?

On the wolf dive, where you re-experienced mild symptoms, how deep did you go and were you working/breathing hard beforehand? Did the symptoms disappear when shallow?

Sounds like narcosis - I've seen more than one diver literally 'crawl up the wall' when they get uncomfortable at depth, especially when its their first deep dive, but the vision effects are interesting.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[MarkH]

Before I tear you and your buddies a new one that think what the lady experienced was Ox Tox or Co2 Build up, please state where on this earth you got that info from. Actually wait the classic sign of Ox tox is DEATH. Just happens to do with the fact of the seizure being the classic sign. Go back and review your book before you get someone killed. As for Co2 build up,are you kidding? No headache and you are still saying buyild up? Anyone ever heard of narcosis? Which manifests itself in many ways. One of which one is tunel vision and when asending the feeling you have go away! Such as paranoia or sometimes euphoria.Now if anyone can find me a reputable source that state otherwise I will retract my statement.Untill then go bavk to school.

Here are a couple links to descriptions of CO2 poisoning:
http://www.scuba-doc.com/CO2retention.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercapnia
I'm not saying CO2 is what is was for sure. After all, many symptoms for CO2, narcosis and O2 seem to be interchangeable. I was just throwing in my experiences with similar symptoms. As an armchair doctor, I diagnosed myself with CO2 retention because the symptoms always appeared after a hard swim. I discounted narcosis for me because it wasn't always down deep. A couple of times it happened 30-60 feet deep. As I dive in water that often has strong currents, I am now always conscious of when I am starting to breathe hard and try to grab a rock or kelp and take a break. In my opinion, CO2 retention is an often-ignored hazard that most recreational divers are subject to. The common symptom of panic could be a unthought-of factor in many diving accidents.

 

[all4scuba05]

there's more than one way to get tingling extremeties. Some of the anxious patients I've come across at work are hyperventilating and THEN complain about the tingling. After getting them to slow down their breathing for a few minutes it goes away.
I'm not saying that's what happened to you. you were anxious on the surface struggling to descend and then had to fin yourself down. Perhaps breathing fast. Now you're at 98 ft instead of 90. More anxiety perhaps. Now the tingling begins. therefore more anxiety.
In my opinion you might have experienced the same thing my patients did.
By all means, I'm no doctor. But I did stay at the Holiday Inn Express.

 

[jagfish]

I am of the opinion that 'dark narcs' are the combination of N2 and CO2 narcosis. CO2 is 300 times more narcotic than N2 and the original poster did mention that her buddy signaled her to get her breathing under control. I've been plenty narced many times but only a few times have experienced dark narcs with hard breathing.

I'd concur...CO2 compounded N2 hit...

 

[Cacia]

The effects of CO2 build up can also work in tandem with narcosis: which can hinder blaming a given symptom on a particular gas.

hard to sort out...but in my experience I feel this too. Narcosis usually feels mildly pleasant to me unless I have worked hard and then things can get dark quickly and paranoia sets in.

 

[iluvdiving]

Hi again:
I didn't find it "hard to breathe" but I was breathing heavy for sure (lots of gear, strong current, first dive at new site and wasn't yet used to it). I was not fixated on any one thing, it was definitely a narrowing/blackening of the peripheral vision. That's the best I can explain it. On the boat, I was totally fine. I felt no ill effects whatsoever.

The situation with the first Wolf dive was very similar to the first Darwin dive except MUCH milder. That time, I didn't panic at all (I was more po'd that it was happening again) and ascended until the symptoms disappeared. We were a bit shallower on that dive, maybe 85-90 feet.

By the end of the week, I had worked out the best way to descend with minimal struggle and account for everything else that was going on around me. It was just the first two dives at Darwin/Wolf.