Gas Narcosis in those who are absent-minded

[AfterDark]

I haven't noticed narcosis between depths of surface to 130', but I've read that it is noticeable at 100' for a fair number of people, and for some considerably shallower than that. I wonder if there is a precise shallow depth where there is none at all?

IMO divers like us, cold water divers develop a certain tolerance to NN especially in warm clear water. I've been narked in 80fsw a cold dark dive on the NeptuneII off the coast here in RI. Diving in NC to depths >100FSW daily produced no noticeable NN to me. If you can dive up north you can dive anywhere.

 

[Phil_C]

IMO divers like us, cold water divers develop a certain tolerance to NN especially in warm clear water. I've been narked in 80fsw a cold dark dive on the NeptuneII off the coast here in RI. Diving in NC to depths >100FSW daily produced no noticeable NN to me. If you can dive up north you can dive anywhere.

I don't think it is a proven argument, but I do agree with you that it seems you can develop a tolerance, or resistance to NN.

I'm not sure whether what happens is you do actually develop a tolerance and not get affected, or whether you get used to the slight effects you are having and start to automatically compensate and adjust your behaviour so the affects of NN do not affect your diving. A bit like if you are always working long hours and short on sleep within reason your body seems to adjust so you still function with less sleep.

Personally the biggest factor for me seems to be stress and relaxation, not temperature or darkness, if I have had to rush to get to the dive site, rush to get set up or had a difficult time setting up on a pitching boat, and haven't had the chance to just chill out I seem for more likely to get affected and notice NN. - Phil.

 

[ajduplessis]

I don't mean to insult anyone with this question, but I'm really curious to know --

We learn a lot about how being under the effects of gas narcosis interferes and/or affects our ability to make decisions and our reaction times. What I'd like to know is, how does it play out for people who are perhaps naturally more uh, absent-minded on land? Like, my good friend is someone who is typically pretty forgetful, has to be reminded about things, etc. But, my friend isn't stupid or dumb (or cognitively impaired) by any means (just absent-minded and/or forgetful). Can my friend's "absent-minded"-ness be enhanced or magnified due to gas narcosis?

I guess to some extend it really depends on the individual person since gas narcosis is a physical (rather than mental) thing, but just curious to know what people's experiences are. Thanks.

What is his situational awareness like above water, does he have good reflexes?

 

[chillyinCanada]

My misspent youth is in my favor when dealing with NN.

Suffice to say I rarely notice it but when I find myself thinking that "this is one of the best racing dives I've ever been on", I take note. Either it IS one of the best or I'm arched. Either way, I'm having a wonderful time as it should be but I've also triggered myself to be more attentive to my computer and gauges.

That said, like Phil, from time to time I'll have a dark narc. Again a trigger to pay more attention to my computer and guages. At that same time though, I'm wishing the dive over. It took me a few dark narcs over the years to realize that for me, they're more likely when I'm tired. It seems to me that 80' is my dark zone but going up to relieve the darkness doesn't always give me complete relief. Like a bad dream, the memory of how I felt when the dark narc came upon me lingers.

 

[Nasser]

If your friend is absent minded then I'd probably be more concerned with stuff like forgetting to connect his inflator hose, turning on his tank valve, forgetting his dive computer on the surface, navigation and situational awareness underwater etc.. I think narcosis would probably be the least of my worries.

 

[archer1960]

I read an article that said there was *anecdotal* evidence that narcosis affects individuals in somewhat the same way as alcohol affects them. What that means is that people who are "moody" drunks tend to get anxious and paranoid when narc'd, and people who are happy drunks tend to be euphoric and inattentive when narc'd. I don't know how true this is, but it does make some sense. When I did my AOW deep dive (to 102 ft), I didn't think I was narc'd at the time, but realized after the dive that I was, because I couldn't find the water bottle (which we had taken down to observe the effects of pressure) in my pocket until we came back up to 60' or so. I didn't notice any emotional changes though, and that is also consistent with what happens when I drink - I get loud, but don't typically get moody or happy.

 

[cashew]

If your friend is absent minded then I'd probably be more concerned with stuff like forgetting to connect his inflator hose, turning on his tank valve, forgetting his dive computer on the surface, navigation and situational awareness underwater etc.. I think narcosis would probably be the least of my worries.

But that stuff should be covered by your buddy check before you jump into the water, right?

---------- Post added September 15th, 2015 at 11:08 AM ----------

What is his situational awareness like above water, does he have good reflexes?

Relatively aware, but slow on reflexes sometimes. Admittedly, my only experience with this is while driving with said friend. Like, will note when a car is in a blind spot before trying to change lanes well, but might be slow(er) to react to a traffic pattern shift/change. Or maybe I complain because I would handle it differently?

 

[Bob DBF]

In my case, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg"?



Bob

 

[Nasser]

But that stuff should be covered by your buddy check before you jump into the water, right?

Absolutely... a thorough buddy check and a good dive plan/briefing.

Although you might be surprised at how many folks blow off a buddy check or don't do one meticulously enough to spot that stuff, especially those who have moderate experience, feel a little more conformable in the water, and start to get a little lax.


EDIT:

I would also add that if you are little uneasy about your friend's absentmindedness then consider if this is someone who you can rely on to get you out of a dicy situation underwater. Will he/she be paying attention if you need help and will his/her reflexes and demeanor underwater be appropriate enough to deal with problems that could present themselves?

I don't mean to digress too far off your original topic on narcosis, but I do feel these are important considerations that maybe should take some precedence before you worry too much about how your friend is going to react when narc'd.

 

[cashew]

I would also add that if you are little uneasy about your friend's absentmindedness then consider if this is someone who you can rely on to get you out of a dicy situation underwater. Will he/she be paying attention if you need help and will his/her reflexes and demeanor underwater be appropriate enough to deal with problems that could present themselves?

I don't mean to digress too far off your original topic on narcosis, but I do feel these are important considerations that maybe should take some precedence before you worry too much about how your friend is going to react when narc'd.

It's a fair question, and the answer is that my friend has much more experience diving than I do so I'm comfortable diving with my friend as my buddy. My friend is also good at staying calm and level-headed, even if he does not have the fastest reaction time.

The concern that I have (justified or not) was whether, at depths where narcosis starts to become an issue, my friend would be more pre-disposed to being "forgetful." Like, < 100 ft, great buddy; > 100 ft, not so great buddy? But maybe this is where repetitive training comes in and muscle memory takes over?