Hoods and Vertigo?

[ckharlan66]

I had a problem with my hood today.

I was going out for my first dive of the day and the vis was about 5-10 feet. We were down about 5 min. and my equilibrum went crazy. I felt like I was spinning in a tight circle. I guess this is vertigo but I'm not sure. We surfaced and waited for me to get focused (happy to say I didn't panic, just signaled to surface, and even did a safety stop) We continued back down but this time I let my buddy lead so that I could use him as a point of reference. That helped a little.

The only other thing that I can think of that could have contributed was that there was a missing diver that we helped look for. This entailed a long rather rigurous surface swim as we were going to where he was last seen but I didn't feel too winded or tired. (he was fine he just lost his buddy and didn't bother to surface to find her. So she asked our friend who was conducting a Rescue Diver course to help find him and he asked us to help. The students seemed to think it was part of the class.)

The next dive we did I didn't wear the hood and I had no problems. My question is could this be something to do with the hood and the vis effecting my inter ear or was it more likely just a coincidence that it only occured with the hood on.

We were at 25 ft. This has never happened to me before. This was not my first dive in a hood but it was my first dive in a hood with the vis this poor.

Thank you for any help you can give.

Chad

BTW my buddy suggested that I could have been narced but I don't think that is likely at 25 feet.

 

[ckharlan66]

BTW I have read other threads on vertigo during assent.

When this happened we were at a level depth about 3 ft from the bottom and were not assending.

Thanks again.

Chad

 

[Scubaroo]

Hi,

I had problems with a hood on my last dive, and maybe one of the more medically-knowledgable members might be able to answer this, but I believe it was because I had too tight a seal over one ear, and water couldn't get through the hood, whereas the other ear was full of water. I didn't experience vertigo, but instead had a bit of a squeeze problem as a result. I had to keep pulling my hood away from my ear to let water in. A solution I read about was to put your hood on, and mark the centre of your ears on the hood with a marker pen, and then remove the hood and punch a small hole through the hood, so that water could get to your ears. Seeing as your (inner) ear control your sense of balance, this might be of some use. If not, at least you'll have cold ears on your next dive

Ben

 

[ckharlan66]

Ben,

When I wear a hood as you said I have always had to let water in to clear. I like idea of hole at the ears. I put a hole in the top to let air out. When you do this a soldering iron works great to make the hole.

I appreciate the response but I had allowed water in during the whole dive. I didn't have any trouble clearing, at least none that I noticed.

Thanks for the advice.

Chad

 

[syruss32]

Is your hood to tight by chance? Vertigo can be caused by lots of things so is hard to pinpoint. My wife suffers from that about once a month and it can be while she is walking or even lying in bed. Doctors have run all kinds of tests and scans and found nothing that should cause it.

But one thing he did ask was if she wore hats or visors that might be too tight?

 

[ckharlan66]

Syruss,

I don't think so. I have wore it before with no problems. But it may be that it was tight enought that when combined with the poor vis it caused a problem that I haven't experienced in clear water.

Thanks for the input.

Chad

 

[BillP]

Hi Chad:

Vertigo is a feeling of dizziness accompanied by sensation of movement- particularly spinning. You said, " I felt like I was spinning in a tight circle" which would be a good description.

Causes of vertigo in diving include decompression sickness (of either the central nervous system or balance mechanism in the ear), low oxygen, high CO2, nitrogen narcosis, seasickness, sensory deprivation, hyperventilation, contaminated breathing gas, unequal temperature stimulation in the ears, and trouble with middle ear equalization.

Some of these causes you've already ruled out as obviously not the case. You've looked at the threads on alternobaric vertigo (trouble with middle ear equalization). As you noted, you were not ascending when you had the sensation, but while alternobaric vertigo is the most common cause of vertigo on ascent, you don't have to be ascending to get it. It can happen anytime there is unequal pressures in the middle ears- even at depth or after surfacing.

Unequal temperature stimulation in the ears could be caused by a hood allowing different amounts of cold water in the ear canals.

You've described poor vis which would lead to sensory deprivation, and the symptoms improved when you re-descended using your buddy as a reference.

Decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis seem unlikely on a 25' dive, as you've already determined. Low oxygen or abnormal CO2 would be unlikely in an experienced diver with a 25' dive profile who used the same tank successfully on a subsequent dive- even with a strenuous surface swim.

Looks like you've already determined that the lack of visual reference due to poor vis or unequal pressure or temperature stimulation of the middle ear due to a hood are the most likely causes of vertigo with the dive profile you describe.

Good detective work!

HTH,

Bill

 

[ckharlan66]

I appreciate everyones comments. This freaked me out a little when it happened but I wasn't as worried when I could continue diving without a reoccurance.

I think I might try poking hole in my hood at the ears to help with the pressure difference in the future.

Again thank you all for your help.

Chad