JustAddWater
Guest
I've been to 120fsw on air,with no ill effects, but I agree with Dr. Bill in that I opt for bottom time over depth. Most of my dives are in the 60 - 80 max depth range.
How Deep Is Air Safe As A SCUBA Breathing Gas?
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Don Burke
Contributor
I chose 100, although complex problems might be too much at about 80 and the closer you get to the no-stop limits, the more potential for damage there is.
Anyone who thinks he doesn't get narced will be very surprised if he tries something like multiplying trinomials at 100 feet.
Anyone who thinks he doesn't get narced will be very surprised if he tries something like multiplying trinomials at 100 feet.
IIRC my agency recommends air to depths no deeper than 50m (164ft).
How "safe" is purely subjective depending on conditions, equipment, the diver, the diver purpose and so on but i wouldnt push the 160-170ft range really for anything more than an unobstructed swim around.
I start noticing narcosis effected round about 110ft.
How "safe" is purely subjective depending on conditions, equipment, the diver, the diver purpose and so on but i wouldnt push the 160-170ft range really for anything more than an unobstructed swim around.
I start noticing narcosis effected round about 110ft.
100days-a-year
Contributor
I put 50',not that that's how deep I dive it but that's the lower end of me personally seing a person nearly incapacitated by narcosis.At 78' on the Busch holding the downline eyes glassed over.Water was 100'+vis and 85 degrees 0 current but he was a heavy smoker.
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Which is more serious really depends on how you look at it.
One can ameliorate the effects of N2 loading by respecting NDL, coming up slowly, doing deep stops, and taking ample surface intervals. That assumes that one isn't narc'ed and can make good judgement calls with respect to their depth, time, and ascent rate.
The only way to ameliorate the effects or narcosis is to go shallower when the symptoms occur ... assuming that you recognize that you're narc'ed. Therein lies the danger.
To my concern, the most important thing we take underwater with us is our judgement. Narcosis impairs that ... even in people who think it doesn't. That can lead to a wide range of immediate, and very serious, problems. Getting narc'ed can put you in a position you can't get yourself out of.
N2 loading can be "cured" ... drowning can't.
Deep air diving is just like drunk driving ... and can cause the same sort of tragedies. Yet how many people who get caught DUI didn't think they were drunk? Same applies to narcosis ... as we can see from some of the replies so far.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Some folks think they are not narc'd on air at 100'... but they are... they are just not aware that they are.
To detect narcosis early (shallower) you need enough experience to be aware of the things that are missing from your frame of reference.
The insidious nature of narcosis is that it narrows your awareness so to detect it in the beginning stages you have to be aware that you are not as aware.
Those who say they can dive to xxx' without being narc'd are merely announcing that they are not skilled at narcosis detection.
~Narcosis won't kill you... but it could make you miss the little event that starts the cascade of events that does kill you.~
BTW: For those of you who have had occassion to make a gas switch from trimix to EAN50 at 70' did you notice anything?
To detect narcosis early (shallower) you need enough experience to be aware of the things that are missing from your frame of reference.
The insidious nature of narcosis is that it narrows your awareness so to detect it in the beginning stages you have to be aware that you are not as aware.
Those who say they can dive to xxx' without being narc'd are merely announcing that they are not skilled at narcosis detection.
~Narcosis won't kill you... but it could make you miss the little event that starts the cascade of events that does kill you.~
BTW: For those of you who have had occassion to make a gas switch from trimix to EAN50 at 70' did you notice anything?
OP
DeepTechScuba
Guest
The shallowest I have seen someone narked is at 80 fsw on EAN32. This diver could not perform the simple reel drills we were instructed to do in our tech class. After the dive, back on the boat, we asked him, 'So what happened?' He replied that although he 'was not narked no way' that he could not remember what to do next.
cnidae
Guest
I chose 20'. If I was to dive to 50' I would be on Nitrox. If I was to dive to 100' I'd be on Trimix. The only reason I would use Nitrox for the inbetweens is to reduce nitrogen loading, I've never seemed to feel less narced on Nitrox than Air.
cnidae
Guest
Narcosis at 80' is very common.
While doing the training dives for a class, I was narced out of my gourd in 130 ft of cold, dark, fresh water...
My reasoning was impaired, my baisc functioning was impaired, and at that particular time, I was not able to complete a task that was asked of our team during this class. We all saw firsthand what narcosis can do to you when you are taskloaded. It was almost funny, really, if it wasnt so true...
If I was in warmer water, I think I would go a little deeper on air, but for me, 130 is my limit in cold water, and 150 in warm water...
My reasoning was impaired, my baisc functioning was impaired, and at that particular time, I was not able to complete a task that was asked of our team during this class. We all saw firsthand what narcosis can do to you when you are taskloaded. It was almost funny, really, if it wasnt so true...
If I was in warmer water, I think I would go a little deeper on air, but for me, 130 is my limit in cold water, and 150 in warm water...
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