Is this a concern or just some case of vertigo?

[Ruaan]

Hi Firstly I dont know if this is the right place to post but if its not please move respected section.


I have a small question.

I am currently finishing my NAUI open Waters one and we are done with the theory.
We went to a popular dive site this weekend to complete our firts two dives for the course.

The first dive was a bit scary but got relaxed completely the minute I went down to six meters. Supprisingly it went very well an I enjoyed it ALOT. We went down to 17 meters and the complete dive lasted for 37 min. We did our sit time.

The second dive we went on a small wreck expedition. There was a old bus at roughly 17 meters again we stayed there for about six minutes and went to a plane wreck.
Now the plane was at an angle of about 45 deg where the nose is at 22 meters and the tail at about 17 meters. It is in a ditch with the banks that slopes at roughly 30 deg if I am not mistaken.
I went to the nose of the plane and came back up to the middle of the plane. This is where everything went wrong. My vision becam blurry as if my fellow divers kicked up some of the sand and in the next 30 seconds or so it just bcame darker and darker. Thats when I relaised something is not quite right. I have to be honest I panicked and established I was not to deep in so I could make an emergency exit. The whole time I went up I felt if I did not have enough air to inhale but exhaling was fine. The minute I popped up I was immediatly fine with no dizziyness or out of breath.

Could some one please tell me if I should be worried or is this was a case of vertigo form the angle of the plane?

Thanks

 

[super7]

Hi Ruaan

Good thing you got away from your second dive without injury. I may be overcautious and reading your post wrong, but your post suggests you had a near blackout. A blackout under water could have ended with you drowning.

If I read your symptoms correctly, the cause may vary from orthostatic hypotension, Adams-Stokes syndrome to posterior lobe epilepsy. I think you need to be checked by both a cardiologist and a neurologist before making your next dive. I do hope you get cleared to dive again.

 

[diveChiq]

how deep were you at the time?
it is possible you were feeling the effects of nitrogen narcosis and you didnt know it.
a silt kick up can make you disorientated and likely to get a little anxious and combine that with some nitrogen and waahheyy!! scary times.

i would go and see a doctor though - just to be sure.

 

[Wayan]

It is a bit hard to say with all the data from the dive (like where you say you were not too deep)

However you were breathing faster as a result of some anxiety caused by teh deteriating conditions then it is possible that you have had Hypercapnia

Symptoms of Hypercapnia. Symptoms of hypercapnia include labored breathing,
headache, and confusion and Unconsciousness

Hypercapnia affects the brain differently than hypoxia does, however, it can result
in similar symptoms such as confusion, inability to concentrate, drowsiness, loss
of consciousness, and convulsions. the severity of the symptoms depends on how much excess carbon dioxide has been retained with in effective breathing.

But then could be a number of things as well due to the turbid water you describe or a mixture of things.

 

[Jan Kruger]

I know the area and i would say a combination of things affected you. You are still doing your open water course and diving at the bus would be good for you, but going to the plane, especially to the nose , may take some getting used to, since the nose of the plane is at roughly 22 metres , as you mentioned in a ditch which normally can be dark and then looking up at the plane might make you feel funny . The tail of the plane moves in the water as well.Also going up sometimes affects ones ears as they clear. The depth might have caused you to suffer from Nitrogen Narcosis and that combined with the darkness could have brought on the panick attack.

Maybe see a doctor to confirm you are fit to dive and then spend some time diving at shallower depths until you get used to the 'Diving thing' before you venture deeper. What you have described has happened to other divers as well at the plane !

 

[Acid0]

Thanks for all the help.

Thanks Jan I will stay at the more swallower depth for a longer time to get used to the pressure and orientation.

 

[TSandM]

My first guess would be hypercapnia. The visual symptoms of decreased vision followed by darkening are premonitory of losing consciousness, and combining this with the reported feeling of air hunger makes CO2 retention quite likely.

Diving on structures which are oriented peculiarly CAN result in disorientation and vertigo -- It's happened to me on a bunch of occasions, worst when I was new. Disorientation and anxiety can lead to ineffective breathing patterns (shallow panting) that cause CO2 retention.

It is remotely possible that there is a medical condition which caused the symptoms, and if they recur, I'd go get a physical, if you haven't had one recently, with an electrocardiogram if you are over about 40.

 

[Hawk]

Probably not the case here, but I'll throw another possibility out just to make sure. Use of the drug Chantix can cause the exact same thing to happen, even at shallow depths and for several months after use of the drug is discontinued. I'm really surprised we haven't heard of someone drowning on this forum from the use of this drug. Maybe people just don't realize the symptoms.

 

[I Dive]

I would definitely suggest you see a doctor and also fully explain what happened to your instructor. I would not dive again until your doctor OK's it. Your instructor may want to make some adjustments for future training dives, possibly having a DM along as a second set of eyes if he doesn't already have one assisting in your class.

 

[openmindOW]

I am npt a doctor and will not venture a medical speculation. Please see a doctor; it cannot hurt to see a doctor.

If I may ask, how old are you?

Your dives sound a bit deep for the first two dives of an OW training class. Your Instructor should consult NAUI standards.