BDSC
Contributor
First of all Dive nOOb, congrats on getting certifed and I hope you enjoy many years of scuba diving. I know I have!
I understand the question you are asking because I had that same question when I was first certified. I had always heard about being "narced" and the so called "rapture of the deep". But what I have found over the years is that for me, it was much ado about nothing.
During the first year or so of diving as I began to go deeper and deeper, I kept waiting for that "narced" feeling and all or any of those symptoms that are associated with it. Never happened. Even when I was doing some shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina where the dives are usually 100 ft. or more........nothing. I felt no different at 50, 100, or 100+. But I would have people tell me that I was "narced" but just didn't know it. So a few years back a dive buddy and myself did a little test in Bonaire.
We decided to do a simple test ot tying a knot (like you would tie your shoe) at different depths. (We both took turns tying the knots.) We decided to tie the knot 5 times at each depth and take an average of the times. We first tied the knot at 25ft....then 50ft.....then 100ft....then 130 ft. I don't have the numbers in front of me but the times were almost identical. The fastest time was actually recorded at 100ft. as I remember. We were both a little surprised at the results because we thought it would have at least been a little slower at depth. Of course the only thing this really proves is that we can tie knots underwater 20 times each. But it satisfied me that what I had thought all along for ME was true, there is nothing much to being "narced".
I know this type of thing affects people differently and you have to be in tuned with what your body or mind is telling you when you are diving, but I do think the whole thing is overblown. Just because a person feels "happy" underwater doesn't mean they are nacred. Maybe they are just having a great time. And if someone finds themselves laughing, maybe they just saw something funny. And if a person does something stupid while diving, could be they were just stupid at that particular moment or just not thinking.
It just seems to me that people like to say they were "narced" because it either sounds cool to their friends or it is used to excuse their behavior when diving. But you will find out all of this for yourself as you dive more and go deeper. Just don't let the idea of being "narced" keep you from enjoying diving or trying new depths if you want to go deeper. I think you're gonna find the same thing I did.
BDSC
I understand the question you are asking because I had that same question when I was first certified. I had always heard about being "narced" and the so called "rapture of the deep". But what I have found over the years is that for me, it was much ado about nothing.
During the first year or so of diving as I began to go deeper and deeper, I kept waiting for that "narced" feeling and all or any of those symptoms that are associated with it. Never happened. Even when I was doing some shipwrecks off the coast of North Carolina where the dives are usually 100 ft. or more........nothing. I felt no different at 50, 100, or 100+. But I would have people tell me that I was "narced" but just didn't know it. So a few years back a dive buddy and myself did a little test in Bonaire.
We decided to do a simple test ot tying a knot (like you would tie your shoe) at different depths. (We both took turns tying the knots.) We decided to tie the knot 5 times at each depth and take an average of the times. We first tied the knot at 25ft....then 50ft.....then 100ft....then 130 ft. I don't have the numbers in front of me but the times were almost identical. The fastest time was actually recorded at 100ft. as I remember. We were both a little surprised at the results because we thought it would have at least been a little slower at depth. Of course the only thing this really proves is that we can tie knots underwater 20 times each. But it satisfied me that what I had thought all along for ME was true, there is nothing much to being "narced".
I know this type of thing affects people differently and you have to be in tuned with what your body or mind is telling you when you are diving, but I do think the whole thing is overblown. Just because a person feels "happy" underwater doesn't mean they are nacred. Maybe they are just having a great time. And if someone finds themselves laughing, maybe they just saw something funny. And if a person does something stupid while diving, could be they were just stupid at that particular moment or just not thinking.
It just seems to me that people like to say they were "narced" because it either sounds cool to their friends or it is used to excuse their behavior when diving. But you will find out all of this for yourself as you dive more and go deeper. Just don't let the idea of being "narced" keep you from enjoying diving or trying new depths if you want to go deeper. I think you're gonna find the same thing I did.
BDSC
What? Most people I know try to downplay how they experience narcosis actually. Also narcosis should be a factor in whether or not you try new depths and it should prevent you from doing so if you are debilitated by it and the OP has a very valid reason for being cautious about diving deeper when they do not know how narcosis will affect them. Personally I would not be worrying about it until 100' or greater, not 60' but concerns about narcosis are very valid.
