Yes, you were narced at 80FSW because everyone is narced at that depth. Even the people who claim they weren't narced were narced.
Narcosis 101
-or-
The sublime art of becoming a cow...
Narcosis can be felt or not felt. It's like being stupid: not enough people realize that they're stupid. The ones who know it compensate and often avoid doing stupid things. The clueless ones are always in danger of letting their stupid show. You felt it, which is a good thing. It will help you dial in that limitation as you dive.
But when does narcosis start? Where is that line? Unfortunately, there is no line, as narcosis is cumulative and really starts on the boat as you gear up. No, not N
2 narcosis, but dive narcosis, or the sublime art of becoming a cow. It's a combination of task overloading, fun distractions, gear inundation, and nitrogen narcosis as you go deeper. If you think of it as a degradation of your intellect, it will make more sense. So, let's detract IQ points as we go... You lose 10 or so when you don your gear. The more complicated and unfamiliar the more points you need to take off. Some tech divers lose 15 0r 20 points here, and they need it the most. You lose another 10 points when you splash. Fearful or apprehensive divers lose more. Task loading, like trying to keep up with a buddy who's going too fast will take another 5 IQ points. Oh my. There goes my Mensa membership! Now let's factor in the Martini effect. Some say that every atmosphere you descend is like drinking a martini. I kinda like that analogy. I deduct another 5 points for every atm I dive. 80ft is pretty darn near 3 atms, so let's round up, er down. That's another 15 IQ points gone.
10+10+5+15= 40 IQ points lost and you're feeling good about it! The average Joe starts with 100, so now he's down to 60 and doesn't feel a thing thanks to narcosis. A few more feet, add an activity like bug hunting or photography, or cold, or dark, or add them all together and bingo, you have the IQ of a cow. Moo!
But wait, why aren't you stumbling? It's hard to fall when you're floating. But, but, you're not slurring your words! No, you're not. You're not speaking either. The two main clues to let you know that you're under the influence are gone. So of course, many people don't realize they're narced or just how narced they actually are. That's the sneaky, sneaky thing about narcosis. It's a dangerous aspect, too.
No, you can't inure yourself to narcosis, but you can prepare yourself for when the caca hits the propeller. Training helps. Muscle memory allows you to make decisions quickly, because you already have things thought out and practiced. But, encounter a new problem, and you may not have the mental juice to cogitate quickly enough to survive. Cows have suboptimal problem-solving skills.
So, the next time you hear someone brag that they never get narced, just smile to yourself. You know you can't convince them otherwise, because we are a society that relies on their feels, not logic and science. Also, remember them, because they might not be the best choice for a buddy if you're going deep. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
). Nitrogen narcosis is a very serious threat to divers who venture into the deep. Lack of situational awareness including not knowing how deep they are, how much air they have, what are they doing there in the first place, can all cause very serious and potentially life threatening conditions. So please be careful.
