Vertigo and Diving

[Nic.]

Hi all! I am a dive master candidate- and have been having some issues with vertigo.
Its odd- most of the time I have no problem with it, but occasionally I'll get vertigo.
The first time it happened I was at 90 feet, my buddy, who is an instructor, and I spent a few minutes at 90 ish feet in a lake with 15 foot viz, then began an ascent along a sloping bottom. As soon was I turned to begin ascending, the whole world started spinning. I could not tell up from down and felt like I was going to puke. I found a big rock to hang on to and bear hugged it (I bet it was pretty funny looking to all the fish wondering what this thing was doing hugging a rock - my buddy was a few feet ahead of me. He came up to me, and I signaled that something was wrong and that I was really dizzy. He gave me a minute, and gently tugged on my BC and signaled to ascend. I felt so sick I didnt want to go anywhere! When we got to 40 feet, it was like a light switch was flipped and I was fine. After that, I never had another issue with it until about a moth ago. I was dive mastering for a dive class in the same lake, 12 foot viz, 50 degree water, 60 feet. It wasnt half as bad as the last time- but I just turned my head to look at a student, and when I turned back I got very dizzy, nauseated, and felt like I was spinning. After a few seconds, it passed.
Now today, dive mastering for a class, 3 foot viz (jeez it was so awful!!!) 44 degree water, and 20 feet of water. We were swimming along, my left arm grabbing a students BC, and I started to get really dizzy, not vertigo, but definitely dizzy. It got to the point that I knew I was not in any shape to be taking care of students, so signaled to the instructor that I something was wrong and we ascended.
Its starting to interfere with both diving for recreation and doing my "job". I was wondering if anyone else has had these issues and how they went about solving it. Ive never had any issue equalizing, but Im starting to wonder if there is something up with my ears. Im definitely thinking about going to an ENT and getting checked out, Id appreciate any other suggestions!
Thank You

 

[tilikum]

Certainly see an ENT, I have not experienced vertigo underwater but have on land, it is very unnerving for sure.

 

[clownfishsydney]

I assume you have a thick hood on? Is it tight? If so, then possibly cold water is only seeping in and only getting into one ear. If this happens, you will get very dizzy till the water warms up. There is a test that ENT specialists do which involves putting cold water in one and and checking to make sure you get dizzy (this confirms that ear is okay I think). I had it performed on me almost 20 years ago when I had a dizzy spell after diving.

It is also a neat party trick to pour cold water in a person's ear and see what happens.

If you get cold water in both ears at the same time, you do not get dizzy. I suggest putting a small hole in your hood outside each ear so that the water gets in quickly and easily.

 

[Nic.]

Ok, thank you guys
And yes, wearing a 5 mil hood, it's fitted, but not super tight. That totally makes sense that cold water would do that going into one ear and not the other!

 

[TMHeimer]

I have experienced vertigo maybe half a dozen times ascending over hundreds of dives. Someone suggested one ear was equalising before the other. It was quite unnerving the first time, but no nausea (well, I haven't gotten nauseous at all since childhood, so that means nothing). Now when it happens I just ignore it and keep ascending--it goes away at the surface. If this is your case, I don't think there is anything you can do. But, of course, see an ENT as suggested, don't take my diagnosis I got from the internet......

 

[Kevrumbo]

I've got the same thing at times, during the first few meters ascent from depth:

Alternobaric vertigo

Transient vertigo almost always is due to " alternobaric vertigo " due to unequal middle ear pressures during ascent with resultant unequal vestibular end-organ stimulation. Pressure differences as little as 20 mm Hg can produce this in the chamber. Approximately 15% of all divers have been shown to have experienced this type of vertigo at some time in their diving careers. (Pullen). This same type of vertigo can be produced by unequal caloric stimulation of the eardrum, as with colder water entering the undermost ear in the prone position. An external ear partially blocked with wax can cause this inequality. The fact that it can happen every time and is transient and not associated with other symptoms such as deafness or severe pain makes me think that it's not reverse squeeze (pain) or DCS (deafness, tinnitus, nystagmus, vomiting). The first thing you want to do is to see a "diving aware" physician to check out your ears (canals, eardrums, hearing, Eustachian tubes). If everything checks out OK, then you must consider that alternobaric vertigo is the problem and understand that unequal clearing on ascent is the cause. Treatment is by returning to depth, if only a foot or two, continuing to clear by whatever method you use, and ascending more slowly. Prevention is the best treatment, by assuring that your Eustachian tubes remain open. Practice of clearing several hours and minutes before descent and the careful use of decongestants can be of some help.
Vertigo

 

[Nic.]

Thank you all for the great info! I appreciate it! I'll get checked out by an ENT- and if all is well i guess it's the alternobaric vertigo.

 

[nadwidny]

Didn't Lynne (TS&M) have this problem as well? I recall her talking about this happening to her when doing no-reference ascents. Did she ever figure out why?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Didn't Lynne (TS&M) have this problem as well? I recall her talking about this happening to her when doing no-reference ascents. Did she ever figure out why?

Lynne (Rest in Peace) may have had a type of vertigo which combined with a dynamic diving environment became much more insidious & overwhelming to recover from:

". . .The spinning sensation experienced from BPPV is usually triggered by movement of the head, will have a sudden onset, and can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. The most common movements patients report triggering a spinning sensation are tilting their heads upwards in order to look at something . . ."

Vertigo on deco

 

[miikey87]

I get this on occasion when ascending, I descend back down ~2 meters, and wait for my ears to sort themselves out and slowly come back up. The descent stops the slight spin pretty quickly. Always seems to be one ear that's a bit slower with the pressure change than the other. In the past when this has happened, I've come down with a cold/flu with 24-48 hours with no symptoms before or straight after the dive, may be coincidence, not too sure. No issues on the descent for the dive either.

I've only had this twice, ~80-100 dives apart.