Vertigo on deco

[TSandM]

It is true that probably the most common cause of vertigo while diving is unequal pressure in the ears. Mine is not due to this, because it can come on quite suddenly while remaining at the same depth. But it does seem to be related to rapid head movement.

 

[ahpoolman]

I get vertigo on 90% of my dives. It has now become common place and I wonder when it's going to happen on the decent or the assent. Usually it is in the assent at around 60 ft. I can't stress enough to keep your composure when this happens because it's scary the first time it happens. Your whole world spins. The best thing I have done is try to stare at a stationary object. It seems to pass in about a minute. Thanks for the tip on not moving my head too quickly. Try to give your partner the "Somethings Wrong Signal" so they stay close. Aaron

 

[TSandM]

Aaron, wow -- I'm really floored that you keep on diving in the face of that much vertigo. If this happened to me on 90% of my dives, I think I'd quit.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have never experienced vertigo, but nevertheless can relate to what you describe very well. I once was caught in a siltout at the bottom of an extremely muddy lake, in absolute darkness, and lost visual and tactile contact with the bottom. My buddy and I were pointing our fairly strong dive lights at each other probably within meters of each other, but neither one could see anything through the cloud of silt. Even though I rationally knew that as long as I kept my buoyancy under control, there was no danger, I felt a near-panic coming on, causing my breathing rate to go through the roof. If I can't see, have no idea where the bottom is or what direction the shore lies, I get an irrational and unwarranted fear of sinking deeper or "getting caught in midwater." One of my instructors told me to get negatively buoyant in these kinds of situations (we are talking no-deco dives, btw), but when I'm disoriented like that, I feel extremely reluctant to let myself sink deeper into the unknown that I can't see or feel. Of course, I could simply go up, but I think that's bad habit and I'd rather train myself to sort out icky situations at depth and keep myself composed.

One thought that cropped up when I read your account was whether you think the use of scooters might have exacerbated the problem? I dove Whytecliff this past summer and from what I remember, we reached the wall after a very brief swim. I didn't feel the need for extra propulsion in order to reach a nice area with more depth than one could ask for (I went to 135 ft and below me was nothing but black water) and the only limiting factor were our NDLs (we were diving no-deco profile and single tanks.) I also remember being able to follow up the wall to very shallow depths in the 30-foot range to complete a swimming safety stop. Of course I'm not second-guessing your dive profile, as a diver who's never used a scooter but always been curious about them, it be interesting to learn about your rationale for using them at that particular location. Thanks again for sharing your insightful story with us!