Vertigo question? I think.

[rcain1]

Last weekend I experienced something I have never felt before. I have like a billion dives and I am in very good health at the age of 33.
About the dive:
Air temp: 80f
Surface temp: 72f
Bottom temp (70Foot): 60f
This was the first dive of the day. I descended to 70 feet with no equalization problems. After being down for a couple minutes everything and everybody started spinning in a circle as if we all in a whirlpool. I actually thought we were moving so I tried to focus on my compass and the decent line looking straight at it. (There were three dive masters down with me) The visibility was about 3 feet and I have to say I was comfortable except for the spinning.
I can give more details if anybody really thinks they know what I was feeling.

I got enough sleep the night before
I did have a few beers (6) the night before. Last one was about 16 hours before first dive.
I took 4 Sudafed 3 hours before dive.
Ate 1.5 hours before dive.

Thanks

 

[rmediver2002]

Well, it is possible that you had a bout of caloric or temperature induced vertigo.

Was the vertigo transient (between a few seconds and a couple minutes) or was it persistent lasting for longer than a few minutes or until you aborted the dive?

Another factor to consider is your double dose of Sudafed, was it the brand Sudafed or a similar generic product? Are you in the habit of taking a double dose? Was that recommended by your doctor? Have you experienced any other symptoms from a large dose of Sudafed?

I would really avoid doubling the sudafed dose like that in either case...

 

[rcain1]

rmediver2002,
Well first off i almost always take 3 to 4 Sudafeds before most of my dives. I have not ever had a problem before this time. I think it was an off-brand like from Walmart or Target.
It (the spinning) stopped after I got to the surface.
I will re-think the taking of sudafed though! I was afraid the beer the night before had something to do with it. Check this out: http://www.scuba-doc.com/vert.htm
Thanks

 

[pipedope]

How much diving have you done in limited visability?

Sometimes just having no good visual reference can do this to you. Many people will get the spins if they have limited vis and get cold water in one ear more than the other.

 

[rcain1]

Pipedope,
I have done a good bit but limited and on the bottom is better for me than limited and some where in between. This was in a lake and we went down right on to a tree stump with several big branches. I really never knew where the bottom was and I don’t think any of us ever touched bottom. I did keep my cool and never panicked.
I have to say if I was on land it would have been the coolest feeling. We were all spinning at like 40 to 60 RPM, no kiddin’.

 

[pipedope]

Somebody flushed the lake and gave you all a swirly!

 

[IzzyTahil]

Last weekend I experienced something I have never felt before. I have like a billion dives and I am in very good health at the age of 33.
About the dive:
Air temp: 80f
Surface temp: 72f
Bottom temp (70Foot): 60f
This was the first dive of the day. I descended to 70 feet with no equalization problems. After being down for a couple minutes everything and everybody started spinning in a circle as if we all in a whirlpool. I actually thought we were moving so I tried to focus on my compass and the decent line looking straight at it. (There were three dive masters down with me) The visibility was about 3 feet and I have to say I was comfortable except for the spinning.
I can give more details if anybody really thinks they know what I was feeling.

I got enough sleep the night before
I did have a few beers (6) the night before. Last one was about 16 hours before first dive.
I took 4 Sudafed 3 hours before dive.
Ate 1.5 hours before dive.

Thanks

This same sensation happened to me once so I know what you felt. It was a wierd feeling (but not scary) - I actually found it interesting since I've never felt vertigo before but recognized it to be such during the dive. I stopped, looked at my gague as a focal point, then after a couple of seconds normalcy returned. Havnt had it happen again since then

 

[The Chairman]

Check your air! Just after I got my NitrOx cert, I went to pick up my tanks. The shop owner informed me that their O2 sensor had just bitten the dust, but that he had checked the mix before he left the fill station (he did not have NitrOx at the shop). Since he was my NitrOx instructor I stupidly believed him.

On my first dive of the day, I was upset to find only 1500 psi in my 3500 psi tank! I had gotten short fills before, but this was ridiculous. Still my consumption rate was such that I didn't think I would be the one to "call the dive" so I suited up and went. At sixty feet I felt that my nose stretched out in front of me and that I was a bazillion miles away from my body. Then things started to spin... FAST. I tried to go up and only hit the bottom. I tried to orient myself and remember seeing a buddy for a few short seconds. I saw the sun in the water above me and kicked towards it (I don't know how fast I ascended, though the computer has that info). At 30 feet I began to resolve into being Pete again. I looked at my buddies down below, and decided to ascend to a safety stop and abort the dive. My buddy reluctantly followed me a couple of minutes later.

At home and at a different shop, I checked the O2 in my tank. 95%! Whoa what a ride, and I was beginning to understand the concept of "Don't do "Trust Me" dives... EVER!!!" Just reliving this is making my head spin again. OUCH!!! (and no, I didn't do the second dive at all)

 

[MyDiveLog]

Getting water of different temperatures in each ear will bring on vertigo ... it certainly did in my case. I had gotten a new wetsuit and was on a dive in fairly cold water (~47 degrees F). The hood on the wetsuit, being new, was a bit tight. It kept water from entering one ear, which meant that the water in that ear warmed while cold water entered the other ear. I had the worst case of vertigo I've ever had, and the only solution was to hold onto the descent line for dear life and let water into both ears. In about a minute the temps in both ears equalized and the world stopped whirring by.

An earwax plug can also block water from hitting your ear drum and bring on vertigo. You may want to check with an ENT to see if this is the case.

 

[pipedope]

Hey Pete,

I bet you went out and invested in an O2 analyzer pretty quick after that one.
Glad it worked out OK.