Vertigo

[lord1234]

While it is interesting to see all of this speculation, let me give a little fact behind this. Vertigo can be caused by a "caloric"(spelling?) response to different temperature water brushing against your tympanic membrane. This response will happen to 100 out of 100 people. It can be cold, or hot water. It can happen in or out of the water. If you want to test it out(though I don't suggest screwing with your body like this), get a pippette, fill it with cold water, and spray it directly onto your ear drum very quickly. Do it sitting in a chair, because I warn you, you will get the spins. If you notice a lot more of this is being reported in winter time. Why? Because the water is cold, and you are more likely to have colder temperature water than your body likes hit your tympanic membrane.

A little backstory about where this knowledge is coming from, before I get called a moron/troll/whatever. I have experienced this in 30 ft of water, in a quarry. Being a curious/thinking diver, I went to an ENT. The ENT checked my ears, said they were perfect, and that my hearing was better than perfect. He went on to explain exactly what happened. An instructor who was there on the day that the vertigo event happened for me, explained to me that this is quite common as well. His solution was to close your eyes for 1 minute under water. What does this cause you to do? Stop, Relax, Calm Down, Think. Open your eyes again and I am willing to bet it will be gone.

 

[Kevfin]

While it is interesting to see all of this speculation, let me give a little fact behind this. Vertigo can be caused by a "caloric"(spelling?) response to different temperature water brushing against your tympanic membrane. This response will happen to 100 out of 100 people. It can be cold, or hot water. It can happen in or out of the water. If you want to test it out(though I don't suggest screwing with your body like this), get a pippette, fill it with cold water, and spray it directly onto your ear drum very quickly. Do it sitting in a chair, because I warn you, you will get the spins. If you notice a lot more of this is being reported in winter time. Why? Because the water is cold, and you are more likely to have colder temperature water than your body likes hit your tympanic membrane.

Good information and it makes sense.

I had the sensation once on a night dive, limited visibility, & in cold water. So, it fits. I just kept an eye on my buddies light (all I could see) and glanced at my gauges. Sensation passed. I liked the feeling, reminded me of aerobatics.

I'm wondering if I should do your test and skip going to Disneyland.

 

[lord1234]

Kev, having a caloric response is NOT a "stop diving" situation. While vertigo is a "bad indicator" for diving, this is an "unavoidable/temporary" situation and goes away quickly.

 

[dherbman]

Narcosis?

In my case, the very cold water, my lack of adequate protection to that cold, the depth, visibility and darkness probably contributed to a mild case of narcosis, but that had nothing to do with the onset of vertigo. It did have to do with my failure to realize what was actually happening to me.

 

[ghostdiver1957]

While it is interesting to see all of this speculation, let me give a little fact behind this. Vertigo can be caused by a "caloric"(spelling?) response to different temperature water brushing against your tympanic membrane. This response will happen to 100 out of 100 people. It can be cold, or hot water. It can happen in or out of the water. If you want to test it out(though I don't suggest screwing with your body like this), get a pippette, fill it with cold water, and spray it directly onto your ear drum very quickly. Do it sitting in a chair, because I warn you, you will get the spins. If you notice a lot more of this is being reported in winter time. Why? Because the water is cold, and you are more likely to have colder temperature water than your body likes hit your tympanic membrane.

A little backstory about where this knowledge is coming from, before I get called a moron/troll/whatever. I have experienced this in 30 ft of water, in a quarry. Being a curious/thinking diver, I went to an ENT. The ENT checked my ears, said they were perfect, and that my hearing was better than perfect. He went on to explain exactly what happened. An instructor who was there on the day that the vertigo event happened for me, explained to me that this is quite common as well. His solution was to close your eyes for 1 minute under water. What does this cause you to do? Stop, Relax, Calm Down, Think. Open your eyes again and I am willing to bet it will be gone.

YES & NO.... Yes, the reason you give for some cases of vertigo is correct... a sudden rush of cold water can certainly cause Vertigo.. however, it does not happen 100% of the time as you suggest... if it did, no one would be diving. It is an exception... not the norm. In addition, there are many other causes of vertigo that must be explored, so there is always reason to go see an ENT. Not just an ENT, but an ENT with diving knowledge. Find one in your area by calling DAN.

I can tell you that the example you give is not effective all the time.I have had multiple incidences of Vertigo and closing your eyes and hoping it goes away does not always work. In my case the vertigo is caused by an unequal release of pressure during ascent. This is caused by my eustation tubes working at two different levels of efficiency. One is narrower than the other which causes the narrower one to work harder which leads to it's tiring and eventual lack of function. The solution in this case (from my DAN doctor) was to rest the eustation tubes by taking longer surface intervals between dives. This has alleviated my problem. The blanket statements you made are dangerous... and may lead one with a physical problem not to seek help. If you've experienced vertigo at depth, please see an ENT.

Many incidences of drowning among divers can be credited to vertigo. Vertigo can cause one to lose their regulator from their mouth and then subsequently due to spinning sensation be unable to find it. It is imperative to stop, close your eyes and think if you begin to experience vertigo. Your first thought should be to hold your regulator in your mouth with your right hand. Next, attempt to open your eyes and locate the nearest diver or stationary object to you - grab hold . In cases of ascent induced vertigo, descend slowly as this will often stop the sensation as the pressure trying to escape the inner ear is reduced. At this point, your dive should be over and you should make a safe ascent to the surface with a buddy. A pre-cursor to experiencing this type of vertigo is a slow leak (phizzing ear) from only one ear while ascending. If pressure is releasing from one ear and not the other, your equilibrium is about to be disturbed.