Vertigo

[TSandM]

I seem to have a significant problem with severe spatial disorientation when I have no visual reference. In the pool, when we did the mask removal and swim skill, I swam somersaults without knowing it. When I started doing OW dives in the crummy viz we have in the summertime, I would get into midwater and start feeling as though I was tumbling -- the frantic efforts I made to correct what I thought was happening (that wasn't) created the very situation I thought I was attempting to fix. I slowly got to where I can hang in midwater and just monitor my depth gauge, and if I start to feel like I'm tumbling, just ignore it (who cares if you're upside down, if your depth is correct, right? Obviously, Uncle Pug doesn't . . . ) But last night, I was trying to do an ascent in the dark and it hit me again and just wiped out my ability to control my ascent.

I can't be alone in this, because even my PADI manual talked about vertigo in blue water. Does anybody have any clever tips -- visualizations, ways of getting oriented in space -- that will work in the DARK?

 

[FFMDiver]

I seem to have a significant problem with severe spatial disorientation when I have no visual reference. In the pool, when we did the mask removal and swim skill, I swam somersaults without knowing it. When I started doing OW dives in the crummy viz we have in the summertime, I would get into midwater and start feeling as though I was tumbling -- the frantic efforts I made to correct what I thought was happening (that wasn't) created the very situation I thought I was attempting to fix. I slowly got to where I can hang in midwater and just monitor my depth gauge, and if I start to feel like I'm tumbling, just ignore it (who cares if you're upside down, if your depth is correct, right? Obviously, Uncle Pug doesn't . . . ) But last night, I was trying to do an ascent in the dark and it hit me again and just wiped out my ability to control my ascent.

I can't be alone in this, because even my PADI manual talked about vertigo in blue water. Does anybody have any clever tips -- visualizations, ways of getting oriented in space -- that will work in the DARK?

I love lift bags.
I dont dive deep and dont need it for deco, but I love shooting them.
Would this help?
Their fun to practice!

 

[Xanthro]

I've heard and read about this, but have never experienced it. I always no which way is up and down. I've heard people talk about watching your bubbles, but sometimes you can't see them because of visibility.

I think I respond to the changes in gear. To me, the backplate feels much different when it's above me rather than below. I can feel the difference in the shoulder straps as I rotate. Maybe you can learn to feel the same kinds of differences.

While I didn't do this to learn the feeling, I have discovered it helps. I like to sit in mid water and close my eyes and just concentrate on the feeling of weightlessness. You can feel very small changes in current and gear shifts.

BTW, my BP/W is very tight, it's not flopping around by any means, it's just that it feels different depending on my orientation in the water.

BTW, do you have normal or high blood pressure? I have low blood pressure and I can usually feel the difference in how blood flows depending on how I'm oriented.

 

[TSandM]

We had a bag shot last night, so I started out with a line to reference, but I got off position and lost the line and then things just spiralled downward. Literally

 

[dscheck]

You know this reminds me of a story I read in the book "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" by Oliver Sacks

It seems a man had a very difficult time standing and/or walking upright, not leaning front to back but was at a constant angle sideways, and severe problem with his internal equalibrium, which I understand is responsible for vertigo. Anyway the solution was to attach a plumb-bob on an extended arm to the man's eyeglasses so it was constantly in his line of site and he straighten out imediately.

I'm not suggesting adding a plumb-bob to your mask, just putting this out here to start people thinking. I found it to be a very interesting and inventive solution to a problem many experts could not answer.

 

[TSandM]

THAT's an interesting idea -- a short piece of line with a fishing weight on it in my pocket. Hmm. Stay at right angles to the line. I think I'll try it!

 

[jeckyll]

TSnM: I've only felt this slightly twice.

First time was my AOW 'deep' dive. Upon ascending I was on my back (I must have seen some UP pics ) and for some reason I got turned around and felt dizzy. Looking at the line helped me (I stayed in ok trim, just need to find the line quickly).

The Second time occurred this Christmas on a night dive. It had been raining hard and we were descending 'in the soup'. I started feeling dizzy but then made out my buddies fins. I found that I was able to keep focussing on the fins and I was ok. I knew where they were in space.

Have you considered letting a tiny bit of water into your mask. You'll know when it pools to one side or isn't 'level'. I realize it's probably pretty unorthodox, but it would act like a level and give you a reference (an absolute reference). Gravity doesn't lie.

Hope you find something that works for you!

Bjorn

 

[Rick Inman]

This one's easy. Just tape THIS on the inside of your mask.

 

[Xanthro]

This one's easy. Just tape THIS on the inside of your mask.

Make it stop make it stop!!

Actually, it's pretty fun to see if you can make it stop.

 

[jeckyll]

Rick: That's just mean!