"Rapture of the Deep"

[Splitlip]

oh. Salt water.

[Jack Hammer]

Old Thread.

I've noticed it is much more pronounced for me when I start to feel the cold or start to get tired after multiple dives. As for depth, I usually become aware of the onset of a slowing of my mental processes ~70', again this becomes much more noticeable when the water is cold. I've taken pics at 100'+ on a wreck of things I have no recollection of having seen. I've also shown pics to other divers who "don't get narked" of areas we explored together and have had them have no recollection of having seen those things, yet they themselves are in the pictures. Oddly, I didn't notice any sluggishness at all when I dove in clear warm tropical waters to over 100'.

I've felt that "dark" thing a few times when diving in poor vis and you can't really see anything but dark grey/green with particulates, kinda like driving in the rain at night without lights and looking up, it can be very disorienting.

[Splitlip]

Originally Posted by Jack Hammer

Old Thread.

I've noticed it is much more pronounced for me when I start to feel the cold or start to get tired after multiple dives. As for depth, I usually become aware of the onset of a slowing of my mental processes ~70', again this becomes much more noticeable when the water is cold. I've taken pics at 100'+ on a wreck of things I have no recollection of having seen. I've also shown pics to other divers who "don't get narked" of areas we explored together and have had them have no recollection of having seen those things, yet they themselves are in the pictures. Oddly, I didn't notice any sluggishness at all when I dove in clear warm tropical waters to over 100'.

I've felt that "dark" thing a few times when diving in poor vis and you can't really see anything but dark grey/green with particulates, kinda like driving in the rain at night without lights and looking up, it can be very disorienting.

Great post. Food for thought. I HATE cold water and poor viz dives. Wonder if some of that is the onset of narcosis at shallower depths.

[Scuba Pete]

I dont generally dive very deep. The deepest I have been was 115 and bad things happened which caused my buddy to panic and start swimming up the air expanded in his BC and had an uncontrolled accent from about 100' to the surface. I was caught up in the moment trying to help him and had an uncontrolled accent from about 100' to 40'. At which point i had no idea which way was up. I think that it was a massive narcosis hit due to accending so fast. I stopped at 40' until i was able to tell which way was up, about 5 mins, and accended extremly slowly. I remember staring at my depth gauge and trying to figure out what depth i was at, then forgeting, staring some more, etc. until it cleared. I have had the "dark nark" our deepest dives are generally 60'. The cold, dark, no vis i think amplifies the affects of narcosis. I did a 100' dive in the caymans and my mind was as clear as it was on the surface. But at 60' in a quarry it seems that i am not as clear. I have also been to 110' in a florida cave with no issues other than swimming slower than the flow was pushing my instructor.

[in_cavediver]

It may be old but still somewhat interesting.

My first inclination was built up from expectations of it during an advanced nitrox class. I felt the impending sense of doom at 130ish. Back to 70 and was just fine.

Later, I did another dive when I anticipated the narcosis and found I couldn't read my compass at 110'.

Not too much later, but after several drills and a class, I found myself quite happy at 150' in a cave. No doom, just a little tunnel vision on the first orientation dives to the cave. (I focused on the dive mechanics more and didn't enjoy the scenery as much)

Now, much later, I have done quite a bit more to manage narcosis and found I can do a fair number of things well, even at 160'. Trimix is better but air is still ok for to around 160-165' if the dive is worth it. I find in my case its the attitude and anticipation that made the differences. I thought I was going to be narcd and of course I was. Now, I just plan for simple dives when narc'd and have my procedures down to the level I could do them drunk - OK, lift bags aren't that good but valve drills are.

I'll end on this - Helium is great. Its makes the dive world a better place but I still will dive deep air on occasion and manage the resultant narcosis if the dive is worth it.