Ever narked? Never!

[ratcliffe]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

Nitrogen is the initial cause and gives the slightly intoxicated feeling and you do the "I must be super alert" routine so you check your guages and buddies a little too frequently but since you don't really absorb the info you need to check them again pretty soon just to prove you are on top of your game.

That is a very good description of what I was trying to say earlier... pretty much exactly what I get from about 30 metres downwards.

[Johnny Boy]

I remember whilst diving stoney last year i got quite narked and which led to what i think was a CO2 hit. We were happily floating down the slope towards the 30m mark, eventually reaching 35m. I had my large 3 chip video housing with me, and was trying to video my buddy. The task loading combined with swimming and physically lugging the housing around got to me. It started with a buzzy feeling, followed by an impending sense of dread that literally made me weak at the knees! I kid not!

I felt like i needed some sort of visual reference of the cliff face or something to settle my fears, but we ended up swimming across barren silt for sometime. Once at the cliff edge and we scended up to say 26m it went and I was fine.

I recently passed my advanced nitrox deco procs and trimix certs, and whilst diving to approx 45m on air i felt 'ok', but my response times were noted by my instructor as being slower. I managed to do the drills ok, sending up lift bags etc...

When diving the same dives, and slightly deeper to 50m on trimix, my response times were notably quicker (i was breathing 21/34).
Light levels were nearly non existant passed 30m, pitch black at 40m +, which i thought would knacker me totally, but was ok, especially so on mix.

So.... Do a trimix course for 40m or deeper dives is my advice.

[jonny4846]

I am always Narked. The Allistor for example, always narked at the bottom(21-23m), not too severe, but delayed reactions etc.

Worst case was a difficult surface swim to a down line and a lost inflator hose on the way down to 43m on the U861 and forgot how to turn my torch on. The dive on the bottom lasted 15 mins I can remember at best 3 mins.... Ask Dave... A narcosis like that will put some real manners on you, if it doesn't result in your!!!! Everybody is narked to varying degrees, just be aware of it and the dive is lot more comfortable and enjoyable..... Good question though Graham...

Jonny

[Ding Dang Doo]

I saw a Manta on Elphinstone at about 34m...

errrr, no I didn't....

everyone had a right old laugh at the end of the dive... me included

Me Sir? Narked Sir? Yes Sir!

Pete

[Nick_lincoln]

Originally Posted by scuba g

A question I notice on some forums when you are putting information in about yourself and in quite alot of responces, Never. Since narcosis occurs to some small extent at any depth, but doesn't become noticeable until deeper depths, (commonly 30m to 40m range), why do divers still say they have never been narked? I can understand that some may say "I have never felt it" but the thing is in most cases you dont realise you have been affected by it! So just seeing what other divers views or on this.

I was in this bracket until recently. Its fair enough to say you have never felt an effect as long as you are aware that there is one, or the potential for one and keep this is mind.

Nov 2007, UC-70, 23 ish metres on air. We were in the slack window but it would be turning soon, we were on the lee side of the wreck. As we rounded the stern and left the lee side of the wreck we were beginning to affected by the current, though swimming into it. Near the bow I stopped and turned around for a look at the deck gun. As I was no longer swimming into the current it moved me towards the wreck and slightly upwards. Had a major brainfart and thought the wreck was rolling towards me. Definately narcosis effects, forgetting about the current and assuming a wreck which hadn't moved in years was tumbling towards me!

[Jim Shaw]

I don't honestly think that I've ever been narked, even on my most extreme dive which was,

a Solo, 49 metre dive, with a single 12 litre, on holiday last year,

I was always aware of my guages and limitations, and came back up to agreed depth, on time as per dive plan.

[Scu-bamboo]

i got narked for the first time this sunday
36m
managed to write my name backwards on a slate still tho!
just got very smiley and flooded my mask a bit :P

[Bottle Maker]

I nKnow I suffered from narcosis, I did not know how bad it was until I started using Helium. It was more frightning knowing how out of control I had been on some dives than it was doing the dives. I have spoken to loads of divers who do not suffer from narcosis but none of them have ever used trimix.

Graham

[Brian of Aquanauts]

As Mal said really but...

Narcosis is not a feeling, you ARE narked you just don't know it yet.



Now there is also a mistaken belief that work up dives and experience can get rid of narcosis. Well in the same way that a drunk can learn how to manipulate their car properly and with practice they can probably get better at it, a diver can learn how to dive while narked. However the drunk still can't stop the car when someone steps out of front of him, just as the diver will have problems dealing with an unexpected problem.


One of my friends is currently running a narcosis study at a chamber, and it's showing some quite interesting results about risk taking. Can't wait to see the paper.

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by tootricky

I thought I had never been narked at depth until I did a trimix course. The clarity I experienced at 40m was a real eye opener for me. I have noticed it more often since then when not diving mix.

Having just done my first dive on trimix, i can relate to that, although i know i get narked. I have done 50m on air, and it was OK, but I remember thinking fantastic... ihave found treasure. it was gold and shiny, so I dug it out and stuffed it in my dry suit pocket.

When I got back on the boat, the guys I was diving with wanted to know why I was picking up crisp packets. erm... keeping the seas tidy, of course!

Today, I did 50m on trimix. It is very different. I was much more in control, and I remember the whole dive. It was like the fog had been lifted.

I did wonder, though, what it is I usually find so amusing at depth!