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Ooops, I forgot to put in my original post about getting the feel for narcosis: I think its a great ideal to broaden one's horizons and IF THEY"RE COMFORTABLE with it, do a dive to 130 or maybe 150 feet to get familiar with narcosis, as long as they are with someone who is experienced at this sort of thing, but I wasn't meaning that anyone should go and get completely blasted by going deeper. Back a few years ago, when we were pushing 190' on air, there were some pretty spooky experiences, and I've been over 300' a few times and can sympathasize with Raimo. I consider the dives I've done over 200' to be crazy these days, but I can't change the past and with todays MIX technology, I can't see doing it again. BUT, I am continually doing dives to 150 on air with people just getting in to this sort of thing, and they many times claim to have NO narcosis, while I can many times feel it approach at less than 100', although with no major imparment. I'm just saying take a couple trips down to reasonably familiar or comfortable depths and you WILL feel narcosis if you're in tune with your senses, so yeah, it is important to get the "feel" for it. Otherwize you would be diving haphazardly not even knowing if you are affected or not. Tim Olson deepdive@sa*.cv*.or* ******************************************************* ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 08:29:33 -0400 (EDT) From: Mike Zimmerman <zimmmt@au*.al*.co*> To: Timothy Olson <deepdive@sa*.cv*.or*> Cc: techdiver <techdiver@terra.net> Subject: Re: Nitrogen Narcosis (fwd) > I'm not sure what some of the others on the list are going to say about this > comment, but IMHO, I believe that knowing the "Beast" of narcosis is the > only way to safely dive deeper. I don't advocate doing real deep air > dives, or running END's up high on mix dives....I'm just saying that in order > to get yourself out of future predicaments, I'd learn what it is and how > to cope. Nowadays I think I'd be flamed and charred for this, but before > I got into mix, I spent quite a few dives progressing to 150, 175, and > 190 on air until I learned to deal with it better. Now I keep my END's > at 150' or less on the mix dives that I do, which I feel is the only safe > way to go. > > If you don't know what it is, you may end up passing out someday because > you didn't feel it coming on. > > Above all, do your deeper "intro to narcosis" dives with someone who has > some experience in this area, whether or not they are an instructor isn't > enough. > > Happy and safe diving! > > Tim Olson > Underwater Ventures > Eau Claire, WI Tim, I agree, know thy enemy, and narcosis is an enemy. The idea of somehow trying to experience a "controlled" session of narcosis is something I have sympathy for. Myself I have decided that I will make every effort to do it in a chamber though, which means waiting until DAN starts doing deeper experiments (I live 20 miles from DAN) or finding another chamber that is willing to take people down. I've met a few divers who said that they've been to such chambers, that will take you down, but they lived elsewhere at the time. Of course some people just look at this idea and shake their heads. I simply think there are dives I want to do that are deeper than I've been, and so far I really don't feel like I have been narced. I might be willing to concede some physical reaction slowness, but on my deepest dives I have also felt very focused. Some people will say its just like having a few beers, that's fine but I don't feel like doing that kind of dive experience (having a few beers and diving shallow so I am narced). Moreso, I've heard (it could be false) that in a chamber (nice relatively safe environment) you can notice smaller, more subtle symptoms of narcosis since you don't have a dive plan competing for your attention. anyway, just some thoughts, Mike -- Mike Zimmerman < zimmmt@au*.al*.co* > Alcatel Network Sytems, Ral, NC *My opinions, not Alcatel's* [\] NC Diving: http://www.vnet.com/scuba/ A is A. Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it.
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