AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Diving the Blue Hole

bywarren said: There can be many warning signs that a dive should be aborted, both before and during the dive.

seashell replies: This is true and should be heeded. By the same token, it's not like it is really common either.

bywarren said: I personally know a former dive master who has permanent neurological damage from having to chase a diver who got nacrosis and went the "wrong way". Any diver who allows themselves to experience narcosis is putting both themselves and others in danger.

seashell replies: Do you dive by? Everyone experiences narcosis to some degree whether they admit/accept that or not. In any event, your DM buddy did not get neurological damage from going deeper. Perhaps going deeper caused him to accumulate deco time that he blew off, or perhaps he ascended to rapidly for some other reason, but it wasn't the going deeper that caused his neurological symptoms. If he was chasing a diver who was ascending too rapidly, in an effort to stop that diver's too rapid ascent, that could cause the problems to which you refer. In that event, narcosis would have abated as the divers went more shallow. If narcosis was indeed involved in this circumstance, perhaps your DM buddy meant that the diver in question, became agitated at depth due to narcosis and panicked and went rapidly for the surface?

bywarren said: The Blue Hole dive is not a dive where the dive masters should have to watch 20 divers at 20 different depths trying to avoid narcosis.

seashell replies: Agreed, however, that is not what I said either. If a diver feels significantly narced they can often alleviate the symptoms by ascending a foot or so. Ergo, if the diver is at 133' and feels a bit giddy, then ascending to 130' may be all that is needed to feel more normal.

This is another reason that I always recommend that the divers intending to do the Blue Hole, do some deep dives before they go to BH. That way they will have some idea of how they may feel. There is no guarantee of degree of narcosis at a certain depth. Some people are more affected by it than others, and some people are more affected by it different days and at different depths. Who knows maybe it has to do with lack of sleep, hydration, mood, rate of descent or the phases of the moon (joke). Ergo, you just need to learn to recognize it within yourself early enough so that you can take steps to ascend a foot or so, if need be.

bywarren said: It is just my opinion that if a diver gets narcosis on a group dive when the profile is to dive to depths of 130ft or greater, they should abort their dive for both their own safety and the safety of the others.

seashell replies: Well, that's a difficult call. Once you are at 130' on the Blue Hole dive, (or even higher) abrupt abort can actually create a safety hazard for the aborting diver, their buddy and others in the water. Better to learn to recognize your symptoms and ascend a foot or so until you feel less giddy. Pause, think, react. After you have ascended that foot or so, and are feeling less giddy, you can try to descend again, often the narcosis will not be as noticeable on the second attempt to go to depth.

bywarren said: There is no reason to hang out at 80ft in the Blue Hole where there is nothing to see and have the dive master not be able to devote all of his attention to the divers that are diving the planed dive.

seashell replies: Certainly not, and I've never advocated anything of the sort. bywarren have you ever made the Blue Hole dive?

seashell: I do not mean to turn this into a debate on your and my ideas of a safe dive or safe diving procedures. I just personally feel that on a dive like the Blue Hole, all divers should be able to dive the profile of the planed dive and if not, for what ever reasons, they should abort the dive.

My friend was the dive master on a Blue Hole dive, 30 years ago, when a diver got narcosis and headed for the bottom. By the time the dive master caught up with him their bottom time and air supply did not allow for a slow enough assent and proper decompression. They both ended up needing re-compression and by the time they got to a chamber too much damage had been done.

My opinion is formed on 46 years of diving. I have dove the Blue Hole enough times that I would have to strain my memory to count them.

We can argue all we want over each others opinion. I just believe that some of the deaths that have occured in the Blue Hole could have been prevented if divers that began to experience narcosis were able to recoginize it and aborted the dive as opposed to continuing and going beyond their limits on that particular day under those particular circumstances. That is my opinion - based on my experience.

bywarren, I'm not trying to argue with you and please accept my apologies if it appeared that way or if you felt I was impugning your experience in any way. I was merely somewhat confused by your original description of the specific event you related here. As it turns out, the ultimate neurological consequences were indeed due to accumulated deco and necessity to blow it off (due to lack of air, as you say).

When I write these posts, I don't consider them as only between you and me. If that were so, we could have our discussions by email. When I write what I write, I'm trying to keep in mind that the original posters and likely many other divers (especially those that have not been in the Hole) are reading.

While on the one hand, you and I appear to be in agreement that no one should take the dive lightly, we may not be in agreement as to how much fear and dread we are attempting to instill into those readers. (wicked grin).

Again, no offence intended.

I agree whole heartedly, seashell. You and I are just expressing our opinions. My original response to this was initiated by the comment made "a nice narc buzz", etc. That makes me cringe and sends the wrong message. And, it is my opinion that there are far too many people doing the Blue Hole dive that should not be doing it. When you have the number of diving accidents that have been a result of diving the Blue Hole, things are being done wrong. That is a black eye on Belize and I don't like that.

Very informative (and interesting) post. Nice having some pros in this field comment in depth, (no pun intended).
Good reading, for sure.

I know its a little off-topic but since this thread has captured the attention of some very experienced Belize divers, I have another question to ask. Is it worth ponying up a hundred bucks or so to upgrade a local reef dive (from Ambergris Caye) to one of the Atolls dives?

NO question!! Do it. The Atoll dives are 3 tanks. Takes all day, leaves very early in the morning. Get to bed earlier than usual the night before, you won't regret it. Go with Amigos on their Pro48.

Well this has been extremely interesting reading and I will be extremely careful. I will be staying at the Banana Beach - do you know if they have their own dive shop or Monkey Business just books your dives with local dive operators? Also, can you leave your equipment if diving all week?

You people have been such a great help and I thank you all. Bywarren I fully understand your concerns and how some people express themselves - but I love life and that means the world to me! Thanks for your valauble input.

BB does not have their own dive shop but can hook you up with anyone. Nearly all op's, to my knowledge at least, will store your gear for the week & keep it clean

Thanks!