tingling on deep dives

[fishimani]

Hey everyone, i really dont know where to post this one but i thought that safety would be the key thing here....

When i am doing some of my deeper dives, upon surfacing i get a tingling sensation ........a numbing sort of feeling in my arms and legs. Then right prior to the next dive at the end of my breathe up the same thing happens again. It goes away when i am down at depth however. I was concerned that it was a lack of surface time since i do not monitor that as well as i should. for my breathe up (from experience what works best) i do 35 inhalations (not hyperventilating of course) counting forwards and backwards from 1-5 to 1-15 and from 15 backwards...sort of a pre dive meditation sort of thing i guess you could call it......that usually takes quite some time but once again, i do not monitor that time. I got out of the water early today since usually soon after i notice this tingling sensation i generally have a mild samba. (i hit surface inhale, put the snorkel in mouth then my body does some sort of seisure like flail for about 2-3 seconds...mild enough so my partner is oblivious) I always tell my partner to watch extra close and so on and so fourth.... the bottom line is....what the heck is the tingling about. any reccomendations from the freediver brainiacs or the fish killers?

thanks,

Pete

 

[podge]

I’m no expert but it sounds to me like you’re only a couple of seconds away from a full on black out!
Don’t push your bottom times for as long and if you’re down for 1min then recovery should be at least 3mins.
Take it a bit easier as the fish will always be there next time you dive.
Better to dive a touch shallower and live to post the pictures on here than push that little bit to far and get yourself a visit from the Grim Reaper.

 

[Erik]

Sounds like classic pre-blackout tingling. I did lots of training up to blackout so that I could ride the edge... very dangerous for actual diving. Be careful friend.
Erik

 

[azapa]

I think the pre- dive breathing sounds like hyperventilation signals. Your counting idea sounds bad. Just breathe like you were watching TV. Concentrate that is is not anything else. Just try to move the diaphragm in and out. If your partner can hear anything from your snorkel, you are probably hyperventilating.

regarding the after dive tingling. not too sure there, but if your getting a small samba after every dive they are way to long for recreational spearing. Try to take a freediving course, that will show you how to do relaxed dives that result in safer dives.

 

[demasoni]

Sounds like you could be getting close to BO. When you come up, don't immediately put your snorkel in your mouth and start breathing. Perform some recovery breaths without your snorkel or even "hook breaths" (look them up in the Search function).

As far as tingling, the only time I experience tingling in my limbs is when I seriously hyperventilate, especially in my fingers. I agree with Azapa and try breath-ups without any pattern or structure - just normal relaxed breathing starting from the diaphragm.

 

[acevedo joseph]

Hi Fishimani , I had a question for you before you get this tingling feeling on the surface , do you get Contractions underwater ??
I have had My Legs go Numb a few times in the past , every time it happened I got sharp contractions underwater ..
　
　
Take it Tranqilo ,,,,,, Be Safe ,,, Joe

 

[trux]

As told by others, the pre-dive tingling is a very clear sign of hyperventilation, and as such it is very dangerous. If you get to that state before a dive, you better stop and wait a few minutes, breathing very lightly (sub-tidal breathing). Many freedivers invent breath-up routines, and are persuaded they help them, but in fact they are all some form of hyperventilation, and just lower the CO2 level, hence increasing the time of comfort. But in the same time it reduces the safety margin. And what freedivers often don't know, it also reduced the hypoxic tolerance (due to the shift of the Bohr curve). Hence, although it feels easier, you will black out sooner than if you ventilate normally.

The post-dive tingling is another issue, though. It can be just plain release of the vasoconstriction (part of Diving Response). That's nothing bad in self, and if it came with no signs of LMC, or no strong signs of hypoxia, it would not necessarily be of any concern. But it can be also the onset of samba, as others told, or perhaps you just feel the excess acid lactic. However, if it is always connected with signs of progressed hypoxia as you wrote, then you apparently push too far, have no safety margin, and could black out at just a very slight change of occurrences. And, of course, the pre-dive hyperventilation is a very good explanation for it too.

 

[fishimani]

So deep breathing is considered a no-no entirely? Wouldnt that reduce bottom time substantially?.....how can you breathe up like you are "sitting in front of a tv" when i take very shallow breaths when just lounging around (which is the breathe up style suggested).....is there a way to get a proper breathe up where i can have comfort somewhat and still get the hang necessary to shoot fish at depth?

Thanks,

Pete

 

[azapa]

you should forget deep breathing, it will bite you when you least expect it. It is entirely wrong to think it reduces bottom time, to be honest just the opposite. What it does do is only increase comfort in the first half or so of the dive. Good contractions are healthy.

just bob around completly limp on the surface for at least 3 times your dive time, breathing normally, take one big inhale (this alone is a whole subject matter to be learned from a pro in person) and go. Get accustomed to that, within 6 months of diving your dive times will probably return to actual levels and with 100% more safety. Always dive with a buddy too, sounds like you are a bit on the edge.

dive safe

 

[fishimani]

Thanks for all the great info azapa; everyone. I do always dive with a partner and i am currently looking for a way to get to one of these freediving classes (maybe my next leave period) ...once again, great help and thanks for the info. NO HYPERVENTILLATING!!!!! got it. :blackeye

Thanks,

Pete