# Do rebreather divers ever get narked?



## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

This video provides the answer to the question, "Do rebreather divers ever get narked?"



Whackum


----------



## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

They do seem to be a little silly. I think you can get a lot worse than 'narked' with a rebreather is you aren't super careful. 

I hate to see them taking a hawkfish. That particular variety is super rare and rarely seen. Also, very shy. You see they end up breaking coral off to capture these fish.


----------



## tips n tails (Mar 2, 2011)

Pretty cool video, didn't know people collect wild species for aquariums. Thought they came from breeders.


----------



## Crazy Old Phil (Aug 29, 2014)

tips n tails said:


> Pretty cool video, didn't know people collect wild species for aquariums. Thought they came from breeders.


 There are only a few species of saltwater aquarium fish that have been bred successfully in captivity. There has been progress made, but the vast majority still are collected in the wild.


----------



## MrFish49 (Jun 30, 2012)

I hope the narrator is right and this all for research and new species collection and not for aquaria sale.


----------



## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

They just sounded narked because of the helium changing there voices. There Actions and movements were very precise.


----------



## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

sealark said:


> They just sounded narked because of the helium changing there voices. There Actions and movements were very precise.



Yep. No nitrogen in your mix, no narcosis. Anytime we were mixed gas diving at 300fsw it was on 86/14 heliox. No narcosis. They were just having fun, the rebreather doesn't have anything to do with the narcosis, or lack thereof. All about the mix they are breathing. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Try 285 on straight air all i could do is laugh my ass off. That was in a chamber. Totally useless. Max in water was 210 ft. was close to useless but it sure did feel good and no hangover. 320 ft on Heo2.


----------



## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Did 220 on air in a chamber and we were singing Disney songs laughing and sweating bullets, August in Louisiana. I know my air limits and the bottom of the Tenneco is as deep as I want to go, and not for long either. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

You "experts" crack me up. Take it from an actual rebreather diver who dives trimix about once a week, those folks are narked.


----------



## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Sealark is a retired navy diver, I would say he is an expert. I dove commercially for 4 years... our mixes for that depth would be 86% helium and 14%O2. I'm not sure what is in your "trimix", but I am guessing one of the three gasses that make up the "tri" is nitrogen, which is why you are getting narked on your rebreather. I don't know if local shops can mix 86/14, and if they could, it would be unbelievably expensive for a recreational guy. We had guys in sat at 800fsw diving 98/02 heliox. They weren't narked. No nitrogen, no narcosis. Period. HPNS is another story!


----------



## Berry (Mar 8, 2011)

if no nitrogen and they have altered mental status vs just playing around. I assume narcosis from elevated c02 could happen from equipment malfunction, the chance of that affecting all of them at the same time from indivdual equipment malfunction would be insane. I am more just asking this as a question for you rebreathers if that ever has happened.


----------



## dsar592 (Oct 12, 2007)

HAHA, when I read this post I thought it said do rebreathers ever get naked. I was like WTH?? show me some pics..


----------



## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

FenderBender said:


> Yep. No nitrogen in your mix, no narcosis. Anytime we were mixed gas diving at 300fsw it was on 86/14 heliox. No narcosis. They were just having fun, the rebreather doesn't have anything to do with the narcosis, or lack thereof. All about the mix they are breathing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You are partially right. It IS all about the mix. 
What most pros don't realize is that we non pros don't use Heliox.
For non- surface supplied applications - a mix that contains some nitrogen provides the best balance of gasses . Nitrogen saturates the cellular structure slower than helium, and using a little of it instead of more helium allows the diver to avoid lengthy deco.
Each diver decides his own tolerance level for each dive, and mixes accordingly.
Rebreather divers have some control over the mix during the dive, but usually only the level of O2.....the dilulent mix is already set.
Thus- rebreather divers are JUST AS LIKELY TO GET NARKED as an open circuit diver.....more likely than a heliox diver.
On a side note....O2 is believed by some to be narcotic as well.....and of course there is high pressure nervous syndrome ...so helium isn't benign either.


----------



## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

so....with all of this discussion...are you guys saying that we don't call it nitrogen narosis any more?

jack


----------



## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

It's still called nitrogen narcosis jack...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## AndyS (Nov 22, 2011)

FenderBender said:


> ... No nitrogen, no narcosis. Period. HPNS is another story!


Had to look that one up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-pressure_nervous_syndrome

_(of course I'm not an "expert" .... but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once.)_


----------

