What made us feel ill?

[Eino Maki]

Hi to All!
My buddy and I started diving in the fall of 2002 and in Jaunuary 2003 went to Cozumel and had a fantastic time. This last spring, we wanted to try diving locally. We each purchased an new 80 cu.ft. tank and went to his cabin on Deer Lake, east of Taylors Falls. We had on wet suits but no hoods. It was cold. we kicked up a lot of sediment right away. 20 minutes later, we were both hanging onto the dock trying not to hurl. For two days I felt like I used to after I rode the Tilt-a-Whirl at the fair with my kids.
We wondered if there was something in the new tanks that could have made us sick. I talked to the folks at the dive shop and they said it was probably a reaction to the cold and vertigo due to the silt and the resulting loss of visibility. I guess we sort of lost the reference to the horizon.
From your experiences, does this sound like a reasonable explanation? Have you had similar experiences? We have since purchased 7mm hoods but I have not had a chance to dive anymore this summer.
What measures can we take to avoid this happening again?
Thanks!
Eino Maki

[LKunze]

What was the water temp?

[Chadwick]

My guess is the cold water hitting the middle/inner ear. I feel that nausea when the cold water first gets in there. The hood helps me lot.

[tcjtn0]

Yep , and then there are those of us that are dizzy all the time! Seriously, it sounds like a very good guess. Especially if you are new to the "colder/siltier" environments.

Jean

[waterpanda]

I have gotten dizzy several times when resurfacing. Seems to be a problem with reverse block. At what depth did you get sick?

[Eino Maki]

What was the temp? I can't find the instruction book for my computer and it took me a few days to refresh my memory on how to find the dive in the computer's logbook. The water temp. was 66 degrees. We were in for 21 minutes and reached a maximum depth of 27 feet. What amazed me was the temperature drop when you hit the themocline layer. This was right at 27 feet. We could stick our hand down into it and it felt like ice water.
What is the temperature of Lake Superior in the summer? Do people dive it in wet suits, or is it the domain of the dry suit?
How far can you see?
Thanks, Eino

[jasondbaker]

Eino, I recommend diving locally this spring with some experienced local people. You will get some good tips on how to improve your skills. Cold water diving is different than what you did down in Coz.

My guess is the combination of cold, limited viz, and variable bouyancy led to your condition. More experience is the cure.

[JoelW]

You are probably getting a combination. Kicking up the silt will potentially cause a lose of vertical reference if you weren't near the bottom to tell what is up and down. Cold in the ear can really mess up the equilibrium. Below 75F I have to wear a hood or I get vertigo like you won't believe. I talked to a doc about it and his response was that my ears were doing what they are supposed to do when they get a shot of cold water. One is a more sensitive than the other so I get a bit out of kilter.

Joel

[Dano]

O.K. - I have to ask, were you satisfied that the air in your tank was clean? Or at least filled by a dive shop?

[Eino Maki]

Dano,
The tanks were new and filled at the dive shop.
Eino