Nitrox for older divers

[chillyinCanada]

I was much younger than I am now when I started diving it and no geezer at that time, but time waits for no one, and now it is possible that I dive it as a geezer gas.

 

[Boston Breakwater]

AARP

Too funny.

 

[halocline]

I believe that the effect of nitrox reducing post dive fatigue is likely due to simply exiting the water with less residual nitrogen than on an identical dive on air. It's easy to recreate the same effect with air; just do a longer safety stop and clear more N2 from your bloodstream before surfacing. I've done this for years on deep recreational dives, especially repetitive dives, and it really works. And I'm no spring chicken.

That said, if you don't mind spending the money on nitrox, there certainly is no disadvantage as long as you don't exceed MODs or total O2 exposure. Every one of my cave dives in MX has been on 32%, because that's what the shop I dive with provides. With the length of those dives, it is easy to get into 'lite' deco even at the shallow depths of most of them.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

I always use 32%. Most of my yearly diving is in caves and typically 4-6 tanks a day. We also use the 100% when we expect more than 10 minutes of deco.

 

[lexvil]

65, dive air but if nitros is available in some travel package will use it otherwise can’t justify the addexpense.

 

[scubadada]

I was much younger than I am now when I started diving it and no geezer at that time, but time waits for no one, and now it is possible that I dive it as a geezer gas.

Nice twisted combination of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones

 

[Edward3c]

I don’t notice any difference in energy diving with or without Nitrox. That doesn’t mean there isn’t an advantage, just I don’t notice one.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

I don’t notice any difference in energy diving with or without Nitrox. That doesn’t mean there isn’t an advantage, just I don’t notice one.

+1

 

[tursiops]

I base my diving on scientific facts, so I don't believe there is any difference in how divers "feel". It's too subjective. There is no magic elixir in nitrox.
I use it to increase my bottom time, or to shorten deco stops. That's all.

That's not actually all. If you do the same NDL dive with Nitrox or air, you take on less N2 on the Nitrox dive. Scientific fact, not subjective. Perhaps some folks are very sensitive to the extra N2 in the their body? "Sub-Clinical DCS" some call it?

 

[Celt]

I'm 66 and don't. But most of my dives are very shallow, so Nitrox' extending bottom times is useless. I know it is used by some and they set their computer on Air for more conservatism. I suppose that may be a good idea for us old people since our circulation regarding Nitrogen on & offgassing is not as good as when young.

If on gassing and off gassing are affected by age does that mean they cancel one another out.