Diving nitrox when you don't own an analyzer

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My wife an I were certified for nitrox many years ago, but have seldom dove anything other than air. There were several reasons for this, including the expense of the fills, having to rent or dedicate a tank, seldom doing more than two dives in a day, not owning an analyzer, etc. In the past decade and a half, things have changed a bit, such as banked nitrox and membrane compressors are much more common so you can get fills without dedicated equipment, and less expensive fills. When I have dove nitrox, I was always able to either borrow the shops analyzer or have them test the tanks in my presence.

My question is this, is it practical to dive nitrox without having your own analyzer? I would like to start using nitrox more, and we have a boat trip scheduled for the end of the month which has EAN32 available. I am not sure how practical this would be without having our own analyzer. What does everyone else who do not have an analyzer do, just fall back to using air? At this point, I don't think we would use an analyzer often enough to justify the cost and maintenance.

If you can't analyze the gas , you don't dive it period!
 
If WHERE you go to get the fill has an analyzer, and you can see it analyzed, then you don't need one, if you don't see where it's filled, and don't see it analyzed before you dive it, then you need one! All depends upon your situation!

So far where I get my regular local fills, I analyze my own cylinders after they are filled. I'm usually standing there while they are being filled, and I can see how he has his system set up for my mix, but we STILL analyze them with his analyzer, after calibrating and taking account for humidity, etc.

Where I usually go on vacation and get my cylinders filled THEY have an analyzer, and I get to see them analyzed when I pick them up. I know the people that run the shop, and I trust that their equipment is properly maintained! (which is why I continue to go there for my fills)

Having my own is on the list of what I need to purchase, but it's not imperative at the moment for me to have my own, I trust where I go for fills, and the integrity of their equipment! It all depends upon your particular situation!
 
I've use mix gas in the Navy, and you must be able to verify gases. But for recreational diving, at shallow to moderate depths, and for enjoyment, it should be keep it simple and safe. Compressed air will do just fine. I think the whole craze for mixed gas rec diving is pushed by businesses that want more money, just like all the upgrades to the latest greatest, and most expensive, new gear. It is market driven. I notice that there are groups that now do 'vintage diving' with the old two hose regulators, I occasionally still use mine. Diving as Cousteau did with just fins, mask, tank and regulator, and weights is still safe, but charter boats and the trade won't allow this do to lawyers, insurance and money. Add a BC or inflatable vest for extra protection is good, but with a wetsuit and weights, this is not absolutely necessary. And I trust my watch and tables more than any computer for rep dives. With accidents involving mixed gas, it will be interesting to see is insurance and lawyers start feeding on the trade, KISS.
 
I don't dive what I can't analyze. that said, after breaking a few analyzers I realized that any shop that fills my tank has a working analyzer. If they don't....or don't let me use and verify it myself....I don't use 'em.
 
I've use mix gas in the Navy, and you must be able to verify gases. But for recreational diving, at shallow to moderate depths, and for enjoyment, it should be keep it simple and safe. Compressed air will do just fine. I think the whole craze for mixed gas rec diving is pushed by businesses that want more money, just like all the upgrades to the latest greatest, and most expensive, new gear. It is market driven. I notice that there are groups that now do 'vintage diving' with the old two hose regulators, I occasionally still use mine. Diving as Cousteau did with just fins, mask, tank and regulator, and weights is still safe, but charter boats and the trade won't allow this do to lawyers, insurance and money. Add a BC or inflatable vest for extra protection is good, but with a wetsuit and weights, this is not absolutely necessary. And I trust my watch and tables more than any computer for rep dives. With accidents involving mixed gas, it will be interesting to see is insurance and lawyers start feeding on the trade, KISS.

I wonder how the statistics of dive accidents involving nitrogen absorption compare to dive accidents caused by nitrox (fires and oxtox). I bet DAN has those statistics if you'd care to do the comparison since you've asserted that nitrox is basically a gimmick to make money.

I would agree that existing nitrox classes are a gimmick to make money. The important parts could be injected into an extra hour of OW class. The science behind nitrox as presented in the naui manuals seems very sound to me.


It's not any kind of scientific anything, but I only recall hearing about one accident on this board where the diver toxed. Nitrogen related accidents get posted far more frequent. What's more, that incident involved the diver ignoring a label on a bottle that said 100% O2.. so technically it wasn't even a mixed gas accident.

I believe that nitrox has been in recreational use for almost 30 years. I think in that time if lawyers were going to start feeding on the trade, they would have.
 
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I've use mix gas in the Navy, and you must be able to verify gases. But for recreational diving, at shallow to moderate depths, and for enjoyment, it should be keep it simple and safe. Compressed air will do just fine.

Until you want to do 4 or 5 dives/day to 70+ feet on a liveaboard, or take advantage of unlimited shore diving someplace like Bonaire.

There are lots of useless gimmicks and money-making schemes in recreational dive gear, but recreational nitrox definitely has legitimate use in some situations. There certainly are no statistics that show that nitrox use has made recreational diving any less safe.
 
I've use mix gas in the Navy, and you must be able to verify gases. But for recreational diving, at shallow to moderate depths, and for enjoyment, it should be keep it simple and safe. Compressed air will do just fine. I think the whole craze for mixed gas rec diving is pushed by businesses that want more money, just like all the upgrades to the latest greatest, and most expensive, new gear. It is market driven. I notice that there are groups that now do 'vintage diving' with the old two hose regulators, I occasionally still use mine. Diving as Cousteau did with just fins, mask, tank and regulator, and weights is still safe, but charter boats and the trade won't allow this do to lawyers, insurance and money. Add a BC or inflatable vest for extra protection is good, but with a wetsuit and weights, this is not absolutely necessary. And I trust my watch and tables more than any computer for rep dives. With accidents involving mixed gas, it will be interesting to see is insurance and lawyers start feeding on the trade, KISS.

In what capacity did you dive in the Navy?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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