$70 Nitrox Course - Three Hours

[DandyDon]

]" 3 hours?! You can't do a 3 hours class for $98 to be a better diver? "

Ummmm...I don't live in FLA, I live in the middle of Illinois. I'll check into Nitrox here but, I don't think it will be as inexpensive and simple to take as in a bigger city. I wasn't disagreeing about taking it just why I havn't taken it yet.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I was just reacting to your "no time for it" response - a little over reactin, sorry. :blush: Happens. Yeah, may not be as cheap there, but call around and see. You can do your Nitrox course with any agency/shop. If you do it with Padi, then any replacement cards are combination cards. When I got my last card with them, they didn't want to make the new one a combination, but I whined on the phone until they got tired of listening to me and did it. They couldn't give me a reason for not issuing a combo card, just a ruse to sell more replacement cards.

How about this suggestion: IF you go on a dive trip to the ocean, get it before you go, regardless - or see if you can do it the first day of your trip there, except why use dive trip time for a class you can do at home...?

just food for thought, some resorts offer a combined AOW and Nitrox course for a single low price. For example, I happen to know that the Bay Island Beach Resort in Roatan offers the AOW and Nitrox courses for $250. Of course, Nitrox counts as one of your AOW specialities which still allows you to take Night, Deep, and two other specialities of your choice.

When Padi required 2 Nitrox dives for that course, one could often save some money that way. Now that they don't, I don't guess I see the point. I'd suggest trying to do the class at home, rather than using trip time for it, then - if you do the Aow on a trip, the course will include 5 dives.

Take a good advanced open water first,little more physics and more exposure to decompression theory. Maybe suggest to your LDS to combine the courses!
www.antillesdiving.com

Again, I don't see the point of combining the courses now...?

Additional, quality training is always a good idea. Just do the Nitrox course before you need it, not after.

 

[Don Burke]

I only (unfortunately) have one wreck dive so far and it was with my instructor, Mr. I have gills. He stayed down there (~100 feet) for the same time as 2 groups of AOWD students used to descent, have a peek and ascent (1 group went down, spent their time around the wreck and when we started ascending the next group went down) plus he spent 20 minutes (i think it was 20) in deco. He used the same tanks as we did.. If I used air the way he does, I wouldnt need nitrox anytime soon, but im not in that kinda luck.
Im gonna need to read and learn more about nitrox before I take the final decision on wether to take nitrox or rescue diver first i guess. And equally important, find out how the possibilities for filling nitrox is in the areas im most likely to dive.

Actually, divers with great gas consumption rates are the ones most likely to benefit from EAN.

A big cylinder is a good interim measure for gas consumption problems.

I see many 125s and 131s around here and some of the doubled tanks have never seen deco.

A pair of AL80s and EAN32 go together pretty well for 60 foot no-stop dives.

 

[DandyDon]

I did have another idea, a different approach; what do ya think...?

If you haven't got your Nitrox card yet,
For Gawd's Sake -
Stay Off Of The Deeper Dive Boats...!
​

Yeah like that'd work. :silly: Not likely.

And some boats don't do Nitrox, I know. Been on one to The Beminis, and one to Calf's Channel Islands. But then we're all on 21%.

But most boats & resorts do offer it, leaving the possibility of conflict open.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I did have another idea, a different approach; what do ya think...?

If you haven't got your Nitrox card yet,
For Gawd's Sake -
Stay Off Of The Deeper Dive Boats...!
​

Yeah like that'd work. :silly: Not likely.

And some boats don't do Nitrox, I know. Been on one to The Beminis, and one to Calf's Channel Islands. But then we're all on 21%.

But most boats & resorts do offer it, leaving the possibility of conflict open.

Actually, Don, you would have probably gotten less grief if you had posted that instead.

 

[DandyDon]

Actually, Don, you would have probably gotten less grief if you had posted that instead.

Give it time, there will be posters objecting to that. "I've done deeper dives on air, no problems. :shakehead Yeah, me too - when Nitrox was not available. Also in Cozumel, with multi levels dives rather than square profiles - I'll do air on first and Nitrox on second of two deeper dives. I'd do 2 Nitrox tanks, but I'd be the only one on the boat, still doing the longer SI - and the upgrades are pricier there. On Roatan and Utila, I'm more likely to do the $100 for a week of all Nitrox.

 

[vondo]

I guess what amazes me is that there seems to be a lot of angst over missing 8-10 minutes of diving. I understand we often pay a lot to travel and dive and like to maximize our time, but on the other hand this is supposed to be fun. My last (2nd) dive on the Speigel Grove my insta-buddy had an air leak which I didn't catch and we cut the dive quite short (18 minutes splash to surface), but hey, that's just one of those things.

Don, I'd be glad to meet up with you sometime in the Keys and we can both dive Nitrox. I won't even b**** about how you are an air hog.

PS: Don, you said middle of IL but your profile says West TX. Now I didn't do so great in geography, but I'm thinkin' those are a bit away from each other.

 

[vondo]

BTW, I want to emphasize to new divers (since this is the new diver forum) that contrary to popular belief, Nitrox is NOT a way to be able to dive deeper. It is a way to stay longer at depths of 60-100 feet (18-30 m) or so.

Every time I tell a new-ish diver that I'm Nitrox certified, they want to know how deep that means I can go. I think this is an important misconception to dispell. The simple answer is "not more than 130 feet" and if you want the complicated answer, take the course.

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah Vondo, I wanta keep it fun, too. Another action I shared with my new buddy, without really explaining (didn't want to seem bossy) - I stopped at 15 ft on way down, had him turn around so I could check closer for bubbles, had him look at my tank & reg - OK? But things do happen that cut dives short, I know. The problem of this thread is too each to prevent.

I do need to be hitting the gym more, shaping up - helps on air, but I am thinking of buying a 100-120 cf Nitrox tank and flying it when I travel. I'm still allowed 2 - 70# checked bags, so I might arrange the weigh okay - need to looks at tank weights again. I worry about taping up the tank & valve separately, tho, letting TSA inspect it, then putting O2 directly into it. :11: Maybe ground ship it intact but that's pricey. Really need to viz it after every flight - twice per trip. Nah, I gotta start calling ahead, finding the larger Nitrox tanks for rent, and renting there - then getting a discount from the Dive Op. Tavernier Dive Center had larger Nitrox tanks, but they're gone. Wonder who bought them?

PS: Don, you said middle of IL but your profile says West TX. Now I didn't do so great in geography, but I'm thinkin' those are a bit away from each other.

Not me, a poster above.

BTW, I want to emphasize to new divers (since this is the new diver forum) that contrary to popular belief, Nitrox is NOT a way to be able to dive deeper. It is a way to stay longer at depths of 60-100 feet (18-30 m) or so.

Every time I tell a new-ish diver that I'm Nitrox certified, they want to know how deep that means I can go. I think this is an important misconception to dispell. The simple answer is "not more than 130 feet" and if you want the complicated answer, take the course.

Thank you very much. Good Add.

 

[joe rock]

Actually, Don, you would have probably gotten less grief if you had posted that instead.

Nah, we would have found some reason to beat Don up!

 

[Don Burke]

Nah, we would have found some reason to beat Don up!

When did we start needing a reason?