Advantages of Trimix?

[ScubaBB]

It's getting clearer now.

 

[danvolker]

Heart a lot about Trimix lately. I'm always interested in learning new things about diving. Can somebody explain me what are the advantages of diving with Trimix?

Many people will find dives that excite them, on deeper reefs or wrecks---as these begin to reach depths of 100 feet to even 130 feet, many of these same divers will be "impaired" mentally on air or nitrox. This means you are not as safe, and that you have less to be thrilled about on the dive, as you are not processing everything anymore...and you will have less memories of the dive because you did not really experience all of it. As the desired dive sites run from 130 to 150, the use of Trimix becomes even more essential, because the vast majority of divers are becoming severely impaired in this range.
the helium is also actually "healthier" for your red blood cells, as nitrogen at the pressures of 130 and greater, begins to damage the red blood cells.


You do not need any advanced skills to use 21-35 ( 21 % O2, 35% helium) trimix, beyond very good bouyancy and trim and good ascending skills, meaning that you can do a slightly slower ascent than is the norm, and be ABLE to hold a stop when desired, 100% of the time ( if you are a person that can't hold a stop, you are not a person that should be doing trimix).
These are barely what you would call advanced skills though---in my mind, a REAL AOW cert, where the diver really does need to have this skill set down and has it easily, should be able to do the slow ascent easily, to be able to hold a stop, and should be able to be given 21-35 for a 125 foot dive, and find it easy to execute the dive flawlessly.

The real training here is not technical training---it is not fancy training in gasses or physics....it is ONLY the perfecting of good bouyancy skills, and gas management, as deeper dives use up air/gas faster, and the AOW type considering trimix for a 120 foot dive, also needs to be very good at always knowing how much gas they have, and how much they will need before they return to the surface.

This means the instruction you need to pay for, is really just the fundamentals of good diving--peak performance bouyancy, etc.
The tech component is negligable, so the real teaching for recreational Triimix with 21-35 should cost no more that a Nitrox course, and it is really no more involved if you already have the bouyancy and ascending skills.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Try this simple experiment sometime ... go on a dive to 30-35 meters with someone who is trimix certified. You take air or up to EAN32 ... your buddy takes a trimix with 20% to 25% helium. At maximum depth, breathe off your buddy's spare regulator for about a minute.

All will become clear ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Dan ... I notice you're recommending 21/35 ... has GUE now given up on the 30/30 mix for recreational depths?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ScubaBB]

The last option sounds good. And I do have the possibility every once in a while. But isn't it very dangerous to breath Trimix on 35 meters, without having done a proper course yet.

 

[Beowulf]

What is the typical cost increase over nitrox?

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[danvolker]

Dan ... I notice you're recommending 21/35 ... has GUE now given up on the 30/30 mix for recreational depths?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Hi Bob, My advice is based on what Bill Mee, George and I like to use....it is easy top have a local dive shop bank 21-35, as it is very useful in a wide range of the dive sites we will chose here in Palm Beach. It won't take us to the really deep dives, but it is great for the Hole in the Wall at 140 to 150, the Big ledge at 130, the wreck of the hydroatlantic at max of maybe 165....and many other dives we have between 120 and 170. Considering that you can dive it almost like 32% nitrox, but with a bit slower ascents and a couple of real stops, it is just really easy to use for the recreational deep diving....

 

[ScubaBB]

What does it cost in the US to fill for example a 15l with 21/35?

 

[danvolker]

What is the typical cost increase over nitrox?

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Instead of paying $7 to $10 for a nitrox fill, the 21-35 can run between $15 and $25, depending on your relationship witht he dive shop, and what kind of deals they have put together for helium deliveries, and how good they are at re-using with Haskels , etc.

When you consider the time out on the boat ( time costs you, in a real sense), the cost of the boat trip, the value of the intense experience you want to have, and the safety value( value of your life) , I don't think the helium cost is all that high

 

[ScubaBB]

I agree with you, I thought it would be more expensive. It probably is in Croatia.