Choosing a shop for nitrox fills

[2airishuman]

There are three dive shops that are roughly equidistant from my house ("nearby" would be overstating the case somewhat). Rates and hours are roughly similar with some slight variations for HP fills, nitrox, and custom blends. I'll be choosing a shop for, mainly, banked EAN32 fills for local dives.

What questions are reasonable to ask when choosing a shop for local fills, particularly with regard to possible contamination sources or procedures taken to avoid gas mixing mistakes?

 

[RJP]

How often do you test your gas?
Do you regularly test for CO?
Can I see your last test results?

If they say no to the last one... their answers to the first two don't really matter.

 

[Tug]

How often do you test your gas?
Do you regularly test for CO?
Can I see your last test results?

If they say no to the last one... their answers to the first two don't really matter.

Same here

Aside from those questions, customer service would play a big role in choosing a shop.

 

[tr3a]

There are three dive shops that are roughly equidistant from my house ("nearby" would be overstating the case somewhat). Rates and hours are roughly similar with some slight variations for HP fills, nitrox, and custom blends. I'll be choosing a shop for, mainly, banked EAN32 fills for local dives.

What questions are reasonable to ask when choosing a shop for local fills, particularly with regard to possible contamination sources or procedures taken to avoid gas mixing mistakes?

If you are diving in Minnesota paying for Nitrox would be a complete waste of money. Unless diving Superior, or the mines you will likely not be going much deeper than 20-30ft.

 

[tbone1004]

if diving less than 60 feet, there is no point in paying for Nitrox, hell even in cave country when I'm diving Peacock I'll dive air. The questions to the above still apply, how often do you test for CO, when was your last gas analysis, and how often do you clean the water traps. After that not much else matters, whichever is cheapest.

 

[uncfnp]

For me, if all else is equal, the choice would be based on the shop that I feel the most comfortable with. Clean, organized environment. Competent, responsive staff. Prompt and professional service...

 

[2airishuman]

If you are diving in Minnesota paying for Nitrox would be a complete waste of money. Unless diving Superior, or the mines you will likely not be going much deeper than 20-30ft.

Superior 1333 ft
Vermillion 76 ft
Minnetonka 113 ft
Square Lake 68'
Iron range mines, vary from one to the next and within each lake, most have at least some areas beyond recreational depths

I've been told that most of the rest are shallow mud puddles and the gopro footage on youtube bears this out. Are you local? I'm looking for people who wouldn't mind another diver tagging along. Even if you dive a mud puddle.

 

[2airishuman]

if diving less than 60 feet, there is no point in paying for Nitrox, hell even in cave country when I'm diving Peacock I'll dive air.

With doubles, combined with staying on the conservative side of NDLs for cold water, Nitrox makes sense at slightly shallower depths. The cost difference is trivial, and for the odd shallow dive it's worth the extra $3 a tank to save an extra trip to the dive shop if I get weathered out and my next dive is deeper.

 

[tr3a]

Vermillion, Minnetonka, and Square will be very dark and cold at those depths most times of the year. Superior the cold will be the driving factor. Most of the mines have a thermocline at about 100-120 at which point the vis drops to 0" (it is also butt ugly cold).