It's more an issue of consumer demand.
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{A related side-story: For many years, CCV had the Cabanas as open-air, non AC rooms. They heard a demand from statements by visitors that these units be made AC. They closed up all of the ventilation windows with glass, and plugged in the AC. In my estimation, the worst thing they ever did. I can sweat at the drop of a hat, but I never needed AC in the rooms, a fan was fine but only on some very hot days. Now, because of consumer perception and demand of competition, the rooms are now sealed off from the environment. Not much different than how nitrox evolved.}
This thread is now more a discussion of the efficacy and use of nitrox as a tool for use when appropriate. (versus just insisting on it).
I do understand that what I am saying is SCUBA heresy and may well generate derisive comments. BlueHouse is used to that, I however am rather thin skinned and my feelings are hurt easily, so don't flame too hard, y'all.
Feeling frisky and other anecdotal nitrox benefits aside, I can tell you some basic facts that I have noted over many return trips to the specific South side environs of CCV.
I have a very conservative wrist mount dive computer, well- 3 of them actually. (all different but equally restrictive)
Here's my approximate daily (South side) CCV dive schedule, on air:
#1 08:40 - 09:40 (max 75fsw, avg 45fsw)
#2 10:10 - 11:10 (max 55fsw, avg 35fsw)
#3 14:10 - 15:10 (max 65fsw, avg 40fsw)
#4 15:45 - 17:00 (max 45fsw, avg 30fsw) sometimes BTs of 2 hrs
#5 20:00 - 21:00 (max 55fsw, avg 25fsw)
#6 21:45 - 22:45 (max 25fsw, avg 9fsw)
Shallow? You bet. After so many dives on Roatan's South shore, I can tell you, that's where the cool stuff resides.
There is precious little that resides beyond 55fsw to attract me there unless someone is pointing frantically at something and making an appropriate critter signal.
The two deep profile dives, as required by reef architecture, are Calvins Crack and Mary's Place- both easily slot into the parameters of my dive #1 as above, exactly as how they will be presented to you- first dive of the day.
Again, my redundant dive computers were either "born" as stupidly conservative or I have them set that way. After diving at CCV on repeated return trips (2475 dives there, give or take), I have hit "Yellow" pixels only once, owing a 3 minute stop at 20fsw. Once. On air.
Nitrox grew into a life of it's own in the SCUBA industry. Those of us who were there when it was first presented and marketed to the public (We just saw it happen, unlike Al Gore who actually invented it himself). It is well discussed in other threads how it evolved from something frightening, to it being embraced by profit hungry SCUBA LDS, to it being a perceived requirement by divers for every dive, all the time. That just isn't how it started, what it was designed for, or any of that stuff.
That said, there is not one LDS that doesn't promote its use.
You can write it off to eccentricity on my part, but I always snicker a bit when I see the word nitrox being capitalized. It makes me wonder from the outset... how much else have we gotten wrong?
Use it if you like, I certainly do when the dive (or schedule) requires it.
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