EANx in Cozumel

[loosebits]

Last time I was in Cozumel, on the second dive on Paradise I had to keep a close eye on my Vyper as it showed 1 or 2 minutes from the NDL. Everytime it hit 1 minute, I went up a few feet above the rest of the group and it would give me a few more mins. Well, I'm heading back in a few months and was considering doing first dive of the morning on 32 or the second dive on 36 (or 40 if they offer it). I'm not interested on doing both dives EANx as that's my lunch money

Considering the possibility of downwellings, it seems that using nitrox on the second dive sounds safer and on shallower deep dives in the 80' regime, 32 doesn't quite seem to do it. Should I just get one can of 36 and one of air and dive the 36 on the first dive depending on the site otherwise, use it on the second?

Besides tbe obvious deeper sites below 36's MOD, are there any sites that I should not consider diving 36?

I know the Vyper is a very conservative computer. I've seen several Suuntos go into deco, the user not noticing it and blowing the stop erroring the computer out (for some reason, people don't worry about NDL on an escourted dive) while all the Aladin divers were well within NDL. But planning on doing 15+ dives in series, I like my conservative computer and I get a little nervous about making the afternoon dive when tweaking my depth to avoid the NDL.

 

[Lead_carrier]

From what I remember when we asked for EANx we got 32% for everydive. That will still give you a MOD of about 110' if you do accidentally drop to 130 the you still will have less than a ppo of 1.6. As far as worrying about the downwellings, I've heard of them but have never run into one in the few years that I've been.

Just be sure and analyze your tank, and smell the air. I've had some that wasn't quite aroma free. Smelled like motor oil.. Kinda makes you wonder.

 

[jlyle]

We always use air on the first dive and 36% for the second.

 

[5615mike]

this will depend on what operator you use. Not all offer EANx and some only offer 32. Your fine with 32. All depends on your depth obviously

 

[Warren_L]

I don't ever recall going too terribly deep on any dive in Coz. The only one was Punta Sur where we hit 125.

 

[DandyDon]

From what I remember when we asked for EANx we got 32% for everydive. That will still give you a MOD of about 110' if you do accidentally drop to 130 the you still will have less than a ppo of 1.6. As far as worrying about the downwellings, I've heard of them but have never run into one in the few years that I've been.

Just be sure and analyze your tank, and smell the air. I've had some that wasn't quite aroma free. Smelled like motor oil.. Kinda makes you wonder.

I think all the EANx in Cozumel comes from the one station, in either 32% or 36%, same price.

We always use air on the first dive and 36% for the second.

Why is that...? I spend extra for Nitrox when much of a dive is going to be below 60 feet, but if the first one is on Air, then why bother on the shallower dive?

I don't ever recall going too terribly deep on any dive in Coz. The only one was Punta Sur where we hit 125.

Oh yeah you can!! It's all to easy to slip off to 130-135 if you're watching the sights more than your guages; there's a post on Mexico now about a gal who was lead to 160; and I've seen Dive Guides use EANx 32% to 135 feet on Devlis Throat.

Be careful now...!! :arrow:

don

 

[Warren_L]

Oh yeah you can!! It's all to easy to slip off to 130-135 if you're watching the sights more than your guages; there's a post on Mexico now about a gal who was lead to 160; and I've seen Dive Guides use EANx 32% to 135 feet on Devlis Throat.

Be careful now...!! :arrow:

don

I'm not suggesting that you can't - I know many of the walls go much deeper than that, but of the dives the tour operators took us on, this was the deepest that was organized and planned - and the deepest that I did during my week there.

 

[5615mike]

I'm not suggesting that you can't - I know many of the walls go much deeper than that, but of the dives the tour operators took us on, this was the deepest that was organized and planned - and the deepest that I did during my week there.

Warren, nice pics! What rig are you using?

As many times as I've been to Coz, without looking at my log, I would bet that 40% of my dives there are over 100'. Probably 8 or 10 are over 125'. Max there is about 140' and not one was planned to that depth. Not a great idea but we have always got approval from each other, my buddy, my wife, to go deeper. Never been an issue. We have always discussed doing a particular wall to say "about 100" and always end up deeper looking at stuff. Now, this has always been done on Steel 120's so we have always had adequate air. Sorry off topic. Many dives in Coz when diving the walls will end up deeper than planned IF YOU LET THEM. I have never had an issue with the depth since I have not been diving EANx but I will be in May and it will be a different story then.

 

[crispos]

loosebits, I just happened to be looking at my log book from jan 3-10 in cozumel. My plan was to each day do one dive with EANx, one with air.

The DM's of the dive operator Deep Blue, to my surprise, seemed to want me to do the 2nd dive on Nitrox. Probably they don't want the risk of someone going over the abyss on Nitrox. I didn't care, either way, I felt like a lion after the dive day, rather than a lamb. I was the last one on the boat every dive too. I remember I specified the exact mix on the first dive, but afterwards I didn't care because it was being used shallow.

All the Nitrox comes from the same fill station up on Avenida 30 Sur. My mixes ranged from 31.5% to 38%.

 

[loosebits]

Why is that...? I spend extra for Nitrox when much of a dive is going to be below 60 feet, but if the first one is on Air, then why bother on the shallower dive?

I always tend to run into the NDL on the second dive. If I have a 25@100' + 1:00 SIT, I only get 16@60' (1984 Navy tables). If I do the 2nd dive on EAN 36, the EAD is 50' (TDI tables) giving me 44 @ 60'. If I can keep my depth under 57', I get 127 minutes (EAD of 40').

Now, I use a computer so it does give me a lot more than 16 @ 60 on air but after 45 min, I am really close to going into deco and if I don't watch it, I'll hear my Vyper beep at me.

I thought computing had a lot of TLA's (Three Letter Acronymns)