Fun Diving with AIR

[John_B]

.....

 

[Soggy]

From the subject, am I to conclude that diving nitrox isn't fun?

I dive air above 40 ft (which is most of our shore dives), simply because there is little benefit to nitrox at these depths and I happen to have a set of tanks that are nice and tiny and only get used for really shallow stuff. If I were planning on being in the water for an hour and a half at 40ft, I'd get nitrox, though. Air diving isn't DIR, though, and I don't pretend it is.

Below that it's nitrox or trimix.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I dive air frequently when doing skills work at the local quarry, just because I get it for free. Otherwise, it's 32%.

 

[limeyx]

Having Catalina Island run like Bonaire would be sweet. One of the biggest drawbacks to diving there is that it's next to impossible to get nitrox fills. In fact, most of SoCal seems to be behind the curve when it comes to nitrox ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yup -- a lot of air diving down here.

More boats seem to have nitrox, but often very few people actually get nitrox fills.
I am definitely guilty of not bothering with nitrox for second/third dives which are often average about 60 feet.

 

[beachhead]

When we fun dive with non-DIR divers...Don't we (DIR) need to be ready with air?

 

[ArcticDiver]

...

Personally I would like to see more places promote the use of Nitrox such as say Bonaire does. Having Coz run like Bonaire would be sweet.

Actually the last time I was there EAN32 is all I dove with. As far as I could tell all the shops/boats offered EAN.

 

[Steve R]

Actually the last time I was there EAN32 is all I dove with. As far as I could tell all the shops/boats offered EAN.

Compare it to the Bonaire experience and you will get what I mean.

 

[Rick Inman]

When we fun dive with non-DIR divers...Don't we (DIR) need to be ready with air?

Why would that be? Your gas doesn't match, but there is no penalty for your 32%, and it's not a DIR dive with a non DIR diver anyway (except for some exceptions). If you are diving with an air diver, and you usually use something like the rule on 120 less 20%, you just don't give yourself the EAN discount, and now you come out even cleaner.

And maybe you hang with your air buddy at 15' for a few minutes extra until his/her computer tells you it's OK to move, so they're not locked out for the next 40' dive

In fact, most of SoCal seems to be behind the curve when it comes to nitrox ...

Last time I was in Seattle (granted, too long ago), at most shops you have had drop off your tanks and come back the next day for nitrox. Even in backward Spokane, at all the shops that have nitrox, you can walk in and shoot the breeze while you wait for whatever ean mix you want (continuous blend).

 

[ArcticDiver]

Compare it to the Bonaire experience and you will get what I mean.

Guess we aren't on the same wave length. You said you wished Coz would promote EAN more. The operators at Coz take your blend order one day, or when booking, and the cylinders are there for you when you want to dive. The ones I saw had extras laying around for the self-scheduled shore diving. Seemed to be accomodating to the max as far as I could see.

Were you putting two subjects into the same paragraph and going beyond the EAN subject under discussion? Something else?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Last time I was in Seattle (granted, too long ago), at most shops you have had drop off your tanks and come back the next day for nitrox. Even in backward Spokane, at all the shops that have nitrox, you can walk in and shoot the breeze while you wait for whatever ean mix you want (continuous blend).

Depends on the shop ... lots-o-shops do continuous blend here now. But in SoCal, many shops don't even do Nitrox. If you want to dive, you dive air.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)