How much easier is Nitrox 32% / EAN32% on your body?

[tbone1004]

this is the article being referenced for anyone curious
Alert Diver | Air, Nitrox and Fatigue

@Sevenrider860 if you read the whole thing, there is talk about hyperbaric treatments and extended exposures which Pollock talks about on the short exposures of recreational dives.
The studies cited compared EAN32 vs Air in a 18msw dry chamber dive with a bottom time of 40 minutes. They noted no measureable change. This was not immersed which we know is significant.
The other is Air vs EAN32 to 21msw ish for 45mins ish in actual diving conditions and noted a significant difference in perceived fatigue levels.

I do agree with @tursiops that the article doesn't actually commit to anything because it's a subject that hasn't been fully studied and likely won't because it doesn't actually matter. Dive nitrox when it is cost effective and practical, dive air when it's not.

 

[tarponchik]

I'm old, I don't dive nitrox, it doesn't make me feel any different than air. My sac rate is high enough especially below 30FSW nitrox does not extend my BT. I don't see any evidence it makes a difference for older divers. Just another sea story, IMO

Define "old"

 

[Storker]

With fewer than 200 dives in my logbook, it's impossible for me to quantify the difference I (supersticially) believe that nitrox makes for me.

What I'm pretty certain of, though, is that if I do two dives close to the NDL in one day, I'll be in my bunk by 8pm unless there's a very social reason not to crash early. Since I'm generally gas limited on my dives, using 32% means that I'll have a noticeable margin to the NDL for the same max depth/run times. And as a bonus, I won't feel that I'd like to be in my bunk by 8pm.

 

[scubadada]

I have been diving nitrox since 2002. Since then, 90% of my dives have been on nitrox. I have never noticed any difference in fatigue between the two, but dive nitrox to the same limits as I dived air. I had not dived air since 2010, until 6 recent dives in Cabo San Lucas before a Revillagigedos liveaboard. You could have fooled me, I noticed nothing, again

For me, there is no noticeable decrease in fatigue when using nitrox, but I sure am grateful for the longer NDLs and/or shorter surface intervals. For divers who experience less fatigue, good for you. As a possible explanation, I've always wondered if these folks simply have less nitrogen exposure by doing the same dives on nitrox as they do on air.

 

[AfterDark]

Define "old"

This year marks 51 years of diving for me.

 

[Storker]

As a possible explanation, I've always wondered if these folks simply have less nitrogen exposure by doing the same dives on nitrox as they do on air.

Is there any other plausible explanation?

 

[scubadada]

Is there any other plausible explanation?

Personally, I don't think so, others might and have disagreed

 

[tbone1004]

Is there any other plausible explanation?

not to my knowledge.... I'm with @scubadada when I dive nitrox, I typically dive it to the limits for either extended NDL or more normally less decompression time. Since I do that same thing with air, I don't really notice any difference because I'm diving long exposures. I suspect most people do the same when diving nitrox, and if they do, I think anything they perceive is a placebo *which is fine, because sugar pills work and work wonders, but if you dive to the same theoretical tissue loading with the same ascent profile, you should have the same deco stress...*

 

[scubadada]

This year marks 51 years of diving for me.

Only 49 years of diving for me, but, then again, I am not old

 

[Storker]

I typically dive it to the limits for either extended NDL or more normally less decompression time.

That's a rather fundamental difference from my situation. Since I, as I've already mentioned, usually am gas limited, using nitrox generally means that I'll be less nitrogen loaded than if I use air.

And there's a bit of a difference between skirting the NDL and ending up in a PG somewhere on the middle of the scale.