Is nitrox "briefing" enough without certification?

[Snakekid97]

Hi all,

I have a basic OW certificate with about a dozen OW dives. I recently moved to a coastline, but I haven't gone diving in the ocean in about a year (although I have done a couple of quarry dives since). I recently talked to a local PADI instructor/dive charter owner about easing back into things. After scheduling a date to go out on his charter, I found out they only use nitrox on all of their dives. They claim it's the better way to dive. Their website states " If you are not Nitrox certified, don’t worry, we will give you a Nitrox Briefing that lets you dive Nitrox that day...We will also put a _ Dive Computer on your wrist set for 32% so you can track your NDL."

I have read that I should have a certification for nitrox (which I don't have). My question is: would you trust a "Nitrox briefing that lets you dive Nitrox that day" or does this seem to be a questionable practice? I have no prior experience with Nitrox.

I should add, the charter is a 2-tank trip on reefs 40-60' deep over about a 3-hour period.

Thanks!

 

[lowwall]

the reason I haven't registered to take an EAN course is (1) I wasn't expecting to "have" to use Nitrox on a charter as I only plan to do 20-60' reef dives here and (2) money. I am working on a student budget. I assumed the EAN course would run $100-200 which would mean giving up another day out diving (unless a dive comes with the class).

The bottom depth is 60' max, from my understanding. It sounds like the consensus here is that if I read some of the available free material on Nitrox, ask to verify the mixture myself, and stay within the planned dive it will be perfectly safe.

If you are going to be diving with this op regularly and they have an actual instructor on staff (it's not clear from the website if they do), you can send them the info on IFDI.

IFDI Info for instructors

Learn scuba diving, easily and safely with IFDI: International Fun Diving Instructors. IFDI is a neutral and international diving organization, based on the international ISO standards which guarantee you high quality courses and a worldwide recognition.

www.ifdi.info

They can sign up for free and then include a Nitrox certs for divers who show up without one. All they need to do is verify you passed the knowledge exam on the IFDI site and then walk you through using the O2 analyzer and labeling a tank. IFDI only charges $3 for the e-card.

I'm mentioning this because even though they are cowboy enough to give Nitrox to divers without the cert, they might appreciate an alternative.

There's no guarantee that an IFDI cert will be accepted anywhere, but I doubt too many ops will raise a fuss over a Nitrox cert if your OW is from one of the usual agencies. Especially if you can show logged Nitrox dives.

 

[broncobowsher]

If the boat only does Nitrox fills, it is probably banked. Not likely to find a bad partial pressure fill with 100%. All the tanks on the boat all get filled at once off the same banked gas. Hence they ONLY have Nitrox and no air available.

There is still proper protocol that should be followed. But things are likely much safer than most are thinking they are. You could always get a tank of air, that isn't really air, but you never checked because it is just an air fill.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Here's what people need to walk away with from a nitrox course:
1. How to calibrate an O2 sensor
2. How to analyze a cylinder
3. Determine the MOD for a specific oxygen percentage for a ppO2 of 1.4.
4. How to label the cylinder (gas content, name, date, MOD)
5. adopting the policy of always measuring non-air fills.
6. Programming one's dive computer with oxygen percentage
7. Understanding the benefits of nitrox of reduced nitrogen absorption (longer dive times, shorter surface internals - this can be done with tables or dive planning software)
8. Understand the increased risk at depth for oxygen toxicity. There's pulmonary toxicity too due to exposure to a high ppO2 exposure, but that takes a lot of diving to become an issue.

Now dive centers will want you to know how to fill out the paperwork, but that is a CYA for them. It has no bearing on your safety.

Even if a dive boat banks EAN32, you still measure it. And you abide by the MOD of the oxygen percentage that you measured.

Now that isn't a whole lot, but it is important to get right and become an ingrained habit. I would still recommend taking nitrox from your LDS before you go on this trip.

But I can't imagine bloviating for hours on nitrox, but I don't like the sound of my own voice. There is the theory of interference in education that I learned about from John Adsit. People can google that and read more, but what I take away from that is determine what is absolutely critical that the student learns, and don't introduce things that have no relevance. Example, my students don't need to hear about how nitrox was called voodoo gas in the 90s and agencies were against its use. How does that make divers safer? It doesn't so leave that stuff out. Don't bloviate with unnecessary information.

 

[scubadada]

Back in the day, 2002, we read a nitrox manual, attended a half day class with a reasonably challenging exam, and did two nitrox dives, things have changed...

 

[tursiops]

Hair splitting. Same thing.

Not really. The difference is real: either you must make the measurement yourself (as some have claimed) or you can just watch while someone else does it (the actual requirement).

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Back in the day, 2002, we read a nitrox manual, attended a half day class with a reasonably challenging exam, and did two nitrox dives, things have changed...

Back in the day we also ate dirt for breakfast, walked 10 miles uphill through the snow both ways to school, we ....

And we liked it!

 

[scubadada]

Back in the day we also ate dirt for breakfast, walked 10 miles uphill through the snow both ways to school, we ....

And we liked it!

My point is that thing have become much easier since then... not much reason to not be nitrox certified, is there?

 

[azstinger11]

Here's what people need to walk away with from a nitrox course:
1. How to calibrate an O2 sensor
2. How to analyze a cylinder
3. Determine the MOD for a specific oxygen percentage for a ppO2 of 1.4.
4. How to label the cylinder (gas content, name, date, MOD)
5. adopting the policy of always measuring non-air fills.
6. Programming one's dive computer with oxygen percentage
7. Understanding the benefits of nitrox of reduced nitrogen absorption (longer dive times, shorter surface internals - this can be done with tables or dive planning software)
8. Understand the increased risk at depth for oxygen toxicity. There's pulmonary toxicity too due to exposure to a high ppO2 exposure, but that takes a lot of diving to become an issue.

Now dive centers will want you to know how to fill out the paperwork, but that is a CYA for them. It has no bearing on your safety.

Even if a dive boat banks EAN32, you still measure it. And you abide by the MOD of the oxygen percentage that you measured.

Now that isn't a whole lot, but it is important to get right and become an ingrained habit. I would still recommend taking nitrox from your LDS before you go on this trip.

But I can't imagine bloviating for hours on nitrox, but I don't like the sound of my own voice. There is the theory of interference in education that I learned about from John Adsit. People can google that and read more, but what I take away from that is determine what is absolutely critical that the student learns, and don't introduce things that have no relevance. Example, my students don't need to hear about how nitrox was called voodoo gas in the 90s and agencies were against its use. How does that make divers safer? It doesn't so leave that stuff out. Don't bloviate with unnecessary information.

To expand on #6 I would add (and yes its obnoxious since it's per student computer still think making sure students understand these, provided they own a computer, is beneficial.

• Knowing when/if you can switch to/from NITROX mode.
• When/if you can switch NITROX blends.
• Understanding what alerts/alarms for NITROX MOD the computer will produce (one local guy will take students down to 33ft on this very gradually descending sloping area with their computer set to 100% so they experience the various alerts the computer makes, and the first time they seem isn't when its actually happening). To be crystal clear, the student diver is not on 100% O2, just setting the computer to it so it can flip out and the student can observe.

 

[grantmac]

With a hard floor that won't let you exceed the MOD and using a computer I can't see where this is any more dangerous than air. Indeed less dangerous if they aren't riding the NDL.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

My point is that thing have become much easier since then... not much reason to not be nitrox certified, is there?

I think nitrox should be included with open water. There isn't that much to it, but having students start diving with nitrox procedures (law of primacy) has value.