johntclever
Registered
I see a lot of advertisements for nitrox certifications and nitrox tanks at resorts.
Can someone please help me understand the benefits?
Can someone please help me understand the benefits?
Nitrox certification benefits?
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Here's the five-cent explanation ...
Nitrox reduces nitrogen intake. It does this by replacing nitrogen in the gas you breathe with oxygen. It isn't that you need more oxygen, or that adding oxygen benefits you in any way ... it's simply that oxygen is the second most abundant gas on the planet, and therefore makes an inexpensive alternative.
By reducing nitrogen you get to either (a) stay down longer, (b) reduce your surface interval, or (c) reduce the potential risk of a nitrogen-related malady.
Pick one ... or possibly two.
Mostly the benefit of nitrox will be recognized by someone who is relatively good on air consumption (and therefore is limited by no-decompression limits rather than air consumption) ... and/or someone who is planning to do multiple dives per day. It's especially useful on those diving vacations where you're planning 3 or more dives per day over multiple days.
If you're a heavy breather (time-limited due to air usage) or only planning one or two dives per day, it won't really be worth the expense.
In some parts of the world ... for example where I live in Puget Sound ... regular nitrox use makes sense for the experienced diver who wants to dive relatively deep and stay a while ... which implies someone who's diving either a large single cylinder (I like 119's and 130's) or doubles (I often dive dual 100's) ... in that it will allow me to do dives in the 75-90 foot range and stay on the order of 60+ minutes without running into deco. But for most recreational divers using standard AL80's, the benefits of nitrox is minimal except on those multiple-dive days.
Oh ... and nitrox ain't a deep gas. One of the trade-offs is that it increases your oxygen exposure, which is potentially harmful. One of the reasons for the training is to teach you how to manage that risk.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Nitrox reduces nitrogen intake. It does this by replacing nitrogen in the gas you breathe with oxygen. It isn't that you need more oxygen, or that adding oxygen benefits you in any way ... it's simply that oxygen is the second most abundant gas on the planet, and therefore makes an inexpensive alternative.
By reducing nitrogen you get to either (a) stay down longer, (b) reduce your surface interval, or (c) reduce the potential risk of a nitrogen-related malady.
Pick one ... or possibly two.
Mostly the benefit of nitrox will be recognized by someone who is relatively good on air consumption (and therefore is limited by no-decompression limits rather than air consumption) ... and/or someone who is planning to do multiple dives per day. It's especially useful on those diving vacations where you're planning 3 or more dives per day over multiple days.
If you're a heavy breather (time-limited due to air usage) or only planning one or two dives per day, it won't really be worth the expense.
In some parts of the world ... for example where I live in Puget Sound ... regular nitrox use makes sense for the experienced diver who wants to dive relatively deep and stay a while ... which implies someone who's diving either a large single cylinder (I like 119's and 130's) or doubles (I often dive dual 100's) ... in that it will allow me to do dives in the 75-90 foot range and stay on the order of 60+ minutes without running into deco. But for most recreational divers using standard AL80's, the benefits of nitrox is minimal except on those multiple-dive days.
Oh ... and nitrox ain't a deep gas. One of the trade-offs is that it increases your oxygen exposure, which is potentially harmful. One of the reasons for the training is to teach you how to manage that risk.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
AfterDark
Contributor
Depends, personally I get zero tangible benefits from using Nitrox. If I could have gotten it for zero$$ then it would have been worth it. You can do some reading and sleep thru the class, or just take the online course the material is 5th grade science.
It looks like you have done less than 25 dives. If that's correct, have you been finding that you have to end your dives because you are running low on air rather than because you are running out of the no-decompression time that your computer or tables indicate for the dive? If you find you are ending dives because you run out of air way before you start approaching the no-deco time limit, then Nitrox will have essentially no benefit for you at this time. With more practice, air consumption will start to become less of a factor in limiting the length of your dives. When that happens, then Nitrox may help you lengthen your dives.
Secondary reasons for nitrox: give you "always wants to go deep" dive buddy a reason to not do so; tastes better than air; less fatigue during and after the dive; redeuced risk of DCI if you follow nitrox protocols; potential greater dive time, but consumption is still a limiting factor. Do you need more?
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis
Counting placebo effects now...
cbm32
Contributor
In another thread, someone posted that they had read a study that said that vacation divers using Nitrox reported having more sex than those not using Nitrox (I aint kidding here it was posted in another thread here on this board). After reading that I would have taken a Nitrox course immediately, except I already had my Nitrox card. As it is, I started using Nitrox even when on land whenever possible 
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