Nitrox feed back.

[caymancase]

All I can say is that Air has been very, very good to me in sport diving. I've talked to many many people that swear by Nitrox because they don't feel tired after diving. Me? If I'm tired after diving it's just because I'm tired. Makes no difference on what mix I was breathing. But everybody is different, as the Doc said. And I feel much more secure especially leading wall dives on air... every once in a "Blue Moon" there's a relatively new diver that "forgets?" to look at his/her depth and pressure gauge. I would hate to be frantically banging on my Nitrox tank (and the banging being unheard) at 130 as the diver decides that he needs to take that pic at 160 (or deeper if I let him go!) with very little air left. Very, very seldom.... but I want the option of gaining his/her attention at a depth that we can both safely make our way to the surface. Then we TALK!
Nitrox is great if you feel better after. Some do and some don't. Case

 

[Walter]

..........not for my planned depth. I use air on walls. Nitrox is only useful for moderate depths.

I've never noticed any difference in how I feel after a dive. OTOH, diving doesn't usually tire me out anyway. Unless double blind tests are conducted, we'll never know if nitrox really reduces fatigue after dives. We are all affected more by our minds than we choose to believe. It's possible I'm less fatigued when using nitrox, but psychologically I don't accept it. It's also possible the converse is true for those reporting less fatigue. It really doesn't matter, if you happen to be one of those who does feel less fatigued, enjoy.

WWW™

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi DEEP SEA,

No well controlled studies that I am aware of. Personally, I often feel less fatigued when diving nitrox. For what it's worth, I have little reason to suspect that in my case this perceived benefit is a placebo phenomenon. Not only did I initially not expect EAN to have such an effect, but I've had dives where I'd forgotten I was using it and then briefly puzzled over how alert & energetic I felt afterwards.

Given the above reports on EAN by many board members, wide individual differences are obvious.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

PS: I might mention that I'm an older diver, although nowhere near as old as Walter.

 

[Walter]

...........after all, Santa Claus is my grandson.

WWW™

 

[scubabunny]

I've only used Nitrox on my dives for Nitrox certification...and I ended up having a one hell of a headache! Wasn't near as thirsty as I usually am after a dive though..don't know if that was from the extra oxygen or not. But, I haven't used a Nitrox mix since. Has anyone else ever had problems with headaches, or do you think it was just a bad batch of air? At that time, the shop was using the membrane system to get Nitrox mixes. They have since switched to partial pressure.

Maybe my brain is just not use to that much oxygen! Sent it into shock!

 

[Mario S Caner]

When teaching courses like Nitrox, or even when mentioning the benfits of Nitrox, I often mention that there is no irrefutable evidence proving Nitrox is less fatiguing during the dive. I for one do notice a difference though, especially during multi day repetitive dives. Just make sure you are aware of your MOD's.

 

[DiverX]

Louise and I signed up for the TDI class at our Local shop. I am hoping it will giver her a bit more energy and help her feel better after a few dives. She gets cold so easily, we'll see.

 

[Bob]

It's not so much an issue of feeling tired after a dive for me. If I'm tired,I won't dive, it's that simple. If I get tired during a dive, I end the dive. The issue for me is the "hung over" and washed out feeling I was getting with compressed air. Now when I was younger this wasn't a problem, but as I have grown older(age 48) it's a definite problem for me. With Nitrox I don't get that hung over and washed out feeling. I feel more alert during and at the end of the dive. For me, this is more than worth the price of certification and the extra expense of Nitrox. Some people won't realize any benefit, but for me using Nitrox has been very benefical.
Bob

 

[Beachman]

I dive EANx to get more bottom time. Around here the good wrecks are 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hour boat rides, and the dives are typically 80 - 120 fsw. That's a long ride out and back for two 20 minute air dives. EANx increases bottom time to 30 - 35 minutes or so for each dive (depending on SI, of course). For shallower dives, I use air because the tank runs out about the same time the dive tables put me in the last few pressure groups.

On occasion, I've used EANx at shallower depths. Either the deeper dive had to be aborted due to conditions, or maybe that's all I had filled in the garage when someone called unexpectedly. Now, what's this got to do with feeling better using Nitrox?

To my observation, I never seem to feel "washed out" or "exhausted" or "headachy" when I dive with air less than 60' or so...even multiple dives and days. However, I do sometimes feel these symptoms on just a 2 tank dive trip to 110' - 120' using air. Using EANx at this depth definitely eliminates the symptoms for me.

My theory about the different effects people report from Nitrox use can at least partially be explained by factoring in depth. I think Nitrox improves feeling good when used at depth, but probably has minimal "feel good" effects when diving shallower because most folks don't "feel bad" on shallower dives....therefore would report "no difference".

I personally would report "no difference" on shallower dives, but "much improvement" on deeper dives.

Just my humble observation....DSAO

 

[Mario S Caner]

Hello DiverX, Welcome to the boards and thus the family. Sounds like you two made a wise decision to go with Nitrox. Ask Louise to drop by and say hello too!

Sea you in the Deep Blue!