Nitrox for increased bottom time...

[rrjc5488]

Ok... we all know that the harder you work underwater, the faster you're going to go through your air. This is because your muscles, organs, etc need oxygen and you breath faster to feed your muscles the increased amount of oxygen they need.

So, in theory... shouldnt increasing the percent of oxygen in the gas you're breathing make you work a little less hard and thus increasing your potential bottom time via decreasing your air consumption rate?

Has anyone heard anything about this, or even experienced longer bottom times due to nitrox (lol... you guys know what I mean.)?

 

[JeffG]

Your body needing to breath is based on CO2 production, not O2 availability.

 

[MSilvia]

Beat me to the punch Jeff. It would be a good theory, if the theory accounted for the mechanism that triggers the desire/reflex to inhale. It's all about CO2.

 

[SparticleBrane]

You're a PADI Divemaster?

 

[JeffG]

You're a PADI Divemaster?

and an experienced diver.

 

[rrjc5488]

and an experienced diver.

Fair enough, guys... take your laughs. It was just a question.

 

[JeffG]

Fair enough, guys... take your laughs. It was just a question.

I'm not laughing.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I might have been.

Seriously -- it's a good question to start out with. "More O2 = less breathing, right?" As you look deeper into it, that isn't quite the case. Probably should have been covered in your nitrox class.

 

[DBailey]

Actually, the question/statement has some merit. Before you guys laugh too hard read this:

THE EFFECT OF BREATHING OXYGEN-ENRICHED AIR DURING EXERCISE UPON PULMONARY VENTILATION AND UPON THE LACTIC ACID CONTENT OF BLOOD AND URINE

Here is the part that applies from page 322:

We found, then, in complete accord with he experiements of Briggs (3) that oxygen inhalations lessen the pulmonary ventilation during exercise, at least in untrained individuals.

Now, the question is if the work done during scuba diving and the use of enriched air (not pure O2) would have a great enough effect to be noticeable? I would say no.

 

[pir8]

Are you really eleteist so much that you expect everybody to remember every minute detail of every thing? And yes I am waiting for the arrows to start flying. Attacks like that are why some people don't like this board.