Nitrox for Liveaboard - Great Barrier Reef

[LiftAndDive]

I'm off to the Great Barrier Reef for a 2 day, 1 night liveaboard in October. I see they offer nitrox and am wondering about using it.

We're doing 4 dives on day 1, including a night dive, and 2 more the following morning. Looks to me like the surface intervals are probably long enough that NDLs won't significantly limit our diving but not knowing how much there is at various depths etc I'd be grateful for views. We'll be on the Outer Reef.

Thanks

 

[Searcaigh]

Nitrox is always worth it, especially when doing multiple dives.

 

[MB NZ]

Nitrox is always worth it, especially when doing multiple dives.

This, but I suspect dives will be short and shallow, so you'll be OK anyway.

 

[FreqFlier]

Nitrox is always worth it, especially when doing multiple dives.

Always +1

 

[LiftAndDive]

Thanks all. I'm taking my nitrox cert anyway but my buddy isn't sure, as he rarely dives and when he does it's generally not repeat diving.

 

[boulderjohn]

I first dived the GBR on a liveaboard nearly a quarter century ago, and I did the three days on air--5 dives a day, including night dives. After the third day, I left dinner without dessert, went to bed, and woke up the next day in port.

I next dived the GBR about 7 years ago, on nitrox. We did 5 dives a day, and my nirox-diving friends and I felt just fine throughout.

But apparently so did everyone else, and they were all on air. The operation was adamant that each dive had to be shallower than the one before, because they could not violate PADI rules. (PADI has no such rule, and even if they did, they have no authority over dive boats in Australia.) The first dive of the day was carefully picked to be relatively shallow, and so all of the rest of the dives had to be even shallower. All told, our average dive depths were much shallower on our more recent trip than the first one years before.

I have noticed this trend with dive operators in the more remote locations over the last decade. They are doing more and more and more to make sure they will not have to deal with DCS on their dives, so dive depth and times are getting more and more limited. There will probably come a time when liveaboards will have deep swimming pools on the top deck and have all dives done there.

If I were you, I would use nitrox, but I pretty much always do. If you were to choose air instead, I am sure you would be fine.

 

[living4experiences]

+1 for Nitrox. I always use it.

 

[FreqFlier]

but my buddy isn't sure, as he rarely dives and when he does it's generally not repeat diving.

Your buddy should do it if you do your cert. Nitrox makes a difference both in repetitive dives and allows for longer deeper dives (anything below 50' or so)