I have coordinated a small group heading to Little Cayman Beach Resort this Fall. My wife and I have only been Nitrox certified since last summer. Is it worth it to go with nitrox on the boat dives that LCBR would normally do, meaning sites close for their boats? I don't want to shell out another $340 ($170 each diver for 17 dives) for the two of us if there is no real benefit (that $170 would almost cover my bar tab for the week
).
HI jcm1911a1,
Nice gun by the way.
Just pay for the nitrox. Dive a conservative profile. Add 2 minutes at ten feet after you do your 3 minute safety stop at 20 feet.
Set your computer to the mix you are using and test every tank.
During my visit to LCBR last January, I learned that the dive rules are actually pretty cool. You can go down to 100 ft if you see something interesting. You and your buddy may separate from the main group. Your first dive is up to 50 minutes and your second dive is 1 hour with a depth limit of 60 feet.
If your computer breaks, you must skip diving for two days (use two). As I recall, you had to skip diving for one day if you went into deco and cleared deco.
BBW is deep. Make sure you mind your computer and don't exceed 1.4 ATA PPO²
You are spending thousands of dollars on this trip. Spend an extra 170 dollars each to decrease the odds of a very expensive chamber ride.
@Wookie has some anecdotal data from his dive boat DV Spree. Before he required divers use nitrox, he had 6 to 10 divers visit chambers per year. After he included nitrox in his trip fee, he had no divers getting bent and going for expensive chamber rides over about a 9 year period.
Remember, at LCBR, you must fly on a helicopter to reach the chamber on Grand Cayman.
Whip out your American Express Card and just pay for EANx. Priceless!
cheers,
m
PS: I read this article and it is really good!
Dive safe! A short story from a chamber operator