Nitrox or not for God's Pocket ?

[JohnN]

I just confirmed my diving for God's Pocket later this year. The question at hand is whether it is worth it to pay for EAN? (EAN is relatively expensive ($0.13/cuft)

Bill tells me: typical 70' floor @ 60 minutes, my back of the envelope says yes, but I don't know if 'typical' dives there are really square profiles.

My primary interest is taking picture. Can anyone comment?

 

[gizmo1972]

if your certified to use it and its available why would you not use nitrox??????? roll out the 36%

 

[Darnold9999]

I would say not necessary - you are going to be only doing three dives a day with a good surface interval between each dive. I typically find that temperature more than NDL is the limiting factor on dives there.

As I recall most dives are fairly square profile. Go down to the depth you are interested in stay there until it is time to come up and work you way up the walls until you are at the surface. Most (not all) dives are wall dives where you decide how deep you want to be. My preference is to be at 60 - 70 feet for the first half of the dive and then slowly work my way up the wall for the rest of the dive. I would not have said that 70 feet is the floor. I recall dropping a mask rolling in at 7 Tree or Browning Wall (don't remember which) and having one of the tech divers retrieve it well past 130 feet. (I had given it up for lost.)

However, compared to the total cost of the trip and the cost of a chamber ride for another 30 - 40 bucks a day why would you not?

 

[JohnN]

However, compared to the total cost of the trip and the cost of a chamber ride for another 30 - 40 bucks a day why would you not?

You're absolutely correct. Thanks for clarifying things for me

 

[TSandM]

The dive profiles, for the most part, are what you want them to be -- you can go down to 70 (or deeper) and then steadily work your way shallower, or you can cruise at one depth for some time. But again, the place is remote, the water is very cold, and some of the diving requires some exertion. I've used Nitrox all three times we've dived up there.

 

[JohnN]

Thanks. Going for Nitrox and Argon

 

[nadwidny]

and Argon

Why??

 

[JohnN]

Why??

I'm one of "those" people who think it is warmer

 

[Julian55]

Having just came back from Gods Pocket I can tell you that all the divers who used air were exhausted! All the diver that used Nitrox were ok.

 

[Peter Guy]

A group of us were there a few weeks ago and all were diving Nitrox (32% is all that is offered as far as I can tell). Our dives were typically 60 minutes, started deep (80 - 100 feet) and then worked our way up the walls. A couple of the dives were much shallower and thus pretty square profiles.


I just wouldn't do multiple days, multiple dives on 21% -- I'll do what I can to limit my overall N2 acquisition.


BTW, Bill was very happy we brought LP tanks (in fact I was diving double 72s -- old style LPs, full at 2250 PSI, easier for him to fill).