Nitrox Question

[pbr]

Hi all,

I'm signed up to take the Nitrox certification course in a couple of weeks. When I talk to people about whether it's worthwhile I get a wide variety of answers.

So, I'll throw it out here; do you think diving Nitrox is "better"?

 

[PonyBottle]

Go for it...money well spent!

It will allow you to extend no-decompression bottom times and reduce surface intervals between your dives.

 

[simbrooks]

Try this thread: http://69.93.91.170/t50937.html Has a quick and dirty list of pros and cons.

 

[jeadiver]

If you dive on air tables (or computers), it decreases the risk of decompression sickness. Or you can use it to extend bottom times. I never dive air if I can help it.

 

[sharkmasterbc]

Nitrox good...why not reduce the amount of N2 that is entering your body if you can. Reducing the amount of gas that your body can not metabolize is a good thing. If we could all afford it and there was enough He in the world why not dive Heliox 24/7 ??? our tables would have to be modified but no one would ever experiance narcosis in rec. depths
Well said in above post, I dive trox all the time but on air tables...calculate your MOD and track O2 exposure manually, this gives you a nice cushion.
I find that diving trox, especially on multi dive days, makes me feel better. I'm less tired after the dives and I generally feel better. I don't know if this is partly the placebo effect or if there is some bonified truth to it but ....if it works then well I don't really care why...("You think, therefore you are...")
If cost is the big issue then buy yourself a whole tank of O2, store it at your locla LDS and have them blend gas as needed. Or buy yourself a transfill whip or a booster have your tanks O2 cleaned, put the required amount of pure O2 in your tank at home in the garage, then go to the shop and have them top with air.

 

[DepartureDiver]

Yes, it's worth it. You're only talking an extra few dollars a fill. That's cheap insurance to reduce your chance of getting a hit. You'll also notice that many divers are starting to use helium in recreational dives. Paying for the appropriate gas is just part of diving. Now just think of the next fun step ... getting a small sling tank filled with more oxygen so you can off-gass much faster at safety stops ... and then you'll really have been bitten by the bug to be safer and maybe start transitioning into technical diving.

 

[CBulla]

It has definite advantages I finally took it to get up to par with my dive buddy. My wife decided to join me for the class when I told her about the advantages it would offer with our varied dives It was worth the time to do!

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Hi all,

I'm signed up to take the Nitrox certification course in a couple of weeks. When I talk to people about whether it's worthwhile I get a wide variety of answers.

So, I'll throw it out here; do you think diving Nitrox is "better"?

Hi,

Three main benifits and two major caveats.

benefit 1) If you dive with NITROX but use the air tables you will get less nitrogen into your body. This can decrease your risk of DCS. (You still need to monitor oxygen intake manually)

benefit 2) If you dive with NITROX and use the proper calculations for the gas you use you can extend your bottom time before you get a comperable amount of nitrogen in your body that you would have gotten if you had been diving with air.

benefit 3) If you dive with NITROX and use the proper calculations for the gas you use, but need to surface because you run short of breathing gas or choose to limit your bottom time regardless of gas remaining, you can use shorter surface intervals between dives due to the lower amount of nitrogen in your body. This is usually not a factor on a commercial dive boat because other divers will probably have been using air, so the surface interval will still be around and hour or more, but with less nitrogen in your body at the start of the surface interval you will have even less than the air divers at the end of the interval.

caveat 1) You must limit your depth (the depth involved depends on the mix you are using) and not descend below this depth, or you run very serious risks that will be explained to you in your class.

caveat 2) You need to monitor the Oxygen Toxicity that is based on the mix you use and the depth to which you dive. This can limit your overall time in the water.

The benefits are obvious and the risks are easily managed. You need to pay a little more attention to proper planning, but it is not a giant problem. Oh, and NITROX usually costs more per tank for fills.

You should be able to dive with the same gear you do now (using EAN40 or lower) so equipment should not be a factor. The only exception is your tank and its valve, but this is only a factor if you own your own tank(s).

In answer to your direct question is it "Better", you need to be the judge of that. There are benefits, and there are risks. For me the benefits outweigh the risks and I think is is "better".

Mark Vlahos

 

[PolsVoice]

Nitrox can double your no deco times. at 50 ft, 200 min with no deco. Unless you're diving doubles, I doubt you can even reach this limit. Compare this to an 80 minute limit on air. You more than double your bottom time and double your fun! As long as you don't want to go below 110-130 feet (nitrox has a depth floor), Nitrox is perfect. I've only been on one dive that was (borderline) too deep for nitrox, but I only dive recreationally. You do have to start watching your O2 clock and be mindful of you partial pressure of oxygen (nothing difficult).

- PV.

 

[divebunnie]

All of the above and more…

Another small bonus is that if you go on to do your dive master (as I am now) there will be a whole chunk of gas theory that you already understand!
If you are planning to do the course whilst on holiday, I would recommend buying the manual ahead of time and taking the time to do a little study on your own, just so that you don't have to work so hard once you are out in the sunshine!
Have fun and enjoy feeling fresh after your dives