Nitrox??? Really???

[Racket]

I agree w/ shops selling air nitrox computers. There are very few air only computers left, and for the difference in price most people are not going to be willing to go air only.

Why should a dealer stock or support something that they will not sell?

As far as attitude goes, to be fair to the Lady at the diveshop I'll side w/ her untill I heard what she said and how she said it w/ my own ears. She didnt say exactly what the op wanted to hear.

I am not sure why you were offended when you said you wanted a simple air computer and she tried to save you money by telling you to do some basic calculations that you should have learned in OW class instead of spending any money on a computer.

 

[g2]

I think the OP was offended by the way she said it.

Respectfully, while I agree that everyone should be familiar with the tables, there are types diving (especially multi-day and non-square profile) where a computer is invaluable for extending bottom times. Although most manufacturers aren't making air-only computers any more, I understand the desire for one. I use an ancient Oceanic Datamax Sport as a backup and appreciate its simplicity.

glenn

 

[girldiverllc]

With the price of a lower end air/nx computer being very close, it may have come down to the customer service end.

This is unfortunate, as in an ideal world, the person behind the counter should have the training to be able to explain the advantages in a non-condescending way...and sell the items in stock. If the lds only carries high end computers, well, that's a separate problem, but convincing a consumer to purchase a reasonably priced piece of gear that has additional features on it isn't rocket science.

Most BCD's have several ways to deflate...yet most divers only deflate them one or two different ways. No one walks into a shop and requests less dump valves...

And offering the use of tables in lieu of a computer? Maybe the salesperson should retake the "diving with a computer" section of the Open Water course for the "real profile" advantages found with a computer...air or nitrox compatible.

 

[mhedman]

OK, so here it is. It's a cultural difference. I come here from the Caribbean where dive shops dive. Diving here is gear intensive so that's where everyone's focus is. I don't care about a stupid computer. I'm going to paste in a piece from an article that may help. It talks a little about ideal weight and about how in the rest of the world, people that are out of shape would be excluded from diving. That is a practice implemented by the dive shops, instructors, and the industry.
May 3, 2007
Ideal Body Weight for Diving, Scuba Calories
Filed under: Interesting News — scubadoc @ 2:14 pm


In response to a question about diving and obesity - here is an answer giving the ideal body weight for diving:

Edmonds, in the book, Diving and Subaquatic Medicine, states that weight should be less than 20 % above the average ideal weight for age, height and build. Obesity is undesirable because it increases the risk of decompression illness, there being an increase in nitrogen absorption of 4.5 times in fat. Sport diving is more lenient than commercial in this regard in that the bottom times can be reduced according to the percentage that the candidate’s weight exceeds that expected for height and build.

Body mass index (BMI) is a method for determining the percentage of fat. It is determined by weight in Kg divided by height in meters squared.

In some areas of the world where medical fitness is more stringently regulated than the US, a high BMI (body mass index) would deter one from diving. Complicating conditions of adiposity include diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia or hypertension and their associations with coronary artery disease. The BMI is important to divers due to the fact that people with high BMI are more prone to coronary artery disease and an untoward coronary event while diving. A BMI above 30 kg/m2 is thought to be excessively risky for diving. Of course, measured %BF can sometimes show that the diver is quite large and muscular and this needs to be taken into consideration. Figure your BMI by going to this web site:
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm

 

[mhedman]

g2 and girldiverllc are both correct! I'm just looking for people in positions of leadership and responsibility to be both of those things.

 

[Aramisun]

You mentioned a couple of times that Nitrox is supposed to be safer. That is not what I learned in my TDI Nitrox class. It does allow for longer dives due to less Nitrogen build up, but if you dive AIR & Nitrox to their limits by either a computer or tables, they are both the same risk. O2 toxicity is an offsetting factor that limits depth, but I don't usually dive that deep for any length of time anyway.
I am one of those folks that does believe that I feel better after a day of Nitrox diving vs Air diving though, which is good , because I always burn through my gas before I hit NDL times anyway.
If you want an air only DC, get one from eBay, but the nitrox ones don't cost that much more.
Remember, it's only an algorithm in the software, no special hardware needed,so there is no such thing as an air only computer, only computers with old software. I suppose, depending on the display, the way the O2 level is displayed may be considered hardware, not software.
Unfortunately, they make it too difficult to upgrade the software only anyway.

 

[D_B]

"I don't care about a stupid computer" ... well, It started off about one and lots of words here about how most are not fit enough to be diving ... maybe this should be in "Whine & Cheeze" :huh:

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Most BCD's have several ways to deflate...yet most divers only deflate them one or two different ways. No one walks into a shop and requests less dump valves...

Actually there are a bunch of us out there who would ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Soggy]

Actually there are a bunch of us out there who would ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Heh...the same bunch of people who want a gauge without computer functions, perhaps?

 

[Sharky1948]

I come here from the Caribbean where dive shops dive. Diving here is gear intensive so that's where everyone's focus is.http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm

Interesting. Maybe I'm doing it all wrong! I take a lot less gear to the Caribbean than I do NE wreck diving. I've got to re-think this!