Nitrox - warning for beginner divers

[ianr33]

You need a new Dive Shop.

 

[gcarter]

Dive what is in the tank. Get an air fill. Analyse. Wash rinse repeat. In no time the PO2 will approach close enough to 21% that you can stop analysing, quicker than you might think particularly if you pring it down to 500 or so before the next fill. Hint: it doesn't matter what you end your dive with, bleed it down to 500 or so with your reg before filling.

Assuming you dive the mix as trained there is NOTHING wrong with diving the diminishing mixes.

And find a new shop.

 

[nimoh]

+1 find a new shop, they are trying to get you to pay for a vis, that they probably won't do (it is still the same month as the previous visual, so they don't have to change the sticker)

 

[AfterDark]

You need to get out more.

's

That's the problem. In another thread about solo diving the op posted that he doesn't do well meeting other people, claims he couldn't find a dive buddy at a site where there are other divers.

 

[mathauck0814]

Unbelievable that people get away with this crap. You need a new shop ASAP.

 

[Griffo]

Well, I went to my local shop Maximum Scuba on Richmond in Houston. They told me that they need to let all the nitrox out. When this will happen it will be empty. All empty tanks need a visual. Thus, they will fill with air only if I will shell out for a visual.

BTW: The tank is new, visual was made 2 weeks ago.

I've heard a lot of really dumb things come out of dive shop employee's mouths. This would have to top the list though.


EDIT: Actually, I wonder if they won't top off Nitrox tanks due to those home blenders who partial fill with pure 02, then rock up to the LDS to top off with air without saying anything about the fact they have 800psi of pure O2 in the tank.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

sorry, I was referring to the common use of the sticker as meaning enriched air nitrox rather than including air (I have never seen a nitrox sticker on a tank with air). Obviously, you feel very strongly about this, while I do not, so I will graciously bow out of this argument.

I didn't mean to come across so strongly. Overused the exclamation point.

My point is that for someone who owns their own tanks and dives them almost exclusively, they serve no purpose. No one is diving my tanks but me and I always confirm what's in them. They always have some flavor of nitrox, but it may be a very light mix after I've air topped a 32 fill a few times. In my case, and this applies to the vast majority of local divers in the Midwest/Great Lakes, they serve no purpose.

For a cattle-boat operation in say Cozumel who caters to vacation divers, keeping a stock of nitrox wrapped tanks and non-wrapped air tanks might make sense. However, why the industry perpetuates a practice for everyone that only has application to a few resort destinations is beyond me.

I refuse to wrap mine. I can get the nitrox I need from sources I trust. If a location won't put nitrox in my tanks because I don't have wraps, so be it. I have them give me air. That's far better than having someplace who only has air refuse to fill my tanks because they're wrapped (see recent post by OP). That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in awhile. Oh wait, the local dive shop I used to DM at had the same rule! Idiotic.

 

[nimoh]

I didn't mean to come across so strongly. Overused the exclamation point.

My point is that for someone who owns their own tanks and dives them almost exclusively, they serve no purpose. No one is diving my tanks but me and I always confirm what's in them. They always have some flavor of nitrox, but it may be a very light mix after I've air topped a 32 fill a few times. In my case, and this applies to the vast majority of local divers in the Midwest/Great Lakes, they serve no purpose.

For a cattle-boat operation in say Cozumel who caters to vacation divers, keeping a stock of nitrox wrapped tanks and non-wrapped air tanks might make sense. However, why the industry perpetuates a practice for everyone that only has application to a few resort destinations is beyond me.

I refuse to wrap mine. I can get the nitrox I need from sources I trust. If a location won't put nitrox in my tanks because I don't have wraps, so be it. I have them give me air. That's far better than having someplace who only has air refuse to fill my tanks because they're wrapped (see recent post by OP). That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in awhile. Oh wait, the local dive shop I used to DM at had the same rule! Idiotic.

fwiw, I don't wrap my tanks either, and agree that there is no reason to do so.

and, as you said, I understand why they do it on cattle boats (and possibly even on 6-packs), but agree that it shouldn't be necessary.

My point is that it doesn't bother me that they wrap their tanks, it might if an LDS refused to fill my tanks with nitrox, but haven't run into that.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

fwiw, I don't wrap my tanks either, and agree that there is no reason to do so.

and, as you said, I understand why they do it on cattle boats (and possibly even on 6-packs), but agree that it shouldn't be necessary.

My point is that it doesn't bother me that they wrap their tanks, it might if an LDS refused to fill my tanks with nitrox, but haven't run into that.

Sounds like we're saying the same thing. If folks want to wrap their tanks, knock themselves out. The problem is the confusion over what's required or not. I've heard shop employees and owners throw around the 'illegal' word wrt putting nitrox in a non-wrapped tank. Seriously?!

 

[nimoh]

Sounds like we're saying the same thing. If folks want to wrap their tanks, knock themselves out. The problem is the confusion over what's required or not. I've heard shop employees and owners throw around the 'illegal' word wrt putting nitrox in a non-wrapped tank. Seriously?!

yes, I think we are in agreement

I think a lot of shops do things based on misunderstanding of legalities that do nothing but cost them sales.