Nitrox when others are on air

[OctopusLover]

I would consider different operators at your diving destinations. Most all of the destinations I have visited in the last 20 years have had a majority of nitrox divers. All liveaboards have offered nitrox.

I havent done any liveaboards, I'm currently in Tenerife and the dives will be with the only technical diving school in the island. I specifically chose them because I figured if they teach technical diving they'd attract a more advanced crowd

 

[rick00001967]

my wife has never been nitrox certified. so when we dive on holiday, sometimes i am on nitrox. she is on air. my dive plan is just that much more conservative.

 

[grf88]

I live in the UK, diving here isn't really a thing

Don't tell the British Sub-Aqua Club that.

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[Wathdoc]

I live in the UK, diving here isn't really a thing, so my diving for the foreseeable future is as part of a holiday. In that context, I'm showing up to a dive centre and joining their boat for 2-3 days while I'm the area and that's it. I don't know anyone I'll dive with.

I had assumed this is how most people dived most of the time?

In any case better surface intervals are also pointless if I'm stuck waiting for a group, and I'm only diving twice a day on their boat so increased safety over the day is also not a concern. I mainly got the Nitrox certification to be able to enjoy dives at 30 meters for longer, and now wondering if that's ever actually going to happen

You are very mistaken if you think that diving is not really a thing in the UK. It's very active, and has been since the 50's!

 

[Lorenzoid]

I havent done any liveaboards, I'm currently in Tenerife and the dives will be with the only technical diving school in the island. I specifically chose them because I figured if they teach technical diving they'd attract a more advanced crowd

Sounds logical to me. Again, I think you just had bad luck with this one booking.

 

[Sure Squintsalot]

...I'm guessing that you are probably diving AL80's and gas consumption is more of a limiting factor than nitrogen loading.

In which case, is the added expense of diving nitrox worth the hassle?

It seems to me (a relative noob), that unless you're planning on extended time at 70'-90', diving with a 15L makes more sense.

 

[MB NZ]

If I may, I think this is a general problem about holiday diving. Even if everyone was on nitrox, doing 30 metre dives, chances are that someone would have a higher SAC and the dives would end earlier than you would like anyway. I'm not sure what the answer is here. Having just done a bit of holiday diving after a long break, it's certainly made me think how I would plan future dive trips. At home, I just walk in to the sea when I want to dive, or dive from my own boat. I'm usually solo diving or diving with a good mate, so please myself. If I do any more holiday diving, I would consider a private guide, not because I want a guide, but because I don't want to dive in a large group.

 

[gmerick]

I have both Nitrox and Solo (PADI Self Reliant). I dive Nitrox if available. I splash early. If it's a group dive, I follow the leader and keep going when part of the group heads back to the boat. If with an insta-buddy, I'll remain with her, and hover above if she goes below my MOD. If she NDL's, I follow back to join other divers or her safety stop, then continue until the planned/briefed dive time limit.

 

[NorCalDM]

Either way....with the number of dives you have listed, I'm guessing that you are probably diving AL80's and gas consumption is more of a limiting factor than nitrogen loading.

This right here. Typical holiday diving you are on a schedule, 60 minute dive and 60 minute surface interval. Nitrox will help extend your NDL on multiple dives in a day or week but usually the air is gone before the NDL.

 

[OctopusLover]

Update after the day. One other person on the dive was a Tec diver on Nitrox. We buddied up and basically did our own thing without getting too far from the main group. We were lower than them most of the time and stayed at the bottom for a few minutes after the main group had ascended. It was perfect!

I'm afraid I just got lucky this one time though...