Nitrox...with AIR computer

[RICHinNC]

I would have sworn I have seen a thread on this some time ago...but I have not been able to find it. SO.......

If one becomes nitrox certified solely for the "feel better" at the end of a dive....NOT to extend bottom time yada yada...

and uses an AIR computer....and follows the computer readings as if using air.....

then as I understand it, a person gets one of the benefits of using nitrox...and....adds an additional safety factor in there by using an air computer.

Personally, I am happy with my bottom times...I am happy with my depths....all I am looking for from nitrox is the less tired feeling at the end of a normal dive.

oK....so what are the goods and bads of such a thing? Anyone already do this?? (if anyone asks....it would be with 32%)

 

[Diver0001]

RICHinNC once bubbled...
I would have sworn I have seen a thread on this some time ago...but I have not been able to find it. SO.......

If one becomes nitrox certified solely for the "feel better" at the end of a dive....NOT to extend bottom time yada yada...

and uses an AIR computer....and follows the computer readings as if using air.....

then as I understand it, a person gets one of the benefits of using nitrox...and....adds an additional safety factor in there by using an air computer.

Personally, I am happy with my bottom times...I am happy with my depths....all I am looking for from nitrox is the less tired feeling at the end of a normal dive.

oK....so what are the goods and bads of such a thing? Anyone already do this?? (if anyone asks....it would be with 32%)

A buddy of mine has been doing just this for years. He swears by it when he's "vacation" diving and making a lot of rep. dives in a short time. Intuitively it can only be a good thing. PADI says "it's not proven" to have a significant added value in terms of lowering your DCS risk. As I recall they had some sort of blah blah about that the risk is already really low and that things like your profile, hard swimming, dehydration, working out after diving etc etc are the things you should really be worried about.....the point being that "just" substituting nitrox for air may (almost certainly does) help but it's not a free ticket to ignore the other things you learned either.

R..

 

[SueMermaid]

That's what I do--Nitrox with an air computer for added safety.

 

[agstreet]

Well, there is the little MOD thing, but other than that you can substitute AIR tables for EAN tables without worry. Just stay above 110 fsw (all right, 111 ft) for EAN 32, and you'll be fine.

Alan

 

[jonnythan]

MOD and keep track of your O2 loading

 

[MechDiver]

Diver0001 once bubbled...


As I recall they had some sort of blah blah about that the risk is already really low and that things like your profile, hard swimming, dehydration, working out after diving etc etc are the things you should really be worried about.....the point being that "just" substituting nitrox for air may (almost certainly does) help but it's not a free ticket to ignore the other things you learned either.

R..

That sums it up pretty well. I hardly ever dive air anymore and have yet to buy a nitrox computer. If I want to extend bottom time, I'll use tables.
The only benefit I really see with a nitrox computer is liveaboard diving.

MD

 

[diver_paula]

That's how I dove Truk this past January - Nitrox with two air computers. Didn't get close to the 02 limit. & I felt a lot more alive than I did when I dove Truk on air in 1995.

Paula

 

[Stone]

For our kind of diving, the computer is the way to go.

We generally do 4 tanks. Depths vary between 70 and 120 fsw. Mixes are usually 32%, 34% and 36%.

Tables are inconvenient because we can't know in advance what depth/mix we will be diving. If we approach a site and it's covered with fishing boats, we have to change sites.

The computer does a nice job with multiple mixes and reverse profiles (and it watches the O2 clock as well).

 

[MechDiver]

Stone once bubbled...
For our kind of diving, the computer is the way to go.

We generally do 4 tanks. Depths vary between 70 and 120 fsw. Mixes are usually 32%, 34% and 36%.

Tables are inconvenient because we can't know in advance what depth/mix we will be diving. If we approach a site and it's covered with fishing boats, we have to change sites.

The computer does a nice job with multiple mixes and reverse profiles (and it watches the O2 clock as well).

Unless you're doing deco with high O2 its gonna be hard to run the O2 clock up to anything significant. I would just use 32% for the depths you mentioned and forget about juggling 2% mixes and simplify your life. For NDL dives, the nitrox computer is useful, but an air computer would still work okay.

MD

 

[Stone]

MechDiver once bubbled...
Unless you're doing deco with high O2 its gonna be hard to run the O2 clock up to anything significant. I would just use 32% for the depths you mentioned and forget about juggling 2% mixes and simplify your life. For NDL dives, the nitrox computer is useful, but an air computer would still work okay. MD

You are correct. The only time I've seen the O2 meter get over halfway was when we found a bunch of lobsters at 110 ft and elected to stay and use tanks of 36%. Theoretically, 36% only adds up to 20 extra minutes of bottom time for the whole day, but my wife lives for bottom time.

We don't take 32, 34, and 36 on every trip. We may take all 32s if we are staying offshore, or 4 32s and 4 36s. Since I continuous blend, the difference between 32% and 36% is just a nudge on the O2 flow regulator.