OP
Nitrox worth it for 3 days on Key Largo reefs?
- Thread starter anchochile
- Start date
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Rainbow since I believe that's who you are already diving with. Shop is open later so you can get it done without loosing dive time. Enjoy!
2airishuman
Contributor
Having dived with RR, and used Nitrox with them on a couple of occasions, it is my view that you are unlikely to reach NDLs on air with them, because of the sites and profiles that they dive.
If you were planning on participating in both morning and afternoon dives, and were specifically seeking out the deeper wreck dives, there is a chance you might hit an NDL at some point. Whether this would make it worth using Nitrox to pick up a few minutes of bottom time here or there is debatable.
If you were planning on participating in both morning and afternoon dives, and were specifically seeking out the deeper wreck dives, there is a chance you might hit an NDL at some point. Whether this would make it worth using Nitrox to pick up a few minutes of bottom time here or there is debatable.
As a newish diver, odds are you can't get enough bottom time on a tank for it to matter and that assumes the LDS will let you stay down that long which is not likely. With some experience and a dive op that does not limit your time (highly unlikely) nitrox may become useful. On deeper dives where it's easier to come close to NDLs it can be useful but odds are you will not be doing those on this trip. Unless you are getting close to your NDLs on most dives, it's not worth the expense.
Karloss
Contributor
I am guessing that as a new diver your air consumption is a bit on the high side. If it is you will go through a nitrox tank to fast to reap any of the benefits of having it or making the extra dollars worth it. 4 dives a day at those depths should not bother you.
OP
anchochile
Contributor
Thanks, all. Sounds like NDLs should be a non-issue for a few days of shallow reef diving.
Maybe you found out in your Open Water class how to work this out? If you learned tables, you probably did. If you learned computers, maybe not.
OP
anchochile
Contributor
I did learn tables in my OW class (are there classes that dont?), and I checked this out before asking the question. On the NAUI tables that I was trained on, a typical Rainbow Reef day with 2-tank morning and afternoon trips, to roughly 35fsw, with very short surface intervals on the boat, would have me past NDLs by the 4th dive of the day.
I use a computer but haven't used it for four-dive days like the schedule described above. I dive cold water, from the beach, with max 3 tanks in a day and very leisurely surface intervals, so I wasn't sure whether a few days with Rainbow Reef would having me pushing NDLs on a computer, hence my question for those who may have done similar days of diving with a computer.
And the answer seems to be that I should be fine, which is good to know. I think we can declare this thread finished.
caruso
Banned
It would be close but I think if you figure that you'd have a surface interval of at least 1.5 hours between the morning and afternoon dives you would still be within no deco limits by dive 4.
Excellent. Yes, most OW classes today are not taught with tables. Your assumption of "very short surface intervals" may be poor. 30 or more likely 45 mins or even 60 mins min is a better assumption, for Rainbow Reef. And the long lunch break when the biat comes back to the dock is even more helpful.
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