Nitrox

[Diversauras]

I hope I am not just rehashing an old thread but I haven't been in the group too long so if I am please excuse.

There has been a great deal written about Nitrox regs and computers recently, and as an instructor I am really curious as to why. I realize that not everyone teaches the same, even within an agency, and that some basic classes rank with other AOW programs, but why is NITROX not addressed from day one, or at least right after the gas laws?

I honestly believe now that nobody should be diving air at depths shallower than 120 or so, deeper becomes a different issue. With what we know about the advantages of NITROX (read safety margin) I do not understand why NITROX is not part of EVERY training program and used by EVERY diver.

I of course understand that NITROX is not available everywhere, but the sooner everyone is asking / demanding it, the sooner it will be available.

"Let the discussions begin"

 

[TexasMike]

In my personal, just really beginning to learn about diving, and not an instructor opinion ( ), I think it's because for some (many?) open water students, what they are learning to be certified as O/W is already overwhelming as it is. And to toss in all the information required by the training standard for Nitrox during the O/W class time would put many students into overload.

Possibly mentioning that for different diving situations, different gas mixtures are used and a very brief over view of what they're called as well as a mention that if more info is desired, they can sign up for the class after this session would be enough.

You're quesiton is a good one, and I understand where you're coming from. I've asked my DM instructor the same type of question about including another "slightly more advanced than O/W topic" in O/W class. And the opinion I stated to you in the first paragraph was based on his answer.

 

[Diversauras]

TexasMike

Maybe the way it should work is that OW students dive NITROX and the topic is only mentioned in the class. The follow on would be to NITROX rather than AOW. This would give everyone a few more dives before trying to master th AOW skills.

It would be easier to reinforce nitrox if future slasses than to introduce it and then immediately work on mastery of the subject.

 

[The Chairman]

I would never recommend having a student dive a voodoo gas. It teaches them the wrong thing from the start. If you are going to have them use it, then teach the SAFETY part right along with it. If a student gets the mistaken belief that NitrOx is SAFER than air, then we are opening them up to the very real issue of OxTox without them knowing about it.

That being said, I do feel that NitrOx can be covered in the OW class at the instructor's discretion. No short cuts should be taken, but I do believe that the extra math would help some students finally understand the basic concepts of the gas laws.

 

[Stone]

Originally posted by dkigreg
I realize that not everyone teaches the same, even within an agency, and that some basic classes rank with other AOW programs, but why is NITROX not addressed from day one, or at least right after the gas laws?

Your question implies that Nitrox is not addressed in Basic OW. In my case, I was given a very good understanding of Nitrox before I ever did my cert dives.

You could find out with a poll: "Did your Basic OW instructor address NITROX?" A. Not at all, B. Somewhat, C. He had me signed up for the Nitrox class before I got wet."

Or something like that.

 

[devilfish]

Nitrox is a good gas if dived as air schedules. Only then it is safer within O2 depth.
However, should Nitrox be offered in basic certification? Not until divers have good enough boyancy control not to exceed depth. Most begining divers can't hold planned depth.

 

[Diversauras]

Stone,

Didn't mean to imply NITRO is not covered in OW, but it should be addressed in every OW class and not in just the good ones.

As for the poll. do it, sounds like a good idea to me.

Devilfish,

I agree that that is one approach, and a good one. It could also be that basic NITROX is rolled into OW with the addition of an extra class or two and an additional dive or two. These extra NITROX dives could be used to fine tune buoyancy control and then the basic OW diver crop would be better for it.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Well I think that air is for filling tires, running pneumatic tools and blowing dust off the work bench....

We should be teaching people from the very first dive to use the appropriate gas mix for the depth....

Just kidding with the last statement... but not with the first.

I agree w/TexasMike that there is already so much to be absorbed by the O/W student that introducing other than air gas mixes would be a huge and unnecessary overload.

That said I think the notion that Nitrox is *devil gas* is ill informed and that Nitrox should be the next logical step after O/W and before AOW, at least as an option. There are no additional diving skills necessary for using Nitrox.

The fear that Nitrox will lead to Oxtox as the newly certified O/W student plummets uncontrolled to 130 while their MOD is only 110 is also ill informed.

The NOAA max. exposure to PO2 of 1.6 is 45 minutes on a single dive.... a dip below PO2 1.4 is not going to throw you instantly into the funky chicken.

The O/W + Nitrox student should be proficient in buoyancy control unless they are a PADI week end wonder.

The O/W + nitrox student should be diving with a hard bottom that is no deeper than the MOD.

The O/W + nitrox student is much safer in my opinion because of the reduced nitrogen exposure and the reduced risk of DCS.

Back to my first statement... and it is a subject of heated debated... air is for tires!

The idea that nitrox is good down to 100fsw but after that we must go back to air is shortsighted IMO. Why use the correct gas for weenie dives but then use that absolute worst gas for dives that really begin to get into the danger zone. I know that things are different down there in warm water Florida and also cold water Great Lakes where visibility is great.... but I up here in the PNW with *limited viz - dark@noon* the dark narc can be a real threat.

 

[Diversauras]

That is the point, and as for the 2nd statement I think that has some merit too, though I also agree that OW classes have a lot to learn. We should be de-mystifing (sp?) NITROX, maybe all gas mixes.
Now that we accept that all dives are decompression dives maybe we could also accept that all breating mixes are gas and that common everyday air is just one of the possible mixes.

 

[ucladiver]

Im a newly certified O/W student interesting in taking further classes. I have been diving w/ my instructor for fun since certification and he asked me if was going to take the AOW and thought I would. I also want to become Nitrox certified.

-Should I do that first?

-Where can I get some good info about Nitrox, why its safer, what are the tradeoffs associated with that increased safety, etc..

-I just spent some decent $$ on an APEKS TX40 + TX40 Octo, tank etc.. How much is it gonna cost me to get something Nitrox Safe?