O2 Clock

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bleeb

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How many of you diving manually track of your oxygen exposure time over multiple dives (especially on trips with successive days of diving) when diving nitrox recreationally (no deco)? Or do you let the computer keep track for you, given that it's not easy to actually run into O2 clock limits when diving NDLs? If you do track time, what methodology do you use?
 
just ride your computer; if you like it the hard way, refer to your CNS exposure table (I assume you're EAN certified so you should know how to use that table)
 
How many of you diving manually track of your oxygen exposure time over multiple dives (especially on trips with successive days of diving) when diving nitrox recreationally (no deco)? Or do you let the computer keep track for you, given that it's not easy to actually run into O2 clock limits when diving NDLs? If you do track time, what methodology do you use?

Is not easy a code phrase for "darn near impossible"?
 
Is not easy a code phrase for "darn near impossible"?

Close. (You did say "near". :)) However, IIRC the question as to whether it was possible was :catfight: here on SB a while back, and some stated they had managed to come close on (I think) liveaboards, doing 5-7 dives a day. (I'm feeling too lazy to try to search for the specific thread.) So there's at least a little bit of basis for my original question, even if it is mostly for intellectual curiosity.
 
How many of you diving manually track of your oxygen exposure time over multiple dives (especially on trips with successive days of diving) when diving nitrox recreationally (no deco)? Or do you let the computer keep track for you, given that it's not easy to actually run into O2 clock limits when diving NDLs? If you do track time, what methodology do you use?

As long as you are tracking your CNS daily exposure, multi day exposure is no concern as you are considered to be complely washed out after 8 hours on the surface.
It is whole body toxicity (OTU) tracking that involves multiple days. It would be very difficult for a recreational diver to get anywhere near maximum OTUs even after a week of heavy diving.
 
I ride the computer! Even doing four, and sometimes five dives a day, I've never come close to reaching O2 limits. I do dive EanX, so O2 exposure COULD be a factor, but I'd have to be doing some serious bottom times! :D
 
Is not easy a code phrase for "darn near impossible"?

And that is exactly why I finally bought a computer. I just didn't want to deal with more tables and the O2 clock.

I didn't mind doing square dives with a table. A simple dive timer is all I needed (along with a depth gauge and SPG).

Things change...

Richard
 
I am a new nitrox diver so my post may not hold much water. I do track CNS exposure not because I am in fear of violation. I track it so that medical professionals will know what it is in the event I get O2 tox or bent. I am not sure if those numbers will help them at all, but it sure wont hurt either. I also have a nitrox capable computer, but I still use the CNS charts as well. My computer can die, but the chart cant.

Just my .02
 
As Dave (wedivebc) mentioned above, as long as you are tracking your CNS clock daily, there is no problem with multiple day diving from a CNS perspective. Where multi-day diving comes into play is with whole body exposure (OTUs). That having been said, it would be extremely difficult for any recreational diver doing no-decompression diving to get into trouble with either CNS or whole body exposure problems as the no-deco limits will get you out of the water before either are a concern.

Technical divers, however, need to manage these issues. Especially with closed circuit rebreather diving or open circuit diving with multiple gas switches where you maintain a relatively high PO2 throughout the dive, the CNS clock needs to go into dive planning. For example, for a CCR diver with a PO2 setpoint of 1.3 the single dive limit is 180 minutes (not unheard of for technical CCR diving) and the 24 hour limit would be 210 minutes (very easy to exceed with a CCR recreational liveaboard trip of 4 one hour dives per day).

From an OTU standpoint, the worst case scenario of multiple day diving allows 300 OTUs per day. The same diver above diving a 1.3 setpoint could dive 202 minutes per day at 1.3 and stay under the 300 OTUs.

The takehome message is that the concepts of 24 hours limits for CNS oxygen toxicity and whole body oxygen toxicity are important for the recreational no-decompression diver to understand, in reality they really don't come into play. However, keeping your max PO2 under, say, 1.4 as is taught in recreational nitrox classes is very important to minimize the risk of seizures (and drowning) from CNS oxygen toxicity.
 

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