Palau & Nitrox

[slinger101]

Hi guys,

It seems like many dive shops in Palau offer Nitrox for free. Therefore I'm wondering how important it is to be Nitrox certified for this destination?

My girlfriend is currently not Nitrox certified - would she feel like the odd one out?

How are the (NECO) guides handling groups with both Air & Nitrox divers?

Thanks heaps,
Slinger

 

[Diver Dennis]

Nitrox certification is quick and easy. It would be better if you were both diving Nitrox as I assume you will be buddies. It's not about being the "odd one out"' it will allow you do dive together since a lot of the diving there is a bit deeper. If you plan on doing just shallow dives then it won't matter.

 

[robint]

Hi guys,

It seems like many dive shops in Palau offer Nitrox for free. Therefore I'm wondering how important it is to be Nitrox certified for this destination?

My girlfriend is currently not Nitrox certified - would she feel like the odd one out?

How are the (NECO) guides handling groups with both Air & Nitrox divers?

Thanks heaps,
Slinger

Nitrox is of most importance when doing more than 2 dives per day (nitrogen loading). If you are only doing 2 a day, then you shouldn't worry about it. I doubt most land-based divers do it.

 

[Travelnsj]

Nitrox is always safer diving. If you are doing 3 dives a day lets say Blue Corner, Blue Holes and Turtle cove and diving with a Suunto...last dive will usually be about 40' max. All dive ops will usually pay attention to whether you are diving Air or Nitrox. The person who taught me Nitrox was Keith at PalauDive.com.

 

[Boxcar Overkill]

Hi guys,
It seems like many dive shops in Palau offer Nitrox for free. Therefore I'm wondering how important it is to be Nitrox certified for this destination?

Pretty important, if you want to dive a lot. Also, air makes me sleepy.

My girlfriend is currently not Nitrox certified - would she feel like the odd one out?

No, but she couldn't dive as often.

How are the (NECO) guides handling groups with both Air & Nitrox divers?

Thanks heaps,
Slinger

I dove with NECO about 5 weeks ago. The guide, whom I won't name, was a whole lot of fun. A really experianced diver and a good guy.

But Everyone on that dive, both those EAN certified and those who weren't, dove with nitrox and stayed together as a group. So if you go with NECO and that guide is leading, the way he will probably handle it is to give her nitrox, dive conservative, and keep her with the group. I leave it to you to decide how you feel about that.

 

[slinger101]

... So if you go with NECO and that guide is leading, the way he will probably handle it is to give her nitrox, dive conservative, and keep her with the group. I leave it to you to decide how you feel about that.

Hi guys!

Thank you so much for your help. This community really rocks! ;o)

It seems clear to me now that a Nitrox certification is VERY important for this destination. I will give my girlfriend the books and tables tonight so she can start studying. She has a week till our first dive there. WE ARE SOOOOOO EXCITED!

Kind Regards,
Slinger

 

[Boxcar Overkill]

BTW I dove with NECO today in a mixed group of Air and Nitrox. Everyone pretty much dived the same profile on the two dives - Nitrox folks are just less sleepy tonight.

 

[TJ_Diver]

I dove in Palau earlier this year and spent the first half of the trip on air and the second half on nitrox. My dive buddy is my daughter and she is not old enough to be nitrox certified, so at first I used the same gas as she was using. A doctor of the dive boat recommended that I use Nitrox just for the safety factor. Thereafter I switched to Nitrox, but dove an air profile (of course keeping in mind that you can't dive as deep with Nitrox as you can with air).
There is no feeling of being the odd one out with either gas. Just whatever you and your buddy are happy with.