The next step

[ScubaFreak]

er... what's wrong with air? Nitrox is great and everything as a tool to do 'longer', shallower dives but air works just fine... even deeper than you're limited to on whatever mix of nitrox you are using....

Bigger tanks will help you out even more than nitrox if you want to be first in, last out... assuming your buddy is 'last out' with you. Give me a PST e-7 100 filled with air and I'll stay down all day.

here here...

 

[vablackwater]

I'm having a blast going toward my AOW and Nitrox. I have decided that air is for non-divers, and I want Nitrox. I hate going back earlier and staying out longer, even though the other divers don't make too much fun of me (oh look, it's an airhead).

Air is for non divers? Air has worked just fine for me, and has aided in my going through a few logbooks. Learn to control your breathing rate, get your regs wet a few more times, and learn to plan a dive (and adhere to it). Same philosophy works well for nitrox too...

 

[The Kraken]

Padipro wrote:

"The simple fact is that a diver with a similar breathing rate, tank volume and dive profile will have more bottom time available to them using Nitrox then you will using air."

True, given that the alloted amount of breathing gas is greater than the NDL dive time, otherwise it's a draw . . .

80 cubic feet of gas is 80 cubic feet of gas, whether it be "air" or "EAN36".

 

[mstudley]

You are right though when you say that Nitox is a tool, it's a tool designed to increase one's NDL by reducing the partial pressure of nitrogen in the breathing gas.

Provided you are within the MOD of the mix which isn't as much of an issue with air. Air works great and shouldn't be written off as a 'non-diver gas'. Nitrox isn't a substitue for air, it's an alternative that has appropriate uses.

Let's all just use Trimix all the time for the heck of it.....

 

[diverchuck]

I'm having a blast going toward my AOW and Nitrox. I have decided that air is for non-divers, and I want Nitrox. I hate going back earlier and staying out longer, even though the other divers don't make too much fun of me (oh look, it's an airhead).
I have completed my deep, will be do naturalist and drift this weekend. Then nav and wreck. What a rush. I don't know why I waited 37 years to start this.

This scares me a little that a person with less than 15 dives is dissin' people who dive with air? Sounds like someone who needs a little experience.

 

[OE2X]

This scares me a little that a person with less than 15 dives is dissin' people who dive with air? Sounds like someone who needs a little experience.

You might not want to mix up enthusiasm with being dissed. This guy is in discovery mode and he just wants to do a shout out. We've all been in the same place where our enthusiasm is greater than our experience.

Jokeborn - great that you are loving it! Have fun.

 

[String]

Air for non divers. Damn im a non-diver so better go sell all my gear immediately.
N
Nitrox has certain uses (as does trimix and others). As mentioned Nitrox is ok for extending NDLs on shallow dives. In the 35-40m range Nitrox isnt an option and unless you can afford tri-mix air is the only option.

Having to do decompression stops isnt a life ending situation either.

 

[SquattingRadishDM]

Pick the right breathing gas for the dive you plan to do. Nitrox will be useful if you want to extend the NDL of a mid depth dive, true, but is not applicable to all diving siuations. So righting off air as for "non-divers" is childish and unhelpfull when paced in the New2Scuba forum where the emphasis must be placed on educating new divers in a reasoned manner.

I understand that its fun to learn new techniques and feel that ur progressing and becoming a more educated diver and jokeborn (original poster) was displaying enthusiasm (along with other things). But we should guard against blanket macho-istic statements that alienate others. jokeborn, you could probably extend you dives further by imporving ur air consumption, but yes nitrox has its merits.

Maybe we all should dive Trimix because it puts hair on the chest.