Was my EAN training adequate?

[Tigerman]

Tigerman:

I realize it's covered in the course, but I also realize that (in my estimation) the majority of divers getting nitrox certification probably forget the MOD formula & mix calculations.

Of course, one could simply pull out their old manual, look it up & refresh.

While a person fluent in all the basic nitrox course material could handle the more complex situation I proposed, I believe a diver who regularly does dive scenarios like that might be more apt to worry over whether he knows enough, vs. the 'EAN 32? Okay, set computer & don't go deeper than 110. Check!' diver.

Richard.

I dont walk around remembering the formula per say myself, but I know its mix%, mod and ppo2 that goes into it, and from that I can deduct that it has to be mod(meters) = 10x[(ppo2/mix)-1].
However, I dont think much about that when diving as 32% is pretty much what "everyone" use for rec nitrox and the computer will tell you the mod, when youre getting close to it and how long you can stay there.
I have the charts as well so even if the computer didnt tell me my mod I still wouldnt be assed to calculate it

The most important thing for the average diver is probably to learn how to set the mix % on his/her computer and how to analyze the tank.
Im not a large fan of "computer riding" but i think the fact is that most people do it, wether its air or nitrox.

 

[RonFrank]

Im not a large fan of "computer riding" but i think the fact is that most people do it, wether its air or nitrox.

Not most, everyone rides something. If your not riding a computer then your riding a bottom timer. What, you think there are people out there counting the seconds manually? No.

The guys out there who refuse to use a computer are still using a BT. If the BT fails they have a backup. The reality is they are just as dependent as everyone else, they just rely more on memory to get their times right. That has its own set of issues. They also rely on depth gauges. My buddy just bought the OLED depth gauge from Liquivision. Depth, time, stop watch, averages, everything but the dive computer, cool!

We rely on computers to wake us up, to handle the timing on commuter trains, and control the timing of lights at intersections. If you don't think we are totally reliant on computers, think again. So why a segment of the diving population feels the need to handle things in manual mode is beyond me. Maybe they have the need to rebel against the machine!

'Welcome to the Machine' - Pink Floyd - 1975

 

[Tigerman]

Pink Floyd.. good Idea.

Yes, we are dependant on computers but by "computer riding" in this context what I mean is blindly following the computer with no other dive plan than not upset the computer and hopefully have 500psi in your tank back on the surface.

Yes, of course everyone use a timer, and a depth gauge if they dont blindly follow a computer, how do you suggest people keep track of their depth, time and NDL or Deco obligations?

Computer riding and using the computer or a timer and depth gauge as tools to following a preset plans is two very different things.
Oh and btw, I dont use a BT if Im not using my computer, I use a good old fashioned analog dive watch..

 

[billgraham]

Seriously?

I absolutely suck at math, so if I can do this, you all can:

140 + 33/33= 5.24 (pressure absolute). 1.4/5.24= .267, so 26 or 27% is good. Max CNS time at 1.4 = 150 minutes, you should know that from the NOAA chart. Dalton's diamond, you need to understand this to do any mixed gas diving. Isn't this what they teach in a Nitrox class anymore? Scary.

 

[stevensamler]

Hello,
After reading some of the recent post on EAN. I started second guessing my EAN training. So I went back and started reading my PADI EAN manual again. After doing so I have a question my traing consisted of reading through the material watching the video on my own. I then went to the LDS went over the exercise at the end of each chapter with a instructor. I did test a EAN tank and since I was also taking my advanced course at the time I dove one of my advanced dives with EAN with no discusion of EAN. So my question is this adequate.

single dives with nitrox you must be aware of your mod , on repetative dives with multi days of diving and close to ndls you have to track your % of oxygen just the same as tracking nitrogen.

 

[billgraham]

I'm still dumbfounded at this. No one knows how to calculate a mix for a given depth and P-02 after taking a "Nitrox" class? What the hell?

 

[Tigerman]

I know how, I just dont need to between computers and charts.
its just a matter of re-arraging your mod formula.
For us metricians that would then come out to mix(percent) = ppo2/[(maxata)+1]

maxata being the max ATA WATER PRESSURE you plan to experience. For metric thats a real simple depth/10
The +1 because we already have 1 ata at the surface.

so the mix(percent) for a ppo2 of 1.4 with a max depth of 43 meters would then be 1.4/(5.3) = 0.264 aka 26%

See, we can if we can be assed. And for the record, the number 43 I pulled out of my ass and would be a bad idea on a single al80 for a whole bunch of reasons, so dont go fill your tanks with 26% just because I said so, mkay?

 

[tylerma]

Of all the speciality courses I've done with PADI,EANx has been so far the one that I have learnt the easiest from. There was definitley less wasteful information. It took a lot of convincing to get my dive buddy to do Nitrox, but the benefits are pretty good, especially when doing repretitive dives out here in the Grand Cayman. You don't feel like snoring after two dives.

 

[billgraham]

Don't get me wrong, I hate math. I just don't think you should do any kind of diving with mixed gasses before you can do this without thinking about it.

 

[skankpile]

I'm still dumbfounded at this. No one knows how to calculate a mix for a given depth and P-02 after taking a "Nitrox" class? What the hell?

what is PO2?