jonhall
Contributor
Have some comments regarding many posts in this thread, but will start with these 3. Keep in mind we're talking about Cozumel and what may be helpful to divers who are thinking of traveling there one day.
1. The most recent topic - analyzing Nitrox: My first thought was, like another person posted, shouldn't all tanks (21%, 32%, 34%, 36%, etc..) be tested if one is worried about the mix?
Did a quick check of some of the dive ops on my spreadsheet Cozumel Dive Ops and many offer EANx (some don't) which must be requested. My take is that any requested EANx tank will be 32% unless one asks specifically for 36%, the only other mix I could find offered by a couple of dive ops. I have never seen anyone analyze a tank on a boat I've been on with tanks that were labeled nitrox.
My experience with Aldora in Jan/Feb was unlike some others who have posted about them. Over 9 boat dives, everyone used nitrox 32% (I did because it was free for staying at Villa Aldora) and no-one asked for tanks to be analyzed - the same as with other ops I have dived with in Coz where some divers used nitrox. Personally, I didn't worry about it - see the link below - I think it may be what another poster made a reference to.
From an older ScubaBoard thread: New, Better Tank Fills (see post #1)
It may be reasonable to think that in Coz, many boats do not carry analyzers because they know the mix they are receiving and it's likely that if one requests nitrox, it will be 32% and already analyzed (such as the case with Aldora.)
This topic got me a little interested in the dangers of nitrox, so I looked at the latest DAN Annual Report - 2020 with 2018 statistics. Couldn't find any examples of oxygen toxicity as it related to deaths or triggers to some other accident - of course not every SCUBA accident/fatality is reported.
2. Addressing an issue mentioned by the OP in post #1, I also had a computer issue on recent trip - battery compartment flooded on day 1 after 2nd dive. Cleaned it out, tightened cap, but on 1st dive (Punta Sur Sur) of 2nd day of diving, it flooded - I was willing to take my medicine and sit the 2nd dive out but the DM gave me a wrist computer to use - great! I also asked for a console computer for 3rd day (3 dives) but it didn't work, so again used a wrist computer. Day 4, I had a working console computer, but on the 2nd dive I couldn't change the gas from 32% to 36% which we did on all dives to add another margin of safety. The fix was for me to stay at the same level as the DM.
I know a negative/gripe brought up in threads - not just Coz threads - is about using a dive ops gear. I was just happy that, in this case, Aldora was able to supply me with something that worked. Although not my first equipment issue when on a dive trip, it was my first in Coz.
3. Several have voiced concern that, by whatever means, they wind up going to an "easy" site when they wanted to go to a more advanced site. The only time I was on a boat with a brand new diver in Coz was a couple of years ago so I knew we were hitting 2 shallower (easier?) dive sites - we dove Paso del Cedral and Yucab - I was a little disappointed at the time because the 2nd dive the day before was Paso del Cedral and I thought, couldn't we do something different. As it turned out, it was different than the day before with more life (I checked my notes.)
Understandably, the conditions have to be right to go to some of the advanced sites, so a diver could literally spend their trip in Coz not getting to those sites. When I dove with Pepe Scuba, we went to Punta Sur and dove Cathedral - there were no other dive boats in the area. With Aldora, it was 3 days of hearing "tomorrow looks good to go north" before we finally were able to go.
I often wonder what constitutes an easy, intermediate, or advanced site. Aren't several sites a mix of several levels? Does staying above the swim-throughs at a site make an intermediate dive an easy dive?
1. The most recent topic - analyzing Nitrox: My first thought was, like another person posted, shouldn't all tanks (21%, 32%, 34%, 36%, etc..) be tested if one is worried about the mix?
Did a quick check of some of the dive ops on my spreadsheet Cozumel Dive Ops and many offer EANx (some don't) which must be requested. My take is that any requested EANx tank will be 32% unless one asks specifically for 36%, the only other mix I could find offered by a couple of dive ops. I have never seen anyone analyze a tank on a boat I've been on with tanks that were labeled nitrox.
My experience with Aldora in Jan/Feb was unlike some others who have posted about them. Over 9 boat dives, everyone used nitrox 32% (I did because it was free for staying at Villa Aldora) and no-one asked for tanks to be analyzed - the same as with other ops I have dived with in Coz where some divers used nitrox. Personally, I didn't worry about it - see the link below - I think it may be what another poster made a reference to.
From an older ScubaBoard thread: New, Better Tank Fills (see post #1)
It may be reasonable to think that in Coz, many boats do not carry analyzers because they know the mix they are receiving and it's likely that if one requests nitrox, it will be 32% and already analyzed (such as the case with Aldora.)
This topic got me a little interested in the dangers of nitrox, so I looked at the latest DAN Annual Report - 2020 with 2018 statistics. Couldn't find any examples of oxygen toxicity as it related to deaths or triggers to some other accident - of course not every SCUBA accident/fatality is reported.
2. Addressing an issue mentioned by the OP in post #1, I also had a computer issue on recent trip - battery compartment flooded on day 1 after 2nd dive. Cleaned it out, tightened cap, but on 1st dive (Punta Sur Sur) of 2nd day of diving, it flooded - I was willing to take my medicine and sit the 2nd dive out but the DM gave me a wrist computer to use - great! I also asked for a console computer for 3rd day (3 dives) but it didn't work, so again used a wrist computer. Day 4, I had a working console computer, but on the 2nd dive I couldn't change the gas from 32% to 36% which we did on all dives to add another margin of safety. The fix was for me to stay at the same level as the DM.
I know a negative/gripe brought up in threads - not just Coz threads - is about using a dive ops gear. I was just happy that, in this case, Aldora was able to supply me with something that worked. Although not my first equipment issue when on a dive trip, it was my first in Coz.
3. Several have voiced concern that, by whatever means, they wind up going to an "easy" site when they wanted to go to a more advanced site. The only time I was on a boat with a brand new diver in Coz was a couple of years ago so I knew we were hitting 2 shallower (easier?) dive sites - we dove Paso del Cedral and Yucab - I was a little disappointed at the time because the 2nd dive the day before was Paso del Cedral and I thought, couldn't we do something different. As it turned out, it was different than the day before with more life (I checked my notes.)
Understandably, the conditions have to be right to go to some of the advanced sites, so a diver could literally spend their trip in Coz not getting to those sites. When I dove with Pepe Scuba, we went to Punta Sur and dove Cathedral - there were no other dive boats in the area. With Aldora, it was 3 days of hearing "tomorrow looks good to go north" before we finally were able to go.
I often wonder what constitutes an easy, intermediate, or advanced site. Aren't several sites a mix of several levels? Does staying above the swim-throughs at a site make an intermediate dive an easy dive?
