Enriched Air

[Lee Taylor]

Here is the nitrox bottom time spreadsheet I promised. I have many times used this spreadsheet before a nitrox dive to see which mix would be best and see the MOD (Maximum Operating Depth).

Some shops only provide 30% EAN, because of the expense and difficulty of custom mixing to the customers specification. I use a nitrox computer to monitor my oxygen loading while diving and my off gassing between dives.

Important: Always personally analyze the mix in a Nitrox tank before using it. If the mix were significantly wrong it may cause personal injury. Remember .... you sign a "release of liability" document before you dive.

Be safe and enjoy your dive!

 

[drdaddy]

Hello Noob,

You might find this interesting. For recreational diving purposes, you dive nitrox just like you dive air. Nothing changes. Except for a depth limitation and monitoring your oxygen loading.

The saying in scuba circles is: There are no good reasons for NOT using Nitrox.

When I have more time I will post an excel spreadsheet I use. It makes it simple and shows how to optimize bottom time.

I can think of a good reason to NOT use Nitrox. It is a lot more expensive than plain old compressed air!!! So I don't and won't use it with most of my dives.

However, when doing a boat dive off of a pinnacle with depths of 100', you want Nitrox. Otherwise, you may well be still sitting in the boat waiting to go down for your next dive while the others have already come and gone - and now their back and you won't get that second dive because the boat's going in.

That said, I've been on resort dives where we've done a number of dives, including deep and night dives, and we had enough time in between dives that Nitrox was not necessary nor was it encouraged.

And, Thank you, Lee Taylor for the Bottom Time Scuba Spreadsheet!!! It's a great quick reference guide. I already copied and printed it.

 

[Papa_Bear]

I go into the dive plan mode of my Data Max Pro Plus II and it's all right there! The other great advantage is service intervals, they are much shorter with Nitrox! I go on trips to dive not sit in the sun! If your too cheap to get every advantage out of an expensive trip then that's your thing, but I want to break my fun meter for the whole trip! I have done 46 dives in eleven days at depth! Not something I would do on air, some people just resist change? If cost is a problem go to Bonaire or on a boat that includes it for no extra charge! If more and more use it the price will come down, it's called competition in a free market world and it works! :shocked2:

Cave diving took a giant stride forward because of Nitrox and cut the danger of Deco by hours! It is here to stay and I couldn't be happier!

 

[ScubaNoob]

Thanks for the spreadsheet, I laminated it and placed it in my log book which is where all of the planning happens. This thread has made me see that there really isn't a reason NOT to dive Nitrox under the proper conditions, thanks everyone.

Rich

 

[soamelt]

There is one thing that many NirtOx presentations seem to leave out or at least they don't emphasize it enough. In my mind, the biggest danger with diving NitrOx is in partial pressure blending, especially if you dive all over the place like I do. One bad fill that contaminates your otherwise oxygen service clean tank, and you are in for a terrible dive when you do the next partial pressure blend. I won't go through that again, and now I only use banked nitrox, continuous blend nitrox and membrane ntirox. I don't want 100% oxygen put in my tanks anymore.

What is a contaminated fill? Moisture? I understand that to be a problem with getting your tank dirty, but how does it make for a terrible dive? Couldn't banked EAN be susceptible to the same contamination?

 

[DCBC]

Nitrox seems like a logical path for most divers, are there any of your guys/girls that just don't see the need for using it? And why?

Hi Rich, Hope your feeling better. The question you asked can be a dicey area when it comes to conversation. There are several die hard Nitrox divers that will of course share their opinions.

I'm a firm believer of using the right gas for the job. If you are diving relatively shallow, have good air consumption and buoyancy control. Nitrox may be the perfect gas for you.

Some places where Nitrox is really worth it's weight is on a live aboard charter where you want to dive your brains out. There's no doubt that you can rack-up more hours with Nitrox and feel less tired at the end of the day (due to the increased PO2).

If however, you have a typical consumption of a new diver, you tend to be out of gas before you need to come up. This doesn't end-up doing much good.

As you get more experienced, you tend to dive air or migrate to trimix or heliox. Personally the only time I breath Nitrox is of I'm working very shallow, use it as a decompression gas, or diving in the live aboard scenario. Other than that I normally use air or other mixed-gas because I end-up diving outside the safe envelope of Nitrox.

So I haven't really added anything to whats been said, but you'll find that Nitrox will give many divers less mileage than advertised by the LDS. Have fun and dive safe.

 

[TSandM]

As you get more experienced, you tend to dive air or migrate to trimix or heliox.

Well, my experience has been a bit different. Good gas consumption, large tanks, and an abundance of sites with stuff to see in the 70 to 100 fsw range means Nitrox has been very valuable to me.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Nitrox seems like a logical path for most divers, are there any of your guys/girls that just don't see the need for using it? And why?

I use 50% nitrox for deco stops between 70 and 20 feet on deep dives but do not use it for any other diving. I've never had imaginary friends, nor did I believe in the Easter bunny, so placebo effects don't concern me. If others want to believe that they feel less tired, more power to them.
Diving air allows me to go deeper than I could on Nitrox if I choose to. I can stay down as long as my tank lasts no matter which gas I use. If I go into deco, I just consider that the shallow portion of the dive. I rarely make more than one dive per day, but if I were on a liveaboard I would prefer to make 2-3 long dives than seven dives. I believe the ascents are more dangerous than any other part of diving.

 

[Papa_Bear]

To each his own? But most things worth photographing are in the top 80ft and I want max bottom time and 6 dives a day! Go deep? No big deal, not much to see!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Some of my favorite video shots I've taken at Catalina have been deeper than 200 feet. Plenty to see deep at Ship Rock, Farnsworth, local wrecks, Carmel. It depends on the subject matter.