Is Nitrox helpful in Raja Ampat?

[Centrals]

Just came out of the DN in the Raja Ampat itinerary total of 36 dives of which only 2 below 25 meters

dives were almost all 60 minutes and generally around the 18 meters 60 feet mark

We were the only two diving on air on the boat and we never went anywhere near 10 minutes to the decompression limits

For what concerns fatigue most of the times we were among the last people to go to sleep

Nitrox(32/36) is best around 25-35m.
I do not see the point of using it if the dive is shallower than 24m. And I could never prove that the gas would make me less fatigue or not even after 4-5 dives a day.

 

[Tigerman]

The benefits of using nitrox depends more on how you dive vs where you dive. You will have more bottom time with nitrox ,but if you push your computer the dives won't be more conservative. If you feel less fatiqued using nitrox that's all that matters, placebo or not. Keep in mind how long it would take to reach the nearest operational chamber. From RA it might be Bali or Darwin. I always dive nitrox where available (which is most places these days), don't push the limits & set my computer at mix minus 2% for a little extra safety factor. If you're on a long trip doing 3-4 dives/day every little advantage helps. The extra cost of nitrox should not be a big deal, considering the cost of the trip. Just back from Indonesia (including RA) where I did 113 dives, all but 18 on nitrox.

As of the and/or more conservative not "and more conservative"..
Do keep in mind that when you set your computer to the mix minus 2% it will NOT properly warn you about your MOD, nor give an "accurate" o2 clock (not that youre very likely to even come close to clocking outon rec dives with single tanks)..
I have set mine to air instead of 32% in some instances, but I make sure I watch my depth even more carefully, cause that little alarm that goes off at 32 meters normally wont go off untill 55 meters when the computer is set to air.

---------- Post added December 10th, 2012 at 03:47 AM ----------

Nitrox(32/36) is best around 25-35m.
I do not see the point of using it if the dive is shallower than 24m. And I could never prove that the gas would make me less fatigue or not even after 4-5 dives a day.

Actually with EAN32 youll be above the recommended max po2 at 34 meters and on EAN36 at 29 meters. Also your biggest increase in NDL with 32% youll find to be much shallower than 25m/82ft - at 15 meters you have twice the NDL on 32% than on air, while at 80ft you "only" have 25% extra NDL with 32%.

Id say, given you already have well above 1,5 hr of NDL with air at 15 meters that the greatest benefit of EAN32 is in the 20-30 meter range and that is given you do ONE dive a day. When you start doing 3 or 4 the advantage in the 20-30 meter depth range is FAR more pronounced. Id be NDLing out on the 2nd dive if I dive air in that range, while on EAN32 I have no problem being within the NDL in that range doing 3 dives a day..
That is with single tanks and ~60 minute dives.

 

[Interceptor121]

Just to clarify
Total dives 36
Average Max depth 19 meters or 63 feet
Average dive time 59'40"

The dive profiles were for most between 15 and 23 meters max depths (50 - 77 feet) so not in the Nitrox sweet spot