Maximizing bottom time safely

[Wibble]

Nitrox is a hassle here. The last two times I got it they had issues. There’s only one place here that’s does it.

...

Getting a practice dive at the lake with $50 of nitrox on my back isn’t something I want to do if I can avoid it, which can happen if the dive trip I got the nitrox fill for a week earlier gets canceled and I still want to get wet.

Is it that difficult to obtain and that expensive? For comparison, what's the price of an air fill?

Also, what sort of depths do you limit yourself to?

 

[Celt]

Use your twinset air back gas deco dives, doesn’t get much simpler.

 

[Belzelbub]

Nitrox is a hassle here. The last two times I got it they had issues. There’s only one place here that’s does it.

First time the shop filled the tanks with air, then ran out of o2. It took over a week for the fill.

Second time they stuffed up the fill and it was a way lower o2 percentage than I wanted. That took a week from drop off to ready to pick up.

Yeah, that can be frustrating. For your purposes, though it really sounds like your best option. It can be easier if you can do the majority of your dives using one mix. That's normally what I do. Most of the times, the tanks are filled with ~32%. If you regularly dive deeper, you may want to adjust your usual mix.

But, if the shops aren't capable that's an issue as well. A week turnaround is excessive. That said, my shop still has my tanks that I dropped off on Monday, but that's only because I haven't been able to get back there to pick up this week. Getting them tomorrow.

The recent supply chain challenges were an issue in the Keys last year. Shop I use down there for fills ran out of O2, so we just had to use air. I would have preferred EAN, but it was definitely better than staying dry. It did cut my dives a bit short, but mostly managed by staying a bit higher in the water column.

 

[Bazzathemammoth]

I agree that nitrox is the best mix for what I do. I limit myself to 40m max, but most of my dives are in the 20-30m range. There’s not much point going deeper than 40m without doing a proper deco imo. I enjoy diving for long periods of time and bouncing off the bottom seems pointless to me.

The local shop charges $25/fill for nitrox, $20 ea if you buy 6 at a time. The same shop charges air at $15/fill or $12/fill if you buy 10.

I go to another place that charges $6/fill for air if you buy 10. They don’t do nitrox.

X2 for all of that for a Twinset fill.

 

[Alekseolsen]

Nitrox is a hassle here. The last two times I got it they had issues. There’s only one place here that’s does it.

First time the shop filled the tanks with air, then ran out of o2. It took over a week for the fill.

Second time they stuffed up the fill and it was a way lower o2 percentage than I wanted. That took a week from drop off to ready to pick up.

If you combine that with the fact that our dives are all open ocean and very subject to weather it can be pretty frustrating. Weather forecasts are only accurate 3 days out here and it takes a week to get a nitrox fill. My last 2 dive trips have been canceled due to weather conditions.

Getting a practice dive at the lake with $50 of nitrox on my back isn’t something I want to do if I can avoid it, which can happen if the dive trip I got the nitrox fill for a week earlier gets canceled and I still want to get wet.

If you pay $50 for a nitrox fill I'd look at getting an compresssor and O2 tanks along with a blender course sooner rather then later!

 

[dmaziuk]

I know the one. It was a bit of an ah-ha moment for me with understanding Gradient factors. I have a hard time spending $60 on a book, but I’ll look into it. Nice to know there’s one that is so well regarded.

I read mine on interlibrary loan (hint, hint).

 

[Jcp2]

If you pay $50 for a nitrox fill I'd look at getting an compresssor and O2 tanks along with a blender course sooner rather then later!

It depends on which dollar the dollar is. US or NZ?

 

[Wibble]

I agree that nitrox is the best mix for what I do. I limit myself to 40m max, but most of my dives are in the 20-30m range. There’s not much point going deeper than 40m without doing a proper deco imo. I enjoy diving for long periods of time and bouncing off the bottom seems pointless to me.

The local shop charges $25/fill for nitrox, $20 ea if you buy 6 at a time. The same shop charges air at $15/fill or $12/fill if you buy 10.

I go to another place that charges $6/fill for air if you buy 10. They don’t do nitrox.

X2 for all of that for a Twinset fill.

This is where a club or even a gas club would be good. Do you have any of those in your vicinity?

The BSAC clubs in the UK generally have a compressor and gas shed. They'll teach a gas course and you can fill your own tanks pretty much at cost price for gas. Don't know if this is common in other parts of the world.