[repeating] and, if available on the PDC, an added conservatism factor....
Nitrox as air? Anyone do this?
- Thread starter wildbill9
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On Bonaire, assuming you are not doing one of those rare boat dives, you are completely in control of your diving. It's all shore diving. You can shorten your dives to add conservatism. You can reduce your depth to add conservatism. You can lengthen your surface intervals to add conservatism. This is what my group and I do on Bonaire to keep ourselves conservative. The old trick of diving an air profile on Nitrox is perfectly fine for conservatism, but given that just about every variable is within your own control when you're shore diving on Bonaire, it seems kind of pointless.
The OP's stated objective is to "be ultra safe" while making multiple repetitive dives for several days in a row. Leaving the dive computer in air mode while observing the EAN MOD will certainly accomplish this underwater because he'll be making decisions based on artificially more conservative data. But he'll eventually have to pay the piper (or the dive computer as the case may be) by making extended surface intervals and/or shorter dive times later in the day due to residual nitrogen that the computer thinks is much higher than it really is. This may make him unpopular with buddies diving with computers set for the correct EAN blend.
As mentioned several times in this thread: Why not just set the computer for the correct gas blend and then make conservative decisions when planning and/or executing the dives?
As mentioned several times in this thread: Why not just set the computer for the correct gas blend and then make conservative decisions when planning and/or executing the dives?
Exactly. The question was specifically posted here in the Bonaire forum--Bonaire, shore diving capital of the Caribbean. With few exceptions, there is no boat schedule to adhere to, no divemaster telling you how long the dive will be, no divemaster telling you your surface interval will be X, etc. Assuming a diver and his buddy are in sync with the idea, they can add all the conservatism they want, entirely independent of Nitrox use.
+1 to setting the dive computer for the proper EAN (as tested).
Maybe someone else already covered this - however if not - if you dive on air your computer will not warn you of hitting your Max Operating Depth for the EAN mix (which is what is in your tank). So you could (if you forgot) dive to max recreational depth and with your computer set for air you'll receive no toxicity warnings w/r to PO2 and depth for about 8-10 minutes or so (if dropped straight to 130ft).
Now on Bonaire, its pretty rare to dive much deeper than 100ft which must be around EAN 33 or so? So in a way this argument could be tossed out. But you never know and one more warning from the computer would be welcome.
Sorry if all that was already said.
I did 35 dives once in Bonaire, EAN 33 on every dive. Just left the computer set for that the entire trip. We were rather leisurely at lunch time (a longer surface interval than needed). But that also let people take a short nap and it let the ladies warm up a bit.
Either way, have fun - its a wonderful place to become one with the ocean.
Maybe someone else already covered this - however if not - if you dive on air your computer will not warn you of hitting your Max Operating Depth for the EAN mix (which is what is in your tank). So you could (if you forgot) dive to max recreational depth and with your computer set for air you'll receive no toxicity warnings w/r to PO2 and depth for about 8-10 minutes or so (if dropped straight to 130ft).
Now on Bonaire, its pretty rare to dive much deeper than 100ft which must be around EAN 33 or so? So in a way this argument could be tossed out. But you never know and one more warning from the computer would be welcome.
Sorry if all that was already said.
I did 35 dives once in Bonaire, EAN 33 on every dive. Just left the computer set for that the entire trip. We were rather leisurely at lunch time (a longer surface interval than needed). But that also let people take a short nap and it let the ladies warm up a bit.
Either way, have fun - its a wonderful place to become one with the ocean.
HungoverDiver
Contributor
So you are suggesting that once you have one dive on air, you are locked out of setting it to nitrox for the rest of the day?
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some PDCs will do this...... (Wife's Puck, for one).
I effectively use this strategy but in a different way: I set my two Suunto computers to Nitrox with the right mix, but I have the "personal" adjustment settings on both computers set to the most conservative settings...I think the choices are P0, P1, or P2. I saw a good article, I think in Alert Diver but could have been elsewhere that showed with those settings I was very close to the Air profile limits but I'm getting actual information on oxygen toxicity exposure. I don't really push the depth limits, but last year in a week-long live-aboard in Belize with the wall possibilities that information was helpful in judging how long I wanted to stay on the wall before getting back up into the shallow sandy areas. Fortunately my dive buddy puts up with my limits.
I have a lot of good reasons to be conservative besides articles about skin bends; I'm 66; have had a couple of surgeries that may have produced unusual blood restrictions and circulations in some joints and bones; have 1000+ dives and don't have any pressing need or desire to push close to any particular limit.
I have a lot of good reasons to be conservative besides articles about skin bends; I'm 66; have had a couple of surgeries that may have produced unusual blood restrictions and circulations in some joints and bones; have 1000+ dives and don't have any pressing need or desire to push close to any particular limit.
Basking Ridge Diver
Contributor
Oceanic Ve0 2.0 locks you out - Dive air and you need to wait 24 hours before resetting to Nitrox. So it is easier to dive on a Nitrox setting with 21% if you think you are diving Nitrox on any dive during the day.
I use the nitrox settings on my Oceanic computers and am able to change the mix between dives, I have never been locked out.
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