Nitrox lessons $150 bucks--Why?

[IndigoBlue]

dvleemin once bubbled...


Boy thats cheap! Here in Edmonton Aquatek wants $195 for a tdi course with no dives - although it does include 2 vouchers for a fill of nitrox.

Darryl

Basic nitrox works very well as part of any advanced open water course. AOW normally teaches deeper diving (although not always). Nitrox is ideal for reducing EADs on dives between 50 and 100 ft.

Technical nitrox is similarly a good course to combine with deco procedures.

Either way, separate nitrox classes do not make a lot of sense to me, except to justify paying an instructor more, to help him/her pay bills, like scuba welfare.

 

[TDunbar]

LMAO Do you consider your job Indigo welfare?

Todd

 

[jimisurf]

dvleemin once bubbled...


Boy thats cheap! Here in Edmonton Aquatek wants $195 for a tdi course with no dives - although it does include 2 vouchers for a fill of nitrox.

Darryl

Hi Darryl,

To be fair to Harry, I'm not sure if that is his standard rate. Could be, but it's the end of the season and my buddy and I know Him from earlier excusions. All the same, he seems to have the most resonable rates in Nanaimo (possibly BC). I know that I will call him first for future certifications with ANDI.

Jimi

 

[padiscubapro]

VTernovski once bubbled...
Actually, according to the Meyer-Overton rule, Oxygen is more sulble than Nitrogen, and since the anasthetic potency of a gas is inversely related to its lipid sulubility. Helium is the least narcotic according to the Bunsen's solubility coefficients ( he = 0.015, N2 = 0.052 and O2= 0.110)

(--this data taken from the DIR-F book.)

Sorry to burst your bubble but thats a fallacy thats being propagated by many especially the DIR people.. the meyer overton rule is for INERT gases.. oxygen is not inert!! if they want to plan it for worse case so be it its their choice. but don't go misusing someones theory your your own purposes. most people that I know that dive near the limits of air also confirm the fact that with a slightly higher percentage of oxygen they usually experience less narcosis (or at least they think so- its subjective so its hard to say)..

from personal experience when on OC, breathing 25% at 150ft I "feel" less narcosis than breathing air.. How much... I don't know..

The medical community suspect there is some effect for oxygen but not at the exposures divers get and not at the levels predicted by the "rule". If you look at medical studies the actual increase in blood and tissure o2 levels is very small from normal to hyperbaric contditions.

If you reason it out oxygen should be considerably more narcotic than nitrogen.. ask anyone who has been in a chamber breathing oxygen in the range of 2.5 PO2, if this rule was true for oxygen these subjects would be SEVERELY impaired, the fact is they dont show signs of narcosis even at this exposure.. Don't just take everyting as fact.. ASK questions don't follow blindly, do the reasearch yourself.. Don't take my word use your own brain to reason things out..

Oxygen is highly soluble and rightfully so the body and cells use it as a fuel so it doesn't stay "dissolved". For it to have an effect there would have to be lots of excess oxygen.. the problem is that the suspected range to do this would be extremely dangerous..

 

[VTernovski]

I was merelly stating the facts that I saw in the book... just thought that it's kinda interesting. You have an interesting post though, definatelly food for thought.

 

[chrpai]

VTernovski once bubbled...
I was merelly stating the facts that I saw in the book... just thought that it's kinda interesting. You have an interesting post though, definatelly food for thought.

Please don't get offended....


But you do know the difference between fact and opinion right? Just because you read something in a book doesn't make it a fact. What you read in the DIR-F book about oxygen being narcotic is only a theory that competes with other theorys.

 

[VTernovski]

LOL.... ok, let's make it clear... what I meant to say is that the fact was that what I posted in the was what I read in the book, and was not my opinion. it was just a fact of me posting the fact of what was printed in the book. Weheather the book is correct or not, is irrelevant in my post as I did not express any opinion about it but rather just stating the fact. confusing?

chrpai once bubbled...


Please don't get offended....


But you do know the difference between fact and opinion right? Just because you read something in a book doesn't make it a fact. What you read in the DIR-F book about oxygen being narcotic is only a theory that competes with other theorys.

 

[padiscubapro]

VTernovski once bubbled...
I was merelly stating the facts that I saw in the book... just thought that it's kinda interesting. You have an interesting post though, definatelly food for thought.

I wasn't trying to bash you, just trying to make you think..

I don't have a problem if people want to treat oxygen as narcotic, what bugs me is using someone eleses theory incorrectly..

what makes matters worse the solubility os states but when they treat oxygen as narcotic they same its about the same as nitrogen..

well you can't have it both ways, saying its narcotic because the solubility is higer (and much more) and saying we will treat it as the same... if you to skew the theory towards oxygen as narcotic even though its a metabolic gas then you should treat is as about twice as narcotic as nitrogen..

If you want to treat oxygen is narcotic just say so, and give it a property.. it shouldn;t be presented as a fact merely the person's theory and the meyer overton theory can be brought in strictly for inert gases...

In my nitrox and technical classes I have a long lecture on this area.. there are ways to present both sides without introducing misconceptions.


I always encourage people to think for themselves.. I challenge my students to challenge me and not take my word as law.. If I can't back up what I am saying I shouldn't say it.. If I can't answer the question, I'll say it flat out, and not make up some answer.... but I will research things further and get back to that person.. Thinking for oneself is always a good thing.

 

[jhspb]

Dumb Question

I just completed PADI Nitrox course. How much "classroom work should I have had .... hands on with the O2 analyzer?

My total experience was limited to watching the DM/Instructor calibrate the analyzer....learning that every analysis should be preceded by a calibration ... watching EAN gas be blown into the analyzer and personally reading the result, followed by personally documenting my observed result.

Is that all there is on the analyzer aspect of the course?

 

[VTernovski]

Well, one other important thing when analyzing, and which is often omitted or disregarded (also depends on an analyzer) is the flow rate. It should have a specific flow rate, and more 'high end" analyzers will have the flow meter, where some cheaper hand held ones do not. Also, when you calibrate, it is important to know the humidity factor, which determines the starting point of your calibration, it is usually best to first calibrate the unit on a regular air tank that you know has super dry air in it. I usually set it to 20.9, but I know that option is not always available. In the very humid environments (Caribbean) the starting point will be less than that; I think it’s more like 20.6 or so. Please correct me if I am wrong.