Nitrox problem, is it normal?

[kalidor's8]

Are these instructor notes/lesson guide? I didn't get any lecture, just read the study guide and watched the DVD. I could have missed it, but I thought I was pretty attentive to the differences and positive/negatives of NITROX. I will have to dig out my student guide and review it. I will admit that when I took this course, I knew nothing about gas mixes (related to breathing), and the benefits and limitations of those mixes. What I came away with was too much N2=> nitrogen narcosis and possibly the bends, too much 02=>Oxygen toxicity and CNS. I guess I missed an important part.

I am not sure about PADI since I did not get their Nitrox course but our NAUI instructor did go into it.

 

[kalidor's8]

He is also the one we normaly go to with our dive questions hence the reason I was given the nicname Capt. Goon for my 2 narc events

 

[RJP]

Waterskier1, you are correct.. the biggest advatage to nitrox is increased time at depth with a decreased risk of getting narcosis.

Isn't that sort of, well, you know, incorrect?

 

[Drewski]

.... to answer your question.. I do not know why people jump to the narcosis conclusion when there can be alot of other reasons... Most of the arguments started when other people didnt like the fact that we are making dives to 150-165ft. When the dive is planned and you do you research...it is pefectly safe and it opens up many more dive sites... recreational tables are limited to 130-140 in order to increase a built in safety factor and to take some of the brain work out of diving like figuring in stops and planing the dive with enough air for the dive and any required stops instead of swimming around and looking at fishes until you have 5-600 psi left and then going to the surface...~Bill

Now see, THAT'S the voice of experience. Bill, FYI, the "narcosis" argument is so pervasive on this board that most posters here will probably say I'm narc'd NOW as I write this. In fact, I've seen posts here that tell people to use ONLY trimix below 70 FT because of narcosis, LOL. It seems that most of us who dived deep air in the 50+ years before trimix became common didn't - and still don't - know what the hell we were doing and can't dive worth a damn now.

Hey, if you guys make the east coast sometime look me up, we'll do some wrecks, even hit Hatteras if you would like...

Keep the faith....

 

[String]

Are these instructor notes/lesson guide? I didn't get any lecture, just read the study guide and watched the DVD. I could have missed it, but I thought I was pretty attentive to the differences and positive/negatives of NITROX.

From the instructor guide: (PADI)

4. Enriched air and narcosis
a. There’s no relevant change regarding narcosis between
enriched air and air..
b. This is because oxygen under pressure appears to be
about as narcotic as nitrogen. Thus, while enriched air has
less nitrogen, it has about the same potential for narcosis.
c. Plan your dive accounting for narcosis just as you would
using air.

Its also mentioned in the prescriptive lesson slides. Cant comment on student notes as i dont have them on the PC (or the dvd for that matter).

It certainly should have been taught.

 

[DandyDon]

Waterskier1, you are correct.. the biggest advatage to nitrox is increased time at depth with a decreased risk of getting narcosis.

Isn't that sort of, well, you know, incorrect?

Yeah, more or less, and that was addressed in the next post I think...

Originally Posted by Superlim9
.... to answer your question.. I do not know why people jump to the narcosis conclusion when there can be alot of other reasons... Most of the arguments started when other people didnt like the fact that we are making dives to 150-165ft. When the dive is planned and you do you research...it is pefectly safe and it opens up many more dive sites... recreational tables are limited to 130-140 in order to increase a built in safety factor and to take some of the brain work out of diving like figuring in stops and planing the dive with enough air for the dive and any required stops instead of swimming around and looking at fishes until you have 5-600 psi left and then going to the surface...~Bill

Now see, THAT'S the voice of experience. Bill, FYI, the "narcosis" argument is so pervasive on this board that most posters here will probably say I'm narc'd NOW as I write this. In fact, I've seen posts here that tell people to use ONLY trimix below 70 FT because of narcosis, LOL. It seems that most of us who dived deep air in the 50+ years before trimix became common didn't - and still don't - know what the hell we were doing and can't dive worth a damn now.

Hey, if you guys make the east coast sometime look me up, we'll do some wrecks, even hit Hatteras if you would like...

Keep the faith....

I must be really missing something in this thread. I've kept quiet and watched along assuming I had, but I got to say that your post is a mixed bag. Slim's arguments do indeed to be based on good research and planning, and he seems to have admirable equipment for this kind of diving on his profile - but I do not see the "experience" stated. Slim states 100-199 dive in 6-10 years.

ScubaBoard is a safety oriented online community, and with members and guests from all over reading these threads - I will indeed often post more safely than I may actually practice. From the posts and profiles of the two divers, I do not see the training a prudent diver would probly agree would be suggested for these two to be diving to 165 ft in a cold, dark lake.

Kalidor's profile listing...
Certification Agencies: NAUI, PADI
Certification Level: NAUI Master Diver
Dive History: So far I have only been to Galveston and a few lakes here in Tx
Dive Classification: Commercial Diver
# of Logged Dives: 25 - 49
Years Certified: Less Than One Year

A Master Diver (card collector) newbie with less than 50 dives, less than one year, no Tech training evident simply suggests over anxious diver. His other posts suggested a reg that shouldn't be dived to those depths, and before he explained the lift bags, etc - he said his BC wouldn't support him at depth.

They would be in good company making those dives with you, but I still think the two of them are pushing limits a bit much...!

Unless I'm missing something in this summary of experience, training, etc...??

Now if the approach is that these guys are going to do diving that even I wouldn't do with them - and I'm not known personally as a conservative diver - and we need to give them good suggestions for ill advised diving, I might go with that - with a lot of disclaimers.

 

[kalidor's8]

sigh I am not a card collector and as I have said I do not add my com dives into my recreational dives. I got the wreck and deep because those are what I am interested in. and my regs are totally fine after tweeking them from factory spec. I simply put in some of my observations at depth for any who might be interested, not saying that I did not know what to do if I needed to. Why is there such a problem on this thread when there is another thread in this same section that asks "how deep have you go and why?" I don't see ppl having much of an issue with ppl saying they have gone deeper than our dive. I can understand that not updating my profile might cause some of that but honestly I don't look to update things everytime I log on. and if you have any issue with my experience I would suggest you PM me instead of insulting me publicly calling me some kind of card happy collector!

 

[kalidor's8]

alright since there is SO much problem with me not listing my dives there you go...

 

[Superlim9]

Isn't that sort of, well, you know, incorrect?

From pages 8-10 of the naui nitrox manual... "first and most notably, nitrox allows divers to extend their bottom time and enjoy longer dives with out having a required deco obligation"..."Another benifit is the possibility of a shoter surface interval".."during long exposures in shallow zones nitrox allows more efficient elimination of nitrogen from the body"

 

[DandyDon]

From pages 8-10 of the naui nitrox manual... "first and most notably, nitrox allows divers to extend their bottom time and enjoy longer dives with out having a required deco obligation"..."Another benifit is the possibility of a shoter surface interval".."during long exposures in shallow zones nitrox allows more efficient elimination of nitrogen from the body"

I think he was referring to Nitrox reducing change of Narcosis.

Thanks for your PM. And for both of you - I was but posting based on what you have listed in your profiles, not knowing about the additional diving and training that you didn't post there. Thanks for explaining....