When to use different EANx Mixes?

[Michael Kazma]

I think you Nitrox people are not getting the point. Daltons diamond is just a convenient way of teaching PO2=PxfO2, P=PO2/fO2 and fO2=PO2/P. Even if you have never been tough Daltons diamond but you understand these formulas then they are the same thing. The point is that a nitrox diver needs to know all three equations and be able to use them and know what they mean.

 

[vondo]

Except that's not what you yourself said:

If you do not know what Dalton's diamond is then retake the course with another instructor and make your previous instructor refund your fees. If you do not know how to calculate your MOD, PO2 and OTU then diving nitrox is very dangerous!

which implies that if you don't "know what Dalton's diamond is" then you can't do the rest.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

This post makes me shake my head...the answer is you simply need to find a new instructor.

 

[JanK]

I also had to go and look up Dalton's diamond, even though I suspected what it would be. And I must admit that, even though having seen it in the nitrox course, it seemed a needless and convoluted way of remembering the relationship(s) and I forgot about it the moment I left the classroom.

Instead of having to understand or even just remember just one equation, PO2 = P * FO2 and doing an elementary (elementary as in elementary math, as well as elementary as in taught in the lowest school grades) mathematical operation to get either P or FO2, you need to blindly memorise positions of the three symbols and hope you don't mix their positions when using the diamond.

 

[grammaticus]

Right, nuff said... Thanks for all the interesting comments. Some more helpful than others, but all in good sport I guess.

Anyway, I thought that the protocols of dive instructor/student interaction was a little dubious after they told me that I should read the book, take the test, then go diving. I never heard of dive shops saying that to people before. After all, I was taught by great people in Hawaii and Guam prior to this experience, but that was many years ago and I have stayed at AOW because I wanted to get more dives and training before I moved on to more complex skills. I probably will retake the course, not through PADI because it's a little expensive (at least here - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), but another company. I was going to take one in Egypt, which I might consider now. I think it was an ANDI course, but I am just guessing.

 

[TommyB]

For those that have not used or seen -- It's Dalton's Triangle
right out of the TDI nitrox book

What is the Best Mix

What is the Mod of EANx



What is the PO2 of EANx at Xfsw



The Triangle is a tool used to help students learn the formulas and visualize them

 

[muddiver]

That sounds good, the PADI course (when tought correctly) is bearly a primer for the ANDI course. Been there, done that, got the Tee shirt......

Also, why don't you go see ZenDiver.3D, is't her shop in Kuwait? Yea, maybe that's not around the corner, but at least you can chat with her before you go shopping.

 

[vladimir]

The Triangle is a tool used to help students [-]learn the formulas and visualize them[/-] who were confounded by 5th-grade algebra.

Fixed that for you.

 

[TommyB]

Fixed that for you.

Thanks!

 

[grammaticus]

UPDATE: I passed the PADI test, but as most of you said, it seems that the instruction was not there. The PADI test was way too simple, all of it multiple choice. I would rather have the exam like the section reviews which require you to write the answer, or not have choices to choose from, especially when you are dealing with mathematical equations. Anyway, I will probably take the ANDI course next summer, or sooner if I find someone in my area teaching it.