Matt, the danger of Ox Tox exists with air, just as it does with any other breathable combination of gases. EAN21 (that would be...AIR) just has a deeper MOD than Mixes containing > 21% O2.
The solution is very simple. With any mix normoxic or hyperoxic mix, you figure out how deep your dive is going to be, add a buffer, and plan your gas to keep your ppO2 no higher than 1.4 throughout your dive.
With the appropriate mix, the difference in no-stop time can be huge. If your gas consumption is low enough that you're pushing the NDL on your dives, then using nitrox will let you stay down longer, so you're not srfacing with 1500PSI still in your tank.
If your SAC rate is not low enough for NDL to be your limiting factor (and thus, you won't see any actual increase in bottom time), there are still reasons to use nitrox.
Consider that since you're taking on less nitrogen, you'll have less to offgas. That means shorter surface intervals. Longer no-stop times. Shorter no-fly times. Possibly (though this is not based on any solid research) a reduction in fatique.
The solution is very simple. With any mix normoxic or hyperoxic mix, you figure out how deep your dive is going to be, add a buffer, and plan your gas to keep your ppO2 no higher than 1.4 throughout your dive.
With the appropriate mix, the difference in no-stop time can be huge. If your gas consumption is low enough that you're pushing the NDL on your dives, then using nitrox will let you stay down longer, so you're not srfacing with 1500PSI still in your tank.
If your SAC rate is not low enough for NDL to be your limiting factor (and thus, you won't see any actual increase in bottom time), there are still reasons to use nitrox.
Consider that since you're taking on less nitrogen, you'll have less to offgas. That means shorter surface intervals. Longer no-stop times. Shorter no-fly times. Possibly (though this is not based on any solid research) a reduction in fatique.