Nitrox vs Normal compressed air

Which do you prefer and what do you use.


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Riley Hall

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I'm only twelve but I am hoping that whenever I am old enough I will do a nitrox course. I would just like to know what some of the main differences there are between the two. What I think I know so far is that it gives you more bottom time, but I have heard that it doesn't make your mouth dry like the normal tanks of air do.
Thank you.
Riley Hall
 
Heya Riley,

Nitrox is as dry as air, so it also makes your mouth dry. All moisture is removed from the gas to prevent oxidation (rust) .

It does give you longer bottom times, as the increased O2 content replaces the nitrogen which limits our bottom time. This comes with the trade off of reduced depth as the increased O2 in the gas becomes toxic at depth. Generally, the max depth for EAN32 is around 111'.

I'll leave further explanations for other posters or your instructor.
Welcome to the board. You're in the right place for asking questions.
 
Ok, thanks that was one of my main questions becuase when I was getting certified one of the divers that went with us was learning on nitrox and they said they thought there mouth was not as dry. Oh and by the way I was looking through a dive magazine and they had a filter that you put by your regulator that makes the air less dry. I was thinking of checking this out and getting it.
 
A better option to the Bio-Filter is proper hydration. Drink LOTS of water and your mouth will be less dry. Adding the Bio-Filter means one more thing that can break and it also requires maintenance. You need to carry distilled water, break the unit down and fill it for it to work. It ends up being more a problem than a benefit, but that's just my opinion.

You might also hear that Nitrox will give you more energy. Some people swear it does, but that has never been my experience.
 
Think of nitrox like a tool it is a good tool with the proper application. For 32% Oxygen and 68% nitrogen is good for diving in the 60-110 foot range. It will give you longer no decompression limits and on mulitple days of multiple dives you "Might" feel better.
 
Think of nitrox like a tool it is a good tool with the proper application. For 32% Oxygen and 68% nitrogen is good for diving in the 60-110 foot range. It will give you longer no decompression limits and on mulitple days of multiple dives you "Might" feel better.

And on longer cave dives it decreases my decompression obligation such that by the time I reach 15 feet, I may have no decompression left on many dives. Nitrox does make you feel better. Oxygen makes you feel better. The higher the concentration, the better you will feel. If you are only diving EAN32 for 45 minute dives, it may not be that noticeable. If you are diving for longer periods, it is noticeable, and it can turn a deco dive into a no deco dive.
 
Hey, welcome to the board, and it's great that you are thinking and asking questions.

Nitrox is just gas that you breathe, in and out, just like air. It's equally dry, and equally cold. The benefit of Nitrox is that it has less Nitrogen in it, and nitrogen is what you absorb at depth that can cause the bends if you absorb too much of it, or go up too fast to get rid of it as you ought. Nitrox has particular value when you are doing repetitive dives over a number of days, where the nitrogen loading of your body can build up over time. The value of diving Nitrox decreases if the dives are very deep (because you can't dive a mixture that's low in nitrogen then, because oxygen is toxic at depth) or if they are very shallow (where nitrogen loading is minimal). Nitrox is always more expensive than air, and may require that your tanks be prepared differently, depending on the blending technique your shop is using.

It is controversial whether Nitrox reduces post-dive fatigue. The one scientific study that was done said that it doesn't, but many people's anecdotal reports are that it does.

You'll learn a lot more about Nitrox, how it's made (several different methods), what the benefits are, and what the risks are, when you take a Nitrox class.
 
I like to dive on Nitrox just as an added safety factor , my advanced age and all. I'm all of 51 years old.
I was told by a kid at a dive shop that I should dive nitrox because I'm old. Its kinda funny because, I was walking thru the door with 2 steel 100's in hand, and gave them off to him to fill. He had a tough time lifting both tanks and moving them to the fill station. I may be old in his eyes, but I'm not that old.

I am now mixing my own nitrox, just so I don't need to hear how old I am.

I see the benifit in diving nitrox in that my NDL time is much better on nitrox. My normal dive buddy Dale and I can now do a couple of 90 minute dives at the local quarry without any problems.


Jim Breslin
 
I'm only twelve but I am hoping that whenever I am old enough I will do a nitrox course. I would just like to know what some of the main differences there are between the two. What I think I know so far is that it gives you more bottom time, but I have heard that it doesn't make your mouth dry like the normal tanks of air do.
Thank you.
Riley Hall

If only I had started diving when I was 12. I envy you and all that you have to look forward to.

The big benefit of nitrox is that you have less nitrogen absorbed on a given dive than just straight air. Will you get more bottom time off the same size nitrox tank as opposed to air? No, you will consume the gas at the same rate regardless of the O2 level. Where you get more bottom time is over a series of dives. Less nitrogen to off gas, the more time you can spend in the water.

Great question, and keep asking them!
 
Do you have to have seperate tanks for Nitrox and regular compressed air? can they be swapped out pretty easily? Im guessing it makes no difference at all but just want to be sure
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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