Why get Nitrox certified?

[FPDocMatt]

Brac Reef Resort on Cayman Brac has a great special. If you book by March 31st they have a 7nt, all inclusive with 17 dives for $1635. Airfare for us out of Columbia, SC was $633/ea. Gets excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. We booked through Maduro Dive vacations. When we went to Bonaire last summer the most dives we did was 17 over 6 diving days. Bonaire is awesome. We stayed in Coral Paradise Resort. $2084 for 7nts, rental truck, unlimited shore dives through Buddy Dive + 6 boat dives. (free nitrox), and pickup from airport. Gated property, next door to Capt Dons. We will go back again one day.

I think your experience level must be greater than 0-24 then. You might want to update your profile. Because with these 2 trips alone, you've gotten in 33 at least! Oh I see, you haven't gone to Cayman Brac yet. But you're already Nitrox certified?

This reminds me, I need to start a new thread about Nitrox...

Here's a diver with 0-24 dives who's already Nitrox certified. I just wonder, I know that the reason to use Nitrox is to be able to spend longer under water. But is the advantage that great that one should consider it early in one's diving career? I think of Nitrox as kind of an advanced thing, but maybe it isn't.

Let's say you're out on a boat with 10 other divers and a DM, and the dive is to 70 fsw, and everybody is following the DM to the dive site, and surfacing together afterward. Does it spoil the dive if all but one of the divers is using nitrox, and the whole group has to surface 20 minutes early because the one guy isn't Nitrox certified?

Besides, Nitrox makes me nervous. I mean, I don't want to have a seizure. They say that isn't a concern if you don't go below the MOD, but still... It just makes me prefer to stay with EAN21.

 

[vladimir]

I just wonder, I know that the reason to use Nitrox is to be able to spend longer under water.

Or have shorter surface intervals, or more dives per day, or a greater safety margin.

But is the advantage that great that one should consider it early in one's diving career?

For a single dive, the difference can be a small amount of extra time or a negligible reduction in risk. Over the course of a week of 4 dives a day, it can be substantial. For your 70 foot dive, 32% would give you an extra 10 minutes. Here are the NOAA tables: Air 32% 36%

I think of Nitrox as kind of an advanced thing, but maybe it isn't.

Certainly the concepts aren't too advanced. And there are no new skills to master besides operating an O2 analyzer, which is trivial. In my opinion, it should be included in the basic certification.

Let's say you're out on a boat with 10 other divers and a DM, and the dive is to 70 fsw, and everybody is following the DM to the dive site, and surfacing together afterward. Does it spoil the dive if all but one of the divers is using nitrox, and the whole group has to surface 20 minutes early because the one guy isn't Nitrox certified?

How is that different from having to surface early because one diver uses gas faster?

By the way, that's no way to dive, in my opinion. Teaming with one buddy whose dive plan is compatible with yours makes more sense.

Besides, Nitrox makes me nervous. I mean, I don't want to have a seizure. They say that isn't a concern if you don't go below the MOD, but still... It just makes me prefer to stay with EAN21.

It's hard to have a rational discussion about irrational fears. Do you feel capable of identifying your MOD and staying above it? There is a huge safety margin built in and you're free to widen that margin as you see fit.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

Just like other items, Nitrox is a tool for diving. It has advantages in terms of longer no decompression times, but disadvantages in terms of a few extra procedures and also a maximum working depth.

If you are going to be doing repeat dives or one long dive then Nitrox is totally worth it.

I often say that this is one of the most useful specialities. My wife took the course with 8 dives in her log book and has not looked back.

Honestly, if I were you and looking for a course I would do either AOW or Nitrox.

 

[Griffo]

By Using Nitrox, you'll also feel way less tired on a live-aboard where you are doing lots of dives, and if doing 4 dives a day it's nice to have the extra safety built in.
GUE don't even "let" their divers dive on air. They include Nitrox in their rec course and teach divers to always use it for every dive.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

By Using Nitrox, you'll also feel way less tired on a live-aboard where you are doing lots of dives, and if doing 4 dives a day it's nice to have the extra safety built in.

There are mixed views on this "benefit" on Scubaboard. I did a 5 dive a day live aboard last year. Two 60 year old ladies from England did every dive on air and were more spritely than I on surface intervals.

GUE don't even "let" their divers dive on air. They include Nitrox in their rec course and teach divers to always use it for every dive.

I was invited to be the first to dive the Athena wreck in the South African Eastern Cape. I was like wow how many times can you be the first to dive a wreck? Anyway the nearest Nitrox was 150 miles away. Fortunately I am Padi trained.

 

[Griffo]

There are mixed views on this "benefit" on Scubaboard. I did a 5 dive a day live aboard last year. Two 60 year old ladies from England did every dive on air and were more spritely than I on surface intervals.

Yeah I knew someone would say that For me, i find it makes a difference. And considering that tiredness is a sign of sub-clinical DCS, and that Nitrox is reducing your Nitrogen loading, it kinda makes sense. End of the day, I believe it has an effect for me, and considering how close to the limits some people push on live-aboard in particular, i think it's worth the trivial cost increase.

I was invited to be the first to dive the Athena wreck in the South African Eastern Cape. I was like wow how many times can you be the first to dive a wreck? Anyway the nearest Nitrox was 150 miles away. Fortunately I am Padi trained.

I was just trying to point out that Nitrox isn't some advanced skill, it's something that all divers can safely utilize in their diving. I've done 160ft on air which would have some people up in arms too. But not relevant to this thread.

 

[IanBrit]

Besides, Nitrox makes me nervous. I mean, I don't want to have a seizure. They say that isn't a concern if you don't go below the MOD, but still... It just makes me prefer to stay with EAN21.

There are many safety margins built into recreational nitrox use, so while a seizure isn't impossible, it's unlikely if you follow the rules and plan correctly. After all, you can get a seizure on air if you try hard enough (though very unlikely on a single AL80). The question you should be asking is 'Why NOT Nitrox'. As others have posted, it allows a greater margin of safety if you dive it as air (with the MOD set to that of the mix you're using) or a greater NDL or a lower narc level (marginal at rec depths) OR a combo of all three as long as you don't push each one.

 

[spectrum]

Matt,

Nitrox is not an advanced skill and makes sense when taking a dive intensive vacation. Nitrogen (and 02) accumulate in the body when making multiple dives of multiple days and nitrox can let you stay ahead of the curves.

The planning to avoid a seizure is very basic. In many cases resorts only offer one blend and with that it's hard to get into trouble locally.

It is true that the real benefit comes from longer dives which usually also requires good air usage. There is consistent belief that you will feel less tired when making any dives on nitrox. Despite making perfect sense to my muddled sense of physiology there is no scientific conclusion to support this. it's sometimes called geezer gas for the boost it gives seniors!

As a vacation diver you would be well served by by nitrox.

Pete

 

[FPDocMatt]

Or have shorter surface intervals, or more dives per day, or a greater safety margin.

For a single dive, the difference can be a small amount of extra time or a negligible reduction in risk. Over the course of a week of 4 dives a day, it can be substantial. For your 70 foot dive, 32% would give you an extra 10 minutes. Here are the NOAA tables: Air 32% 36%

Hey, thanks for inserting those links! It is indeed clear that the difference adds up.

It's hard to have a rational discussion about irrational fears.

Okay, you've put me in my place. Guess I'll slink back into my burrow now.

 

[drrich2]

On a live-aboard, or a trip to Bonaire with lots of shore diving (3 - 5 dives/day), it can make a real difference.

If you do the 2-tank boat dive 'tourist dives' often offered to cruise ship visitors to islands, or for that matter some of the charter boat dive op.s (where, for example, you might stay at a hotel in Cozumel for a week, dive 5 days of it, 2 1-tank dives per morning, back by early afternoon, then mess around town the rest of the day), it may not make much difference because the group dive duration may be around 45 minutes per dive, and the surface interval used to drive the boat to the next dive site and timed for air users anyway. In that scenario, using nitrox may not offer much advantage.

Then again, once certified, you can get it if you want or need it for the rest of your life, the cert.'s usually not all that expensive, and the course is pretty easy.

Spend enough time in the threads on diver deaths and you'll see some of what's killing divers. Seizures on nitrox don't seem to be a common theme. Of all the things I worry about killing me diving, that's way low on the list.

Richard.