What's the deal with the "Advanced Nitrox" certification?

[Reg Braithwaite]

Tough question to ask while simultaneously avoiding agency debates, but here's the specific thing I want to know: Some agencies offer this course as a stepping stone towards deco diving. So you do advanced nitrox, deco procedures, and presumably trimix if you don't want to be stoned to the bone on deep air and killing yourself at depth.

But what good is advanced nitrox on its own? Am I missing something, or would you not use greater than EAN40 for anything except deco? I guess I'm wondering whether it has any value as a stand-alone course or if it really is just a piece of a bigger puzzle.

 

[HowardE]

There's good information in the course itself. However, there's not much use in the course by itself. It is pretty much a stepping stone to accelerated deco via high concentrations of O2 in enriched air mixtures.

 

[IceBergSlim]

Am I missing something, or would you not use greater than EAN40 for anything except deco? .

Well, you could do some really long, shallow dives.

But you already knew that.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

A certain agency offers a recreational trimix course. I am speaking of the most basic trimix . Not the advanced recreational trimix (150 feet, 5 minutes of deco) or the trimix diver course, just the course that teaches diving within existing sport limits and ENDs in the 40 to 80 fsw range.

My situation is that I like to learn new stuff, but I am not interested in pushing my task loading in the water. So I wonder if recreational trimix would be of more benefit than advanced nitrox, since advanced nitrox is about accelerated deco, which is about deco, which is something I don't want to consider until I have more diving experience.

Any pros and cons?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

A
My situation is that I like to learn new stuff, but I am not interested in pushing my task loading in the water.
Any pros and cons?

Buy a book. It is much safer than any of the courses and you won't be task loaded

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

Buy a book. It is much safer than any of the courses and you won't be task loaded

Books are gateway drugs, man! The worst!! But seriously, I already own a shelf-load of books and with Winter coming, it's either take a course or (shudder) go ice diving with the friendly but pleasantly deranged crew up here in Ontario.

Any thoughts on Recreational Trimix?

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

Well, you could do some really long, shallow dives.

On doubles, maybe. But the last time I checked, with a single you run out of air before you run out of NDL on a rich mix. Or at least I do

More importantly, if I use Trimix to establish a low END, don't I get the same benefit on a long, shallow dives as if I used a rich EAN mix? The very fact that I'm asking the question suggests I could benefit from a trimix course...

 

[orange_diver]

guess you could do the rec trimix course but after the class, then what? you'd be paying beaucoup $$ per trimix fill just to hit 40-80'. makes more sense to use EAN32 for those dives on a rec level anyway.

my instructor bundled Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures and Advanced Rec Trimix together from IANTD and TDI (creating the equivalent of GUE Tech1), thereby giving the diver the skills and knowledge to do tech dives in the 150' avg depth range for abt 30 min deco using one deco gas, ie. EAN50 or EAN100.

FYI prior to that class, we did a Deep Diver class, but kept the max depth to 100'. in fact the majority was spent around 20 - 30'. that class focused solely on getting us proficient with doubles, can lights, drysuits, proper finning techniques, trim, buoyancy control, etc.

If you had one class to take this winter i would suggest starting with that one. it has the steepest learning curve for a rec diver. even if you dont proceed down a tec path it will greatly benefit you.

my $.02

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

guess you could do the rec trimix course but after the class, then what? you'd be paying beaucoup $$ per trimix fill just to hit 40-80'. makes more sense to use EAN32 for those dives on a rec level anyway.

Maybe I misunderstand due to a lack of knowledge. My understanding is that the point of rec trimix is to do dives in the 100-130 foot range but to have an Equivalent Nitrogen Depth in the 40-80 foot range. So you are deep by sport diving standards but you have a medium depth nitrogen narcosis.

we did a Deep Diver class, but kept the max depth to 100'. in fact the majority was spent around 20 - 30'. that class focused solely on getting us proficient with doubles, can lights, drysuits, proper finning techniques, trim, buoyancy control, etc.

If you had one class to take this winter i would suggest starting with that one. it has the steepest learning curve for a rec diver. even if you dont proceed down a tec path it will greatly benefit you.

Thanks, I am currently aiming for GUE's Fundamentals course in the Spring. I think that will get me to the same place as your deep class. Sounds like we have the same idea.

 

[ppo2_diver]

There are many scientific divers that require long shallow dives with minimal deco. Therefore, the will use > 40%. Many rebreather divers will benefit from Adv Nitrox as pure O2 is used.