whats the deal with nitrox?

[sploosh21]

just wondering.

 

[CAPT HOOK]

what's you question ???

 

[Charlie99]

http://www.scubaboard.com/t50937.html , a currently active thread covers the pros and cons pretty well. short version: Longer allowable bottom times vs. increased risk of oxygen toxicity siezures if you exceed the O2 time& depth limits

 

[sploosh21]

what is it? what does it affect? what are the benifits? just i know nothing about it and i wanted some knowledge of it.

 

[cyklon_300]

http://www.gasdiving.co.uk/pages/misc/Nitrox.htm

 

[scubapolly]

just wondering.

Nitrox is air with extra oxygen added. The air you breath on the surface is 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen roughly speaking, with a couple other gases mixed in there in minute quantities. As you should have learned in your BOW class, nitrogen is a concern when diving, it is the reason for the dive tables (residual nitrogen). Nitrogen is not used by your body, therefore the nitrogen that you take in when you dive is disolved in your tissues until you make an accent. Nitrogen is the gas that causes "the bends". Therefore it makes sense to replace some ofthe nitrogen in the air we breathe, with another gas. Adding Oxygen to the air (a gas we need to keep every cell in our body running) makes you feel less tired. Also using this gas extends your bottom time over those you have when using air.
Nitrox goes by several different names, enriched air & EAN, are 2 of the common alternative names.
The downside to nitrox is that oxygen becomes toxic at a partial pressure of less than 2.0 atm (1.4-1.6 are considered safe partial pressures of oxygen for diving), therefore there are depth limitaions to this gas depending on what percentage of oxygen your mix contains. Recreational Nitrox blends are typically 32 or 36% oxygen, but most nitrox certifications allow for use up to 40%. Higher mixes are used in technical diving.

I always encourage divers to get Nitrox certified as soon as possible, this is even more important for divers 40+.
I hope this answers your questions, let me know if it doesn't.

 

[sploosh21]

wow i understood about half of what they said 8D i got the point of it tho. thanks

 

[CHUD]

I always encourage divers to get Nitrox certified as soon as possible, this is even more important for divers 40+.

Do you mean 40+ dives or 40+ years? Because I'm one of those.
:sad:

 

[Kim]

I always encourage divers to get Nitrox certified as soon as possible, this is even more important for divers 40+.

That's interesting!! Could you explain this a little further? I'm 52 years old and Nitrox certified, but I normally dive air. Are you saying that it would be better for me to dive Nitrox most of the time - if I can get it?

 

[herman]

Here is a link to an on line Nitrox coarse. NO WAY AM I SUGGESTING IT IS AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR AN ACTUAL COARSE. But it does give you some useful information.

http://www.americandivecenter.com/nitrox/n2o2_m00.htm