Some Basic Nitrox Questions

[TMHeimer]

Tom

A lot of the Red Sea operators supply Nitrox free on their liveaboards.
Partly its commercial, other operators do it so they need to follow suit to remain competitive. But mainly for safety, they are less like to have cases of DCI if everyone is using Nitrox, & those cases they get are likely to be less serious.

Gareth

Makes sense. Also, though I've never done one, I figure the cost of doing a liveaboard is high enough that supplying nitrox without an extra charge makes sense and is good for business (I don't like to call it "free" as nothing much is really free).

 

[rhwestfall]

A lot of the Red Sea operators supply Nitrox free on their liveaboards.

sure it is "free"....

I'm not saying it isn't smart, but you are likely paying for it already factored into the cost of diving with them....

lets just say it doesn't cost more rather than being free....

 

[Tribal]

I'm not saying it isn't smart, but you are likely paying for it already factored into the cost of diving with them

LOB on the Redsea costs like less then half of other destinations. Many started to give free nitrox so people wouldn’t dive to deep. Lots of Cmas people that go way beyond the 40m limit otherwise

 

[BRT]

As your diving improves your air consumption will also improve and you will find that even on relatively shallow dives you run out of NDL before running out of air. Nitrox is great for those situations. It is worth doing the course (but it should be included in OW or at least AOW but isn't).

With the additional advantage that usually you don't run as close to NDL's as you would on air. This may keep you from an "undeserved hit".

 

[Gareth J]

sure it is "free"....

I'm not saying it isn't smart, but you are likely paying for it already factored into the cost of diving with them....

lets just say it doesn't cost more rather than being free....

I agree nothing is ever free.
But, if its included in the package, and there is no discount if you are breathing air!

Like 'free' water when you are on the day boat. Or 'free' extended warranty on the regulators you have just bought.

 

[Coztick]

Most places I've shopped Nitrox is more than double the cost of Air. Like $14 vs. $6. To me that is significant. I guess one could easily figure out what an extra $16US ($20 CAD) comes to per minute of extra bottom time you get on a two tank charter trip.

Don't forget to calculate in the price and time for your training, gear purchased, gear cleaning and maintenance, travel costs and time invested on each outing ALL FOR BOTTOM TIME!
If a few bucks more gets you MORE bottom time then why wouldn't you???

 

[Scubagolf]

I don’t agree that basic nitrox SHOULD be included in OW. Most OW students will not see the need for EAN training and will not want to pay for it until they do. You can’t reasonably expect course providers to include it without increasing the course cost.

 

[TMHeimer]

Don't forget to calculate in the price and time for your training, gear purchased, gear cleaning and maintenance, travel costs and time invested on each outing ALL FOR BOTTOM TIME!
If a few bucks more gets you MORE bottom time then why wouldn't you???

Since you're asking me why--
Because I haven't spent tons of money on diving in my 16 years. One tropical dive vacation. Until recently, 3 months most winters snowbirding in FL where diving occurred maybe weekly and mostly from shore-- maybe one charter trip. That's living there, not travelling to dive there. So travel costs don't fit into Nitrox costing more than double. Depends on one's situation. If you travelled a long way just for diving, I'd probably agree with you.

Gear cleaning costs the price of the water. The time it takes doesn't matter to me--I'd just be watching TV anyway.
You don't base decisions on what to spend money on how much your college degree cost. The time spent on dive training means nothing to me being retired since 1996. Getting paid as a DM more than covered all the DM training & materials.
Yes, we all spend a little on maintenance each year.

 

[TMHeimer]

I don’t agree that basic nitrox SHOULD be included in OW. Most OW students will not see the need for EAN training and will not want to pay for it until they do. You can’t reasonably expect course providers to include it without increasing the course cost.

Agree on both points. I rarely use Nitrox since my usual diving is so shallow. Almost always quit well before any NDL.
Of course the price of the OW course would increase--if it did by the same amount as an average Nitrox course that could be a deterrent to some people. There is also the extra time involved, something people don't seem to want the way I hear they did in maybe 1970.

 

[Brett Hatch]

@Vibenz I hope you've more or less gotten your answer. For whatever reason use of nitrox for new divers is a controversial topic, and you'll see opinions running the gamut from "it is absurd to want nitrox, it is inherently dangerous / a waste of money" to "all introduction courses should include a nitrox unit" and everything in-between.

My view is that the gas itself is useful for most dives in the 60+ foot range, so anyone diving much in that range will see a use for it. And the course will cover some basics on decompression, the bends, oxygen toxicity, and related hazards, which are beneficial to any diver.

By the way, if you are interested in those topics, the Mark Powell's book Deco for Divers is widely considered to be the go-to resource. It uses and cites a large quantity of academic research on diving physiology, decompression, gas choice, potential hazards, and so on, and presents it in a layperson-readable format. Great book for all divers, new or experienced.