$70 Nitrox Course - Three Hours

[Tigerman]

MY personal suggestion is get the Nitrox course ASAP, so you'll have the card when you need it. I've done a lot of deeper dives on air when Nitrox was not available but Nitrox is preferable especially on the square profile dives like wrecks. If I have to dive air, I'm more likely to go into Deco some, so I did the Deco course.

If you get the opportunity to dive a wreck with a more experienced diver as a buddy & mentor, he'll be on Nitrox and not want an air buddy.

I only (unfortunately) have one wreck dive so far and it was with my instructor, Mr. I have gills. He stayed down there (~100 feet) for the same time as 2 groups of AOWD students used to descent, have a peek and ascent (1 group went down, spent their time around the wreck and when we started ascending the next group went down) plus he spent 20 minutes (i think it was 20) in deco. He used the same tanks as we did.. If I used air the way he does, I wouldnt need nitrox anytime soon, but im not in that kinda luck.
Im gonna need to read and learn more about nitrox before I take the final decision on wether to take nitrox or rescue diver first i guess. And equally important, find out how the possibilities for filling nitrox is in the areas im most likely to dive.

 

[Tigerman]

Some Ops won't allow an OW diver to do 100+ ft dives

How deep are you diving and what %'s. I assume by deep you mean 100' - 130' range.

Last i checked a OW diver shouldnt be allowed to dive beyond 60' anyways? 100' is AOW..

 

[joe rock]

Last i checked a OW diver shouldnt be allowed to dive beyond 60' anyways? 100' is AOW..

That is correct.

 

[spectrum]

Dandy Don I think you are painting with a brush as wide as Texas here.

Many many divers are well along into their diving before they have any need for nitrox. Many will never see the sort of diving you are fortunate to frequently enjoy. These divers will be much better served with AOW and Rescue IMO.

Now.... I will modify you thought to say that before you take that dive intensive vacation and seek to extend your bottom time by all means get nitrox certified so you can make the most of the experieince. That's just my wife and I are planning to do soon.

Pete

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Good suggestion Don. Unfortunately I haven't had too much time for Classes spending more time just diving getting more comfortable etc... Maybe next year. Most of the people I dive with dive Air most of the time anyway Nitrox almost X2 the cost of Air here.

 

[BigBoB]

How deep are you diving and what %'s. I assume by deep you mean 100' - 130' range.



Are these planned deco dives or do they just happen?

Just curious. I dive nitrox all the time for various reasons, going deep isn't one of them. You make it sound like the reason to take nitrox is for extended NDL's on deep dives in excess of 100'. I'm not sure I agree with this reasoning for a new diver for their next cert. Perhaps I am misunderstanding your point.
JR

Running 25% on a 150 ft dive will significantly lower deco obligations, especially running 45-60 min bottom times.

Agreed this is not for the beginning diver....but it may be a good sale to the old salts that still have not seen the light!

 

[DandyDon]

Originally Posted by DandyDon
Some Ops won't allow an OW diver to do 100+ ft dives, but many will...

How deep are you diving and what %'s. I assume by deep you mean 100' - 130' range.

Yes - was I not clear on that? As I mentioned, all too often an OW diver on Air will want to do the deeper dives to 100 ft and deeper with the more experienced diver as a bud, but if the mentor is on 32%, his/her dive may get cut by 33% to accommodate the Air diver's NDL. If the OW diver wants to spend $80+ on a Florida Keys wreck dive, for example, it'd be danged nice if s/he would first spend $98 on a Nitrox course so s/he can spend $6 on Nitrox and be an appropriate buddy.

In other cases, I've been among the majority on a boat diving Nitrox, but we ALL had to sit out the longer Surface Intervals (see my profile pic) because a few had done the group dives on deeper reefs on Air - mostly because they were not certified to dive Nitrox.

Originally Posted by DandyDon
If I have to dive air, I'm more likely to go into Deco some, so I did the Deco course.

Are these planned deco dives or do they just happen?

Both and neither.

I try to post with safety in mind, but over my first 300 dives I've made some maverick decisions that weren't the best at the time. Striving to become a safer diver, I did the Rescue & Decompression courses. Didn't really learn much in either, but nonetheless - I am striving to be safer.

Just curious. I dive nitrox all the time for various reasons, going deep isn't one of them. You make it sound like the reason to take nitrox is for extended NDL's on deep dives in excess of 100'. I'm not sure I agree with this reasoning for a new diver for their next cert. Perhaps I am misunderstanding your point.
JR

Maybe you are, but then - I don't really agree with the other reasons for Nitrox. 50% more NDL at 100 ft is a big reason for Nitrox to me. Feeling better after diving Nitrox is possible, but not a biggie. Increasing safety from DSC is negligible.

The examples for this thread, repeated immediately above, have more to do with Nitrox divers on a boat being penalized by the fact that Air divers are doing the same dives - except with shorter NDLs and longer SIs required.

Originally Posted by Tigerman
Last i checked a OW diver shouldnt be allowed to dive beyond 60' anyways? 100' is AOW..

Yeah, yep, true and all that - but in The Real World, OW divers frequently do dives beyond 100 ft, often on the same boat I'm on. See discussion immediately above.

Dandy Don I think you are painting with a brush as wide as Texas here.

Many many divers are well along into their diving before they have any need for nitrox. Many will never see the sort of diving you are fortunate to frequently enjoy. These divers will be much better served with AOW and Rescue IMO.

Now.... I will modify you thought to say that before you take that dive intensive vacation and seek to extend your bottom time by all means get nitrox certified so you can make the most of the experieince. That's just my wife and I are planning to do soon.

I've seen it time and time again, in the Florida Keys, NC, Coz, Roatan, etc. The worst I've seen in a Nitrox diver sending his wife up alone when her Air NDL ran out. And I know the couple, very loving husband, Rescue trained, just made a bad decision.

Good suggestion Don. Unfortunately I haven't had too much time for Classes spending more time just diving getting more comfortable etc... Maybe next year. Most of the people I dive with dive Air most of the time anyway Nitrox almost X2 the cost of Air here.

3 hours?! You can't do a 3 hours class for $98 to be a better diver?

If you don't want to, or don't think you'll EVER need it, fine, but - "not time" is not much of a reason.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I saw at Water Worldsports in Key Largo that they're offering the course for $70 + $28 book = $98, 3 hours classroom after homework with tank analyzing, SDI card included. I had to do 2 dives on my Padi course, but learned virtually nothing on those, and I don't think even Padi requires these any more.

PADI doesn't require the dives anymore. I wish they didn't require them for Altitude either. It's all theory, no skills necessary underwater.

Anyway, I don't know that I necessarily agree that new divers should jump right into Nitrox. They need to get some experience in the shallower depths and work on improving their buoyancy before they think about going deeper. And Nitrox doesn't really have any benefits for most recreational dives above 60'. The ideal use of Nitrox comes in the 60'-110' range. True, new divers are diving those depths, but they really shouldn't be without some experience first. And what's the point of taking the course if you're not going to use the information for a year or so. BTW, I charge less for the Nitrox course I offer. The book and slates is a little more though, but I don't have control over those prices.

 

[scubadobadoo]

The examples for this thread, repeated immediately above, have more to do with Nitrox divers on a boat being penalized by the fact that Air divers are doing the same dives - except with shorter NDLs and longer SIs required.

So basically everyone should get nitrox certified just for you?

You can't do a 3 hours class for $98 to be a better diver?

Getting nitrox certified doesn't make anyone a better diver. Your story about the husband proves that.

PS: Please do not turn this into value of Nitrox discussion.

It is impossible to discuss nitrox certification without discussing the possible value of it (not financial value). That's why it was invented. That's why some of us choose to use it or choose not to depending on the dive. Sometimes it doesn't really add any meaningful value to a specific dive.

I believe this thread belongs in the "Whine and Cheeze" section. It seems more like a complaint about some of your past buddies to me.

 

[DandyDon]

Anyway, I don't know that I necessarily agree that new divers should jump right into Nitrox. They need to get some experience in the shallower depths and work on improving their buoyancy before they think about going deeper. And Nitrox doesn't really have any benefits for most recreational dives above 60'. The ideal use of Nitrox comes in the 60'-110' range. True, new divers are diving those depths, but they really shouldn't be without some experience first. And what's the point of taking the course if you're not going to use the information for a year or so. BTW, I charge less for the Nitrox course I offer. The book and slates is a little more though, but I don't have control over those prices.

Should/shouldn't notwithstanding, they are. And the Nitrox divers on the boat are often penalized.

I'll agree, they shouldn't, but they do.

So basically everyone should get nitrox certified just for you?

Basically, using my personal experiences for examples.

Getting nitrox certified doesn't make anyone a better diver. Your story about the husband proves that.

Hubby made a mistake. Wifey would be better diver/buddy with the course.

It is impossible to discuss nitrox certification without discussing the possible value of it (not financial value). That's why it was invented. That's why some of us choose to use it or choose not to depending on the dive. Sometimes it doesn't really add any meaningful value to a specific dive.

Nope, I never use it on dives planned to 60 ft depth or less, unless it's a package: all you want for the week. But I do believe that it is of great benefit to any dive planned to 100 ft or more, and you know that OW divers, some with paper cards, are finding thier way into those dives. Should/shouldn't not withstanding, they are.