A question of terminology regarding Nitrox

Is anything >21% a "mixed" gas?

  • Yes

    Votes: 42 51.2%
  • No

    Votes: 15 18.3%
  • Depends what type of system was used to "make" it.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • "Mixed" = Trimix --- "Blended" = >21%

    Votes: 20 24.4%
  • What he said

    Votes: 5 6.1%

  • Total voters
    82

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I prefer the term they now use, enriched air.

Yea, that's as good as, or better, term than any.

Although in the early daze in Oz they (or should I say ANDI) called it 'Safe Air' which if the truth be known, it was anything but in the circumstances that prevailed in Oz back then. And especially so to new nitrox divers, especially with so little widespread easily accessible info out there - and the judgement / perception of the overall diving community being that it was the 'devils gas' anyway, it was anything but 'safe' air (as regards depth limits, dive tables, O2 'cleaned' cylinders being necessary, etc. - as all blending / mixing being O2 in first, then topping with air).
 
I guess it depends on when one started diving. Back in the 1960's only air was used for sport diving. Mixed gas was Heliox. Nitrox was not a word that I knew of until the 1980/1990's, which at that time "devil gas" was not considered mixed gas. Somewhere along the way blended gas (nitrox) and mixed gas inert gas other than nitrogen mixed with O2 became interchangeable. That is not correct from an historical perspective. I blame the lack of quality class room time in training class.
 
I blend trimix. I mix nitrox. I occasionally use terms ignoring their technical meaning. Even straight air is technically a mix. A very common mix.

However, I tend to like borrowing terminology from the commercial diving industry but realize within our hobby we gave words our own 'special' meanings.

Now. Current language usage among hobby divers...

If I said "I dive mixed gas" would anyone reading this thread think I'm talking about nitrox? Would you feel it necessary to have me clarify the statement?
 
My take-away from this thread is say what you mean: Trimix, Heliox, Nitrox, or air instead of mix.

CERTAINLY CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THAT!!!!!!
 
For me it all depends on context. If I walk into my LDS and ask for an 80% deco mix, I'd expect to get EAN80. It would be odd if they asked how much He I'd like in it. But if someone in Tulum told me that he went to the deep lines in the Pit the other day, and that the 'mix for the dive was really expensive, I assume she means Trimix.

Even if it's the same wording, who say it can make a difference. If someone tells me that he i diving the Eber Ward (125' to the sand) this weekend and needs to get his tanks filled with a custom mix for that, I assume it's "Great Lakes Mix" aka EAN 28 if he is known to me as a typical recreational diver. But if I know that he has drunk the GUE Cool-Aid, I'd assume he's talking 21/35 or such.

Fortunately, I'm not a gas blender, so it hardly matter to me - I appreciate someone telling me a good story about his or her last or upcoming dive no matter what exactly was or is going to be in the tank.
 
In terms of formal nomenclature, I always understood 'mixed gas' as being defined by the addition of 'exotic' gasses (i.e. helium).

Likewise, I understood the term 'mixed gas diving', which is far more commonly referred to, as being the use of two or more different gas mixes on a single dive.

In contrast, a "gas mix" is any artificially produced/blended, combination of breathing gasses. This isn't typically used though; as specific sub-definitions (EANx, Trimix, Heliox etc) are usually referred to for clarity.

The process of creating a gas mix is named "blending" and the person performing that process is a "gas blender".

That can be further clarified, for the sake of qualification or job title, by adding the specific of the gas blend/s a person is trained/capable of processing. For instance, EANx gas blender or Trimix gas blender.
 
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