Air: Is it really only for tires?

[King Kong Matt]

I know that as a group we have a wide variety of different views on this...

When you are diving within recreatioanal depth limits, do you always dive Nitrox or only dive it when you feel there is a perceived advantage in terms of extended bottom time?

Is what you do a function of the way you actually think air and/or nitrox should be used or are you often forced to sacrifice to matters of practicality?

 

[Drew Sailbum]

"I only dive Nitrox on those dives where it's really going to give me some significant extra bottom time."

But I'd add the caveat that I often dive it while teaching a nitrox course where my bottom time usually is limited by the SAC rate of my student(s).

If I want/need the extra bottom time, then I'll use nitrox. If I'm diving a lot (5+ dives/day) then I'll dive nitrox. Usually I just dive air. I have the luxury of repeatedly diving some spectacular sites, so a bit more bottom time on any given dive usually isn't a concern for me.

 

[Northeastwrecks]

I'll always opt for Nitrox (until I'm helium certified).

1. Increased bottom time.
2. At any given bottom time, less nitrogen loading, which means a shorter deco profile.
3. Potentially increased safety factor if you don't take full advantage of the increased bottom time.
4. I don't care what "they" say, I feel better after a nitrox dive and I remember feeling after air dives.

5. Most important, those stickers are so cool.

 

[leadweight]

Funny thing about tires. Somewhere, I heard they run best on pure nitrogen. I don't know why.

 

[WreckWriter]

except, as Leadweight indicated, if the tires are on aircraft, those get pure nitrogen. I NEVER dive air any more.

WW

 

[theslyfox01]

ff: :crest:

Formula 1 cars run their tyres with nitrogen because its a cooler gas which is soposed to keep the tyres at a lower temp. so there is less overall tyre wear, any family car can be converted to this setup but I doubt its worth it, conversion costs $US20 a tyre or more and filling the tyre is about $US10, not to meantion how out of luck you are if you get a slow leak in the middle of no-where and you need a nitrogen top-up


As for my diving I haven't had a chance to get into nitrox yet, don't have the qualification/money, air suits my needs well for the time being

 

[Newhampster]

If I remember my HS chemistry, Nitrogen has an atomic weight of 14 while Oxygen has an atomic weight of 16.

Doesn't that mean that filling a tire to a constant pressure with 100% N2 will weigh 12.5% less than filling it to a constant pressure with 100% O2?

???

 

[Newhampster]

I use Nitrox (typically EAN32) on air tables to give me an extra margin of safety.

Couldn't find that on the poll...

 

[O-ring]

...but that's the only place I use air. Our quarry is pretty shallow and we don't stay down anywhere near NDLs anyway since it either gets boring or cold. I dive the appropriate gas mix for the depth in the ocean (usually EAN30, EAN32, or EAN36).

 

[MASS-Diver]

For me the issue of when to choose air over NITROX or air is the toughest for very shallow dives, such as a single lobster dive to 20' for 40mins, I have trouble justify the cost of NITROX for such dives, but, I guess when I choose air I'm not DIR.

For deeper dives (40' -100'), very cold water dives, working dives, repetitive dives, NITROX all the way.