Bali Nitrox

[Quero]

Let the slight hijack continue...
You implied that using nitrox may have prevented it; oir at least that's what I got from your post. Anyway, nevermind

You leapt to a conclusion. Anyway, nevermind.

The fact that it's statiscally likely that some of them would have been bent doesn't mean that they didn't do something to put themselves at risk

There is no way you could possibly know, and yet you imply that there was some negligent behaviour involved. Do you even realize the degree of arrogance you are exhibiting by making such a suggestion with no knowledge at all of any of the cases?

My understanding was that this recommendation is based on divers who have suffered DCS being statisically more likely to suffer another one

And your point is...? If Nitrox is thought to provide some cushion against a subsequent hit for a diver who is already statistically susceptible, what would logic indicate for a diver who may not even be aware s/he is susceptible even though s/he has never suffered a hit? My view is "can't hurt; might help".

 

[Mooseman1007]

Looks like I well and truely opened up a can of worms here....OOPS
Still undecided as to whether its going to be worth the extra cost for this trip, will def do the course before going back to Egypt tho whatever happens. Maybe just work on my O2 consumption this time (Im a bit of a heavy breather!) especially with a camera in hand.

 

[Quero]

Looks like I well and truely opened up a can of worms here....OOPS
Still undecided as to whether its going to be worth the extra cost for this trip, will def do the course before going back to Egypt tho whatever happens. Maybe just work on my O2 consumption this time (Im a bit of a heavy breather!) especially with a camera in hand.

:blinking: No worms that I can see crawling around here!

Just follow your own gut about it and everything will be okay. Most of us with thousands of dives went for years without the benefit of Nitrox and are doing just fine. And it's like anything--you have to weigh the cost and benefit. If on balance the expense doesn't seem justified, all you have to do is give yourself longer surface intervals!

You say you've got a camera, so a parallel could be drawn between air vs Nitrox and camera only vs camera + strobe. In other words, you invest in the basic package (either the general dive course or the camera + housing) and eventually you "upgrade" (add a Nitrox cert or a strobe for the camera). You're okay without the upgrades, but having them is just nicer.

 

[Tortuga68]

OP: you'll have a fine time on air, I wouldn't worry about nitrox this trip

There is no way you could possibly know, and yet you imply that there was some negligent behaviour involved. Do you even realize the degree of arrogance you are exhibiting by making such a suggestion with no knowledge at all of any of the cases?

If you re-read my post, what I said was that your statistics are not evidence that there was not negligent behaviour. That's not the same as implying that there was negligent behaviour. So I guess it was your turn to leap to a conclusion

As to the fact that I know a number of people who have been bent, I work in the dive industry at a place where there are hundreds upon hundreds of dive pros in a small area, and furthermore this place is on a resort island where we welcome thousands upon thousands of divers every year. It's only logical that I know a fair number of people who have been afflicted

So it's just random chance? The more dives you do the more likely you are to get bent? And are we talking about your dive pro colleagues, or everyone?

 

[Quero]

Tortuga68, you made a provocative statement in your original hijack at #7 and you got your rise. Now I'm done with this exchange as it's simply pointless.

 

[Tortuga68]

I'm not sure what is so provocative about saying that not using nitrox probably wasn't the reason that your colleagues got the bends, but other than that I agree with you completely

 

[Wayan]

You're right that it's something of a thread hijack. Nevertheless, here's my response.

...............Contrary to your implication, it doesn't really reflect on these divers' abilities but instead is only a question of statistical likelihood that with so many divers around, some proportion of them will have got bent.

My entire point was that if doctors think Nitrox is good for people who have been bent, it should logically-speaking also be good for those of us who have not suffered from a DCS event, and therefore, when I'm doing a lot of diving, I especially prefer to be on Nitrox.

Having worked in a hyperbaric unit for a number of years seeing lots of divers I would imagine that Diving on Nitrox is not the sole thing being advocated by the Dr's. I would suggest that they would also be indicating / suggesting that NDl's be reduced may be even using air NDL's, increasing surface interval times, longer safety stops, on multiday dive trips including a day off in between, the list goes on . . . .

 

[Quero]

Having worked in a hyperbaric unit for a number of years seeing lots of divers I would imagine that Diving on Nitrox is not the sole thing being advocated by the Dr's. I would suggest that they would also be indicating / suggesting that NDl's be reduced may be even using air NDL's, increasing surface interval times, longer safety stops, on multiday dive trips including a day off in between, the list goes on . . . .

Exactly right! These are, in fact, all strategies that any diver can implement to help avoid a DCS hit. That is, we don't have to wait to be a victim to seek out ways to stay safe. As an instructor, one of my main messages to students is to dive conservatively and not push the limits. Reducing NDLs, using air NDLs while breathing enriched air, planning for long surface intervals, etc., etc., etc. are all things to keep in mind when diving conservatively.
In fact, my principle recommendation to the OP in the case that he decides not to dive Nitrox on this trip was:

...give yourself longer surface intervals!