Loose rules in Fort Lauderdale, FL

[tarponchik]

Why irrelevant? You are using the word "nitrox" to refer to all situations, but you really only seem to be talking about 32% nitrox. Do you believe there is no such thing as nitrox made to any other percentage of oxygen, or do you never dive under any circumstances where such mixes are available to you?

It seems to me that this would be a different way of phrasing your position:

1. You only dive air or nitrox 32--no other mixes.
2. If it is air, you aren't worried about the accuracy of meters, so you will take it to a 1.4 PO2.
3. If it is nitrox 32, you will only take it to a 1.2 PO2.

Is that what you are really saying?

No, it's the other way around. Where I dive, nobody had ever offered me Nitrox below 32. I did several dives on 36 (and will dive again if it is available) but most of my Nitrox dives were on 32. So 2 and 3 are correct statements (2 for a single dive)? 1 is incorrect.

 

[KeithG]

Yeah, back on topic, kind of screwy for a shop to stick a vip sticker on something they didn't inspect. I guess all those who complain about VIP's being useless money grabs just got vindicated.

And apparently this is a first world problem.

 

[CptTightPants21]

No, it's the other way around. Where I dive, nobody had ever offered me Nitrox below 32. I did several dives on 36 (and will dive again if it is available) but most of my Nitrox dives were on 32. So 2 and 3 are correct statements (2 for a single dive)? 1 is incorrect.

For #1, you only dive 32, air OR 36?

2. So you have never heard of 25% nitrox, 28%nitrox, or 30% nitrox. Nitrox to you just means 32 or 36?

3. If you did a dive to 130 ft you would only use air?

If the above is beyond is correct,It is beginning to become clearer that you just have limited options/experience at your location.

The shop not opening the tank is a complete rip off and i wouldnt trust that show with anything ever again. God only knows what they do with regulator service....

Although i am one to talk, i was just charged $100 to VIP one set of doubles.

 

[WarrenZ]

Although i am one to talk, i was just charged $100 to VIP one set of doubles.

Did that include O2 cleaning if so that's a deal I was quoted $150 for mine $40 nitrox fill extra.

However while I was doing my new tanks this summer I thought that didn't seem so unreasonable. It was 104 in the garage and I was sweating my balls off the whole time rolling those damm tanks around.

 

[tarponchik]

For #1, you only dive 32, air OR 36?

2. So you have never heard of 25% nitrox, 28%nitrox, or 30% nitrox. Nitrox to you just means 32 or 36?

3. If you did a dive to 130 ft you would only use air?

If the above is beyond is correct,It is beginning to become clearer that you just have limited options/experience at your location.

The shop not opening the tank is a complete rip off and i wouldnt trust that show with anything ever again. God only knows what they do with regulator service....

Although i am one to talk, i was just charged $100 to VIP one set of doubles.

2. What kind of stupid question is that?! Like, if I've heard of Nitrox 25%, this will make me more experienced? It does not matter what I've heard (as a matter of fact, I did when I learned this stuff) but if you go on Agressor and sign up for Nitrox they will pump 32 into all Nitrox tanks. Same story in dive shops in most exotic places I go. You choose between air and 32, and be grateful if they even have 32. When I used 36, this was in US, but then again this was the only EAN this dive shop offered me, take it or go on air. So yes, my experience is limited to air, 32 and 36, and I do not see anything wrong with this.
3. In an ideal world I would start calculating the %O2 that will give me max bottom time w/o exceeding the PPO 1.6 (provided this is the only dive of the day) but real world, where I can pick only air or 32, I'll go on air.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Did that include O2 cleaning if so that's a deal I was quoted $150 for mine $40 nitrox fill extra.

However while I was doing my new tanks this summer I thought that didn't seem so unreasonable. It was 104 in the garage and I was sweating my balls off the whole time rolling those damm tanks around.

No hydro. Just VIP.

Although, if you are asking if they smeared some Christolube on the valve O-rings, yes. 4 O rings replaced ($12).

I asked the guy once what it would cost to O2 clean a single tank and the price he quoted was so outrageous I could have bought a new tank.

This VIP along with a few other things was the last straw, I have started using other shops pretty regularly.

 

[DiverDownD3]

2. What kind of stupid question is that?! Like, if I've heard of Nitrox 25%, this will make me more experienced? It does not matter what I've heard (as a matter of fact, I did when I learned this stuff) but if you go on Agressor and sign up for Nitrox they will pump 32 into all Nitrox tanks. Same story in dive shops in most exotic places I go. You choose between air and 32, and be grateful if they even have 32. When I used 36, this was in US, but then again this was the only EAN this dive shop offered me, take it or go on air. So yes, my experience is limited to air, 32 and 36, and I do not see anything wrong with this.
3. In an ideal world I would start calculating the %O2 that will give me max bottom time w/o exceeding the PPO 1.6 (provided this is the only dive of the day) but real world, where I can pick only air or 32, I'll go on air.

Shops are going to offer the blends that make the most sense for the dive sites they go to. If you come to NC you are going to be offered EAN30 (some shops may have additional blends). Why? Because a lot of the offshore wrecks are in 115-125' to the bottom.

Can you explain the bolded? That seems to be a blanket statement. To me it's going to depend on the depths of the dives I'm doing. If the dives are going to exceed the MOD of the nitrox blend the shop is offering, then yeah you are pretty much forced to use air. So if you were going to a site that was 85' and you only have EAN32 and air to choose, you are going to go with air?

Maybe I just misunderstood you

 

[Caveeagle]

..somewhat back on topic...
I know the OP does not want to 'out' the shop in question, but I don't think there are very many shops that bank Nitrox. The shops I frequent in N.Fla all bank 30~32%. Last time I went down to Jupiter/W.Palm, I just rented tanks because most of my tanks don't have the big green stickers on them. And that makes shops nervous.

'Stickering' a tank without performing the inspection is really wrong, but it does not surprise me at all. There have been several "hidden camera" reports on auto mechanics charging for work not done, and I have personally caught mechanics doing this to me. it would not surprise me one bit for this to happen.

 

[kelemvor]

3. In an ideal world I would start calculating the %O2 that will give me max bottom time w/o exceeding the PPO 1.6 (provided this is the only dive of the day) but real world, where I can pick only air or 32, I'll go on air.

I did that for the first few years I dove nitrox. Unfortunately my fill station of choice now banks 32 so I'd have to pay extra for blends. It was nice while it lasted though!

I was looking through my logs, I got a 28% fill once and a number at 40%.

 

[CptTightPants21]

I did that for the first few years I dove nitrox. Unfortunately my fill station of choice now banks 32 so I'd have to pay extra for blends. It was nice while it lasted though!

I was looking through my logs, I got a 28% fill once and a number at 40%.

Although difficult if the shop has a highly variable banked mix, you can make your own blends using a tank that has air breathed or purged down to the appropriate PSI and then topped off with nitrox. Can also be done the reverse with nitrox topped off with air. I have done this a few times to make 28% when I was short on time or didn't like paying for a full nitrox fill when I didn't need it.