Nitrox discussion (Split from "Reasons not to use Enriched air" thread in Basic)
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Water Monkey
Contributor
Just because your not skip breathing does not mean that your not hyperventilating, Newer divers tend to hyperventilate a lot, and hyperventilation will most certainly give you a headache as well as fatige. So it could very well be that the increase in o2 is helping you with the headaches. As you become more comfortable with diving the headaches will diminish without the use of nitrox.
And just for some perspective I have displayed o2 toxicity symptoms breathing 100% o2 on the surface and I have had no symptoms breathing 100% o2 in a chamber at 3 ATMS. You just never know when its going to be your turn.
AfterDark
Contributor
IMO the reduce headaches feeling better...etc..is a result of the increased O2 level. Isn't that part of the effects that football players get when using O2 on the sidelines?
It always surprises me when threads from well over a year ago get brought back to the surface like this...
Water Monkey
Contributor
It’s because I have nothing better to do this morning 
Chris12day
Contributor
WOW! you'd thought
DiveMonkeyEZ
Registered
It must just be a luxury of so many dive ops here in So florida, but Nitrox is not an added expense here, other than maybe the initial EAN cleaning on your gear. I pay $5 for (100cf and 120CF) of whatever mix I want.
As a fairly conservative diver who just likes long bottom times, EAN proves useful in extending those times for me. Not always, but enough to count. I've done Punta sur in cozumel (125-130ft bottom) and logged well over an hour (Okay, it's a multilevel dive, much of whick is at less than the max). But still, my computer (conservative as it is) runs me out of bottom time well before I run out of air (21%) on that dive (And others), when EAN consistently extends these dives to make my gas remaining the limiting factor. It is considerable for me in those circumstances. All I have to do is remain vigilant about not busting my max depth.
As for fatigue and headaches post-dive, I can't really say difinatively. What I can say is that it seems to help more in situations where I have to exert more effort. Even at shallower depths, i seem to recover from sprints faster on EAN than on air.
On those days when we get greedy and go down 4-5x, it absolutely makes a difference. I would get blocked by my (conservative) computer on air trying that.
All that said, reasons NOT to dive EAN :
1- Not properly trained and confident with mixed gas
2- Not sure where my max depth is going to be on a dive relative to my gas %, inculding allowance for possibly having to retrieve someone/something from your planned max.
3- Unable to personally verify EAN % after fill/before dive (NEVER ASSUME the label is right)
4- Equipment not cleaned/rated for EAN
5- Dive is obviously going to be too shallow to make use of the added O2 (If cost matters)
6- Cost and hassle if you're somewhere where either is elevated for using EAN Unless the EAN will tuly matter to the dive.
As a fairly conservative diver who just likes long bottom times, EAN proves useful in extending those times for me. Not always, but enough to count. I've done Punta sur in cozumel (125-130ft bottom) and logged well over an hour (Okay, it's a multilevel dive, much of whick is at less than the max). But still, my computer (conservative as it is) runs me out of bottom time well before I run out of air (21%) on that dive (And others), when EAN consistently extends these dives to make my gas remaining the limiting factor. It is considerable for me in those circumstances. All I have to do is remain vigilant about not busting my max depth.
As for fatigue and headaches post-dive, I can't really say difinatively. What I can say is that it seems to help more in situations where I have to exert more effort. Even at shallower depths, i seem to recover from sprints faster on EAN than on air.
On those days when we get greedy and go down 4-5x, it absolutely makes a difference. I would get blocked by my (conservative) computer on air trying that.
All that said, reasons NOT to dive EAN :
1- Not properly trained and confident with mixed gas
2- Not sure where my max depth is going to be on a dive relative to my gas %, inculding allowance for possibly having to retrieve someone/something from your planned max.
3- Unable to personally verify EAN % after fill/before dive (NEVER ASSUME the label is right)
4- Equipment not cleaned/rated for EAN
5- Dive is obviously going to be too shallow to make use of the added O2 (If cost matters)
6- Cost and hassle if you're somewhere where either is elevated for using EAN Unless the EAN will tuly matter to the dive.
I fold Nitrox into my Open Water courses and my students do the last dive on Nitrox. We dive almost exclusively with Nitrox here in Jupiter, Fla.. The only times I do not dive nitrox is:
diving with an OW class on their first 3 OW dives or in the pool
if it is shallower than about 50 ft.
I don't worry about diving so deep that I can't use it because I only dive to 140 ft now.
I do know of several cases of divers who are sensitive to breathing a higher percentage of oxygen. One boat captain can not have her tanks filled with more than 34% Nitrox or she gets bad headaches.
diving with an OW class on their first 3 OW dives or in the pool
if it is shallower than about 50 ft.
I don't worry about diving so deep that I can't use it because I only dive to 140 ft now.
I do know of several cases of divers who are sensitive to breathing a higher percentage of oxygen. One boat captain can not have her tanks filled with more than 34% Nitrox or she gets bad headaches.
Blackwood
Contributor
That's what I love about scubaboard. If an old thread resurfaces, someone will comment about its resurrection. If, OTOH, the person who bumped it instead makes a new thread, someone else will no doubt tell them to use the search function.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
dont let the anx get the bert of you remember the 1.4 is not an end of life line if you cross it. its time and depth that applies. spending all your time at 1.4 over several dives might be of some concern. big brother writes these limits so that if complied with by theory no incidents occurs. accounts for poor health people.
talk to the techies they can give you a much better and more accurate explanation on how the limits are derived and statistical data to support it. i think if you have that your anx will forever dissappear. just like if you swim sooner than 2 hours after eating you will get a cramp.
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