Should all students be trained on Nitrox?

[The Iceni]

There has been a lot of discussion on the risk/benefit analysis of Nitrox on this forum of late.

Most divers "graduate" to using Nitrox but I wonder if its benefits should be introduced as a part of basic open water training? The mathematical concepts are not too difficult to grasp and the supervising instructor is duty-bound to ensure his students will never exceed Maximum Operating Depths.

In addition students tend to do yo-yo profiles so to my mind perhaps the less nitrogen on board the better.

 

[Aquamaniac]

YES!!!
The more people using EAN the cheaper it will get!

 

[Big-t-2538]

I really don't think that ow students should be trained Nitrox. They have enough to worry about as it is, and complicating matters with blends of gas isn't going to help the students who just don't get math. Believe me, I used to teach/tutor algebra and some people just don't get it.

On top of that, why make the class more intense than it needs to be. When I was trained Nitrox, I took a 6 hour class-room session, and then did my check out dives. I had to demonstrate that I knew how to work ananlyzation equipment for %O2, I had to demonstrate that I could do EADs, MODs, and work tables together for diving different blends within a 24 hour period. Blah...blah...blah

I just don't think it is something for an OW course, it should remain a "graduation" course.

Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, and there is are students that pick it up like it was part of their daily routine last year.

Anyway, just my thoughts...maybe I should stop thinking.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Nitrox is a great thing but...
We have trouble getting folks to stick around long enough to learn dive planning and good technique as it is. Oh...and we have enough trouble charging enough to make it worth our while. For some of these folks I would have to say nitrox would be dangerous. IANTD allows the introduction of nitrox at the OW level.

Now if you rephrased the question to ask if all divers should learn to use nitrox...I would say yes.

The yo-yo profiles are the first thing that need to go. Adequate confined water skill development makes for pretty controled profiles. Divers who yo-yo don't need nitrox to make yo-yoing safer they need more time in the pool before they are subjected to significant N2 loading.

 

[Jarhead]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
...why make the class more intense than it needs to be. When I was trained Nitrox, I took a 6 hour class-room session, and then did my check out dives. I had to demonstrate that I knew how to work ananlyzation equipment for %O2, I had to demonstrate that I could do EADs, MODs, and work tables together for diving different blends within a 24 hour period. ...

But what if Nitrox was across the three week course instead of six hours. You can learn Nitrox tables at the same time you learn air tables. (The air tables are included on my [SSI] nitrox tables). You'ld really only be adding EAD, MOD, O2 Clean, O2 Service and the 40% rule. EAN is fairly simple. The MOD will kill you (that's pretty simple too). Add another $100.00 and call it SDI.

 

[MechDiver]

Jarhead once bubbled...


But what if Nitrox was across the three week course instead of six hours. You can learn Nitrox tables at the same time you learn air tables. (The air tables are included on my [SSI] nitrox tables). You'ld really only be adding EAD, MOD, O2 Clean, O2 Service and the 40% rule. EAN is fairly simple. The MOD will kill you (that's pretty simple too). Add another $100.00 and call it SDI.

You make some good points but that is not the reality of current diver training. I had to vote no, for exactly the same reasons as MikeF.

Phil

 

[landlocked]

Some folks think of completing OW as the end of diver training. Obviously it is not. There are a lot more things to learn. Just one of those is Nitrox. You can't teach everything all at once. Therefore, OW should get you into some easy water for a little experience and practice. Nitrox is not necessary to do that.

 

[Jarhead]

MechDiver once bubbled...


You make some good points but that is not the reality of current diver training....
Phil

I guess that depends on where you're training and who is doing the training. Here we have 10-12 hours of classroom and 8-10 hours of pool time. Average 4 students per class and charge $335.00 for OW.

 

[Ontario Diver]

Let me approach this from a couple of different points of view.

First of all, there is added risk (OxTox) and added "math" (EAD, O2 Clock etc.) but is there any benefit? Assuming that the beginning diver follows the rules.... the standard table gives them 60 min at 60 ft. That is more than enough for most new divers (well, it was for me ).


Second of all, many new divers are heading to warmer climes for thier dives. Not all places will have Nitorx available. Many new divers may end up thinking that they *should* be diving Nitrox.

Third, as stated by others far smarter than I am.....there are skills that could be covered in much better depth then adding in Nitrox training.

However, I believe that all OW students should at least hear about Nitrox and know the pro's and con's to using it so they can make thier own choice. That is the way that my instructor covered it - he also spent a little bit of time on Trimix as well. Enough to know about it - not enough to even think about using it.

 

[-BlueHole-]

With all the respect, this seems absurd to me...
if one is intrested, can make an additional course, if not why has to be forced to get a nitrox certification ??
Can be useful but is surely not a must