Were You Introduced to Nitrox in Your Basic OW Class

[Diversauras]

Good poll Stone, maybe the time since cert ought to come into in some how.

Anyway I had to answer the poll honestly and since we have seen NITROX wasn't available in the '80s... well it wasn't available in '65 either. No wize cracking, not 1865, 1965. Heck, air was hard to find in some areas back then.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Had to vote "No."
Pretty meaningless, as Nitrox wasn't even in use by NOAA at the time...
Rick

 

[kipper]

I got my OW in August with course work in Chicago from my LDS and the OW dives in Coz with a pvt dive instructor. The only mention of Nitrox was to explain that I may want to learn about it in future courses.

Jeffrey

 

[MASS-Diver]

I got my OW from Scuba Shack in CT, a few years ago. The PADI instructors gave a very infromative talk about the NITROX, all the instructors and dive masters present at pool and ocean dives had NITROX stickers on their tanks, as new students, we all noted this. I feel luckly that I received both my OW and Advanced from Tech divers who were TRIMIX certified and able to provide students with very current inforamtion.

Now if only some more shops in MA would start filling NITROX!

 

[dkerr]

Nitrox and tri-mix was mentioned, as was cave, wreck, and other advanced cources. They were just passed over to let us know they were out there. I ended up getting nitrox certified about 2 years later.

 

[AliKat]

I don't think NITROX was around when I did OW

 

[Texas Tek-diver]

I don't think so...I don't think many people knew much about it back then.

NITROX is so prevalant today, that most people have been exposed to it one way or another.

I just happen to catch a story about an individual coming into my LDS, after being told by a competing LDS, that he needed to seriously consider purchasing a NITROX BC. It got my attention. I didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the guy.

 

[Diversauras]

Originally posted by Texas Tek-diver
I just happen to catch a story about an individual coming into my LDS, after being told by a competing LDS, that he needed to seriously consider purchasing a NITROX BC. It got my attention. I didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the guy. [/B]

Sounds like a potential future Darwin Award candidate...

 

[Ari]

I was actually certified for Nitrox the same time I finished my OW certification.

Glad I did. I use Nitrox since for dives over 60' deep (I am AOW by now).

Ari

 

[DiveRite-SW]

Heh-heh-heh. A nitrox bc. Bet it was probably the Zeagle Teck BC, as it has a little green/yellow (official EAN-colors, don'tcha know) label (was going to say epaulet, but I don't know how to spell that word) on the shoulder-strap.

Does bring up the question of EAN-ready gear. Sure, we all run around like Chicken-Little making sure our regs are EAN-clean/safe/whatever (depending on the O2 % used), but what about the bc, or the inflator-hose, or the AAS, or the pressure-gauge, or even the drysuit (and its inflation system, assuming the diver isn't using argon)? Just because we're not breathing the gas that comes out of the drysuit (jeez, I hope not!) doesn't mean it's not EAN too.
Ever see a manufacturer post a statement that says their gauge is 'O2-safe to EAN39'? Uh-huh.

So, I can understand the sales-person trying to sell a nitrox-bc (hey, there's one born every minute) but more importantly, there is an underlying principle here - especially if we start pumping 40+% into our gear.

I can see it now: "Hello, LDS? I'd like to get my swimsuit O2-cleaned because I'm gonna do some deco-diving next week". heh-heh-heh