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#259173 12/09/07 02:00 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 13,675
elbert Offline OP
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This is the beginning of the busy season and probably a good time to discuss Nitrox.
I would love to hear opinions from our many SCUBA Instructors on the Island.
The Island Has it available and most instructors are qualified to certify divers as Nitrox users. Its easy and the benefits are tremendous for reasons I'm sure we could debate and I want to hear opinions on, please.
Nitrox is victim to many misconceptions, mainly that its for 'Deep' diving, not true! its lethal on very deep dives and is never used for such.
We like to dive a lot on vacation and your moneys worth is greatly extended by this special mix.
I personally breath it when I dive because I'm over 50 and not in prime physical shape but the book contradicts me on that reasoning.

elbert #259205 12/09/07 08:05 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 24
G
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G
I am not an instructor, but I am a certified Nitrox diver. There is a tremendous difference in my fatigue levels when I dive with Nitrox vs regular air. After 3 or 4 dives in one day, I am not near as fatigued when I dive with Nitrox. Even with the extended bottom time that Nitrox gives me, I am not as fatigued as when I dive with regular air. Diving with Nitrox is awesome!

P
pedro2
pedro2
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It's staggering that many people who have spent large sums of money on airfares/hotel/eating etc, not to say a moderate extra amount for their diving, reject the use of nitrox because it will cost them maybe another $100 over the course of their holiday. I've actually had nitrox-certified divers ask about nitrox availability, but then decline to pay the extra over the (included) cost of air. Yet they'll willingly pay the same amount on beer.

#259222 12/10/07 08:20 AM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,094
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Good to know. Thanks.

Danny2 #259227 12/10/07 08:52 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 13,675
elbert Offline OP
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I've read the course work and It says in a round about way NITROX doesn't make diving safer but i think the logic they are using is you can't make something safer that isn't unsafe. crazy
The element in diving that creates the possibility of getting bent is to much nitrogen and Nitrox decreases the amount of nitrogen you get while diving.
It seems logical to me to say Nitrox makes diving safer. lets face it every once in a while someone gets bent. however the stats are you have a .04% chance of that happening to the average joediver.
Its marketed as a value of staying down longer and thats definitely true.


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elbert #259251 12/10/07 11:21 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 5,563
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OK - guys - True Confession time.
After total knee replacement I didn't dive for almost a year; then did only two days of one tank each out at Long Caye at Lighthouse (May 2007).
November 24th I did a two tank dive and two tanks each of the next two days. Took one day off then did another two tank dive. My friend from California is an instructor and brought his fancy gear, including two Cobra in line computers. I used these on all of the above except the first day. WOW - what information it gave me! I begged him to leave it for me but alas he could not as it was part of his instructor's kit. He will be sending me one of my own for Christmas.
Another friend had joined us and I did more diving which included a newly certified diver. He was excellent but a bit of a hot dogger and we had to go down and bring him up a number of times. The last day I dove was when the sea was like a lake and I obviously stayed down too far for too long. I could not get my nitrogen level back into the green (safe zone) but thought it was close. The truth was it was just below the red (deco) line.
That night I felt like I had a lead BCD on and it persisted for two days. Billy Leslie urged me to go to the decompression chamber and get checked out. This was the only symptom I had. I did and they suggested that to be on the safe side I go in for an hour. After an hour of filling out paperwork (I have DAN, Medicare and a USA HMO) they told me I would be in for five hours.
When I came out the doctor told me I needed to come back the next day for another five hour session. I didn't go and don't want to go. I've had some feedback that supports my decision but still feel a little ambivalent.
I know you guys are the experts. I know at my age and weight (and yes, because I am female) I probably should be diving nitrox. I'm going to check it out.

Last edited by ScubaLdy; 12/10/07 11:37 AM.

Harriette
Take only pictures leave only bubbles
ScubaLdy #259261 12/10/07 11:44 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 13,675
elbert Offline OP
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Yea this makes you a good example and your a good candidate for Nitrox. Its real easy to get certified for it.
buy the way most people call it the decompression chamber but its a recompression chamber. You didn't decompress so they recompressed you.
:-)


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elbert #259263 12/10/07 11:51 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 13,675
elbert Offline OP
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Greg and Wendsday, I feel the same way and I see the divers around the boat after the dive and can pick out the perky nitrox folks from the yawning ones.


White Sands Dive Shop
https://whitesandsdiveshop.com/
elbert #259264 12/10/07 11:58 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 13,675
elbert Offline OP
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Almost all the operators on Ambergris caye include the price of a tank of air in the diving cost and add 10.usd to 15. for the Nitrox per tank.
Peter isn't that about how almost all the operators handle it?


White Sands Dive Shop
https://whitesandsdiveshop.com/
elbert #259275 12/10/07 01:05 PM
P
pedro2
pedro2
P
Yes I believe so, yet even at that price some customers who customarily dive nitrox reject it and use air. As you know Elbert I share your view that everyone should dive nitrox. Until my compressor equipment was disabled this summer by action of others, my staff were encouraged always to use nitrox. Despite what PADI say I'm convinced it's safer (for the reasons you give) and people feel fresher after diving nitrox. I know this from my own experience, not so much from diving in Belize (which is hardly challenging) but from my years of diving in the seas off Britain.

And Harriette touched on another benefit of nitrox, in that the relatively high partial pressure of oxygen definitely aids and accelerates healing after surgery or an injury. Particularly beneficial as the years advance!

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