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I found SSI's Nitrox course to be very educational. They get into the physiology and do an excellent job of explaining dive limits and decreased nitrogen loading using enriched air. And I'll second (or third or fourth) the fact that you'll just plain feel better breathing more oxygen. If it's available, we're using it.

We always use dive computers (and who wouldn't these days) and carry our own analyzer, just in case. It comes in handy.

Having some close personal experience with the recompression chamber on AC--which is an excellent facility--I strongly recommend the use of nitrox (and good computers). The added expense is negligible compared to the financial and physiological costs associated with decompression sickness.

Analyzing is a must your right.
Its SOP
Amigos delivers nitrox to everyones dock like the milkman, pick up emptys and leaves full ones.

Gosh, I am really wondering why I am receiving a lecture from someone who does not know me. My Nitrox exam score was 100 and I can use an analyzer with ease. I am a very safe diver. I am a certified rescue diver and I am constantly watching other divers to determine if anyone needs assistance. I do not get c cards just to accumulate them. I take the courses very seriously. I sincerely appologize if I offended Pedro2 by answering Tortuga's question.

Don't be overly sensitive. It doesn't pay to be overly sensitive on the internet. Besides, I think he might have been talking to me.

LOL

Sorry G&W, not especially aimed at you. Your reference to the "cheat sheet" sparked it off, as I have come across too many people who do use formulae blindly. You're obviously too much of a thinking diver to be one of them.

&nbsp All,
I got an IANTD Enriched Air certification as part of my Overhead Environments course, and I have a few nitrox dives. Your mileage may vary, but I've never been bitten by the nitrox bug. It's always seemed like an added workload that I'd just as soon avoid. Now, if I were to dive commercially I'd do mixed gas dives as part of my routine, but as a recreational diver I'd just as soon dive conservatively, watch my hydration and take long surface intervals to manage the risk of DCI.

&nbsp People tell me that they feel more energetic after diving on enriched air. I've never noticed, myself. Also, I'm just a beachbum so I have no problem with taking an afternoon siesta if I'm feeling groggy after my morning dives.

&nbsp Now, there are times when I'm diving technically and I'd like to have a bottom mix, travel mix and deco mix available. Unfortunately, the times I've really wanted to dive nitrox I've been in remote areas where there was no oxygen availability beyond the DAN kit. Often it's hard to find oil-free air. So, I dive air and take Pyle stops, extra deco stops and longer surface intervals to buy myself some margin. It's no fun hanging on a deco tank for an hour, but doing so is a low-tech way to manage elevated nitrogen levels in the bloodstream.

&nbsp Normally, I'm diving conservative recreational profiles and don't have to resort to gas analysis or using tables and formulae to manage my risk of taking a chamber ride. I don't fault anyone for using enriched air to enhance their safety or their diving experience, but I don't want the extra workload or the risk of making a mistake and going into oxygen toxicity syndrome. I'd rather rely on being extra concervative.

&nbsp &nbsp Dan

I hope you wouldn't mind a personal question Dan, Its very relevant to what were talking about here....How Old Are You?
part of the interest here is how our older out of shape bodies don't fit on the charts like they used to and putting ourselves into deco. or even WXYZ on the rec. tables is not a practical risk anymore. Nitrox helps widen the margin.
I paid 100 us this week for 10 bottles of 32% for peace of mind as I'm pushing the envelope, busy as heck servicing the tourist rush and getting close to 60 years old.

Yes. Don't forget that tables and computers merely simulate what the producers see as "typical" people. There are still quite a few cases where someone who does everything right according to current understanding yet still gets a hit. Since the problem is excess nitrogen dissolved in the body and what it does when the external pressure is reduced, breathing nitrox with its lower proportion of nitrogen MUST be safer. And as Elbert implies, older people are more susceptible in a less predictable way, and the consequences are then more serious.

We're back to a form of Russian roulette,except that not only are the consequences more serious, but the chances of your experiencing them are increasing.

What IANTD told you was accurate - nitrox really is beneficial. They hold that virtually no-one should be diving air when nitrox is available.

What you say about the need to "use tables or formulae (sic)" when using nitrox is slightly worrying. Air is a form of nitrox, and if you're doing deep or extended air diving, managing your oxygen exposure is still a requirement, along with continuing to manage absorbed nitrogen and air consumption/availability.

Managing oxygen is not directly related to whether or not you take a chamber ride. That depends on your nitrogen exposure, which becomes greater if you're not using nitrox.

What is the extra workload when diving recreational nitrox? All you have to ensure is that you don't go too deep for the mix you're using. That and analyzing the tank up-front to find what that mix is. Doesn't seem too onerous to me. Do you calculate your anticipated air consumption, to ensure you don't run out, or do you rely on serendipidity to get you through?