# Nitrox??



## marmidor (Mar 15, 2008)

I am thinking of getting my Nitrox cert. but I am not sure how it will benefit me? What are the pros and cons of Nitrox?? Thanks!!


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Do you run out of air before you run out of bottom time on a typical dive? If so, Nitrox probably won't benefit you that much... but if you come up with plenty of air left due to decompression obligations, then nitrox can extend your bottom time and make you very happy. 

I would also say it adds a safety margin, especially if you dive air tables and use it, as you are taking on less nitrogen than the tables you dive assume you are.

If you are doing mulitiple dives in one day, it is beneficial due to both increased safety, and I have found that it makes you feel better (less tired) esspecially if you are on a multi day dive trip. 

The only con I see is that it is kind of expensive, I rarely if ever dive it... but I don't really shoot for long bottom times on my dives anyway. Someone may bring up the risk of CNS O2 toxicity, but I don't think that is a very real risk on Nitrox unless you plan on diving it crazy deep (which it is not designed for.) At my work we decompress on 50/50 Nitrox starting at 90 FSW, and no one has flopped around from it yet. Go for it, it can't hurt to get another certification and some more dives under your belt.


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

If you do multiple dives in one day, it shortens the surface interval you need to get max bottom time out of your 2nd and 3rd dive. Most charter boats recommend nitrox for this reason (some require it). Also, diving nitrox, you really need a computer designed to calculate nitrox tables. This is not required (yet), but it helps maximize the benifits of nitrox.
I highly recommend it. I put off nitrox for a long time. Wish I wouldn't have done that.


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Dang Josh...you stay at a Holiday Inn last night??

Josh pegged it on the head.

I would get it. Definitely. If you stay within the depth limits for a particular mix, you will be fine. There is a bigger risk of DCS than an O2 hit.

One way to look at it is as far as the added safety of diving nitrox, is it is equvilant to diving a shallower depth.

As an example, diving 99 feet on 40% is the equivilant nitrogen absorbtion of only diving 70 feet, almost 30 foot less!


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## marmidor (Mar 15, 2008)

Thanks guys for the good info. I am going to get my nitrox cert. It sounds like I can benefit from it. Thanks again!!


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Best thing is safety, Dive air tables and use Nitrox and watch the depth for the % you are using. Especially when you get up in years I KNOW.:thumbup:


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Hey Ron..is a 1.6 even too much as age increases? Sounds like theres a story behind this.

Or was it a lil higher than 1.6? Just wonderin. I get all my mixes to a 1.6, but am not at max depth for very long at all.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

No that's what I use for max depth computation 1.6. In the Navy we had a 2.0 ATA max. But my old age needs everything I can get I've been bent twice and don't want any more of it so I dive less than 100 feet and air tables and mix my own 31 or 32 %. Any dive over 50 feet I dive Nitrox. I usually fill about 250 tanks a year and getting less each year. I think I'm going tomorrow, weather looks fine..:thumbup::thumbup:


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Damn you. I saw the forecast. Hate I couldn't make it out this last weekend. And looking at the forecast up till friday...looks like its gonna start to build by the weekend.

Sendin you a PM


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

Steel 95's + Dive Computer + Nitrox = Endless Days of Diving!
If you really want to go big, get your advanced nitrox, /stage deco.....then you can spend half an hour at 120' for 2-3 dives a day, and come back feeling refreshed instead of beat down tired.:thumbsup:


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## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

*Nitrox*



marmidor said:


> Thanks guys for the good info. I am going to get my nitrox cert. It sounds like I can benefit from it. Thanks again!!


Good move. You will not be sorry.


Pros:
The main benefits, such as increased bottom time and shorter surface intervals, are due to the reduction in Nitrogen. More O2 = less N2.
It the next step toward your trimix certification. You'll see even more benefits on to trimix, if you enjoy deep diving.
Cons:
Your max depth will be reduced. Watch your max ppO2/MOD.
Your equivalent air depth is a bit complicated to calculate as O2 is more narcotic than N2. Most people do not bother trying to figure it out.
NX is more expensive than air, but worth it.
Bottom Line: You will spend more time diving per trip.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Stick with the Nitrox for a while and you wont become a statistic on the evening news.


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

sealark said:


> Stick with the Nitrox for a while and you wont become a statistic on the evening news.


 http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_11871.shtml
Did you mean this....or were you saying that extended range diving wasn't safe?
....Most diving fatalities are openwater cert. divers who dive less that 20 times a year. Just confused about what statistics you have been reading.:blink:


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

What I meant was this guy isn't even Nitrox certified yet and people are suggesting that he get into tri mix. I'm saying take your time and learn the ropes before you get into something you know nothing about. That's all. I said A statistic not statistics.


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

sealark said:


> What I meant was this guy isn't even Nitrox certified yet and people are suggesting that he get into tri mix. I'm saying take your time and learn the ropes before you get into something you know nothing about. That's all. I said A statistic not statistics.


OK, cool...I just wanted to point out that nitrox is just the tip of the iceberg, and that continued education is a grand thing for a scuba diver.
I never said he should look into Trimix, but I don't think its a bad thing to point out greater options, I'm sure glad someone pointed them out to me.....I would have missed out on a lot if no-one had told me there was more to learn.
.....I wouldn't have been able to shoot the video on the link if I had been limited to 12 min. of bottom time.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Firefishvideo said:


> Steel 95's + Dive Computer + Nitrox = Endless Days of Diving!
> If you really want to go big, get your advanced nitrox, /stage deco.....then you can spend half an hour at 120' for 2-3 dives a day, and come back feeling refreshed instead of beat down tired.:thumbsup:


I remember when I was young and bullet proof:no:


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## Firefishvideo (Jul 1, 2010)

sealark said:


> I remember when I was young and bullet proof:no:


 OK Sealark....I didn't want to get into an argument, That statement seems like a stretch for those who don't know how it is accomplised safely - But I assure you it is done all the time by myself and others. I know my limits and training, and they allow me to safely do what others may not. For the Record, my cert is good to 330' on hypoxic trimix, so a mere half hour at 120 is kind of like splashing around in the pool.
I would have figured you would understand, being a Navy Diver....People probably thought you were crazy do do the things you did.....but with current tech. and training they are much more acheivable.
From the little I know about Navy Dive training, I would hessitate to think that I could have made it, so I have great respect for Those who did........and I would love to hear some of your stories sometime.


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

I got my Nitrox certification in 1997 and never dove air gain. You'll really feel the difference *AFTER* you finish a three or four tank trip.


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