Diving Nitrox - Do you?

[MonkeyPony]

I'm interested in finding out from individuals and those in clubs, how much of your diving is done using nitrox.

I belong to a fairly large BSAC club. The vast majority of our divers are nitrox trained and yet virtually none of the hundreds of dives our club does a year is done on nitrox.

I have a few theories as to why

1) Our divers are very frugal and dont want to spend money on air fills let alone nitrox. Our club compressor cant pump clean air (yet) so people with o2 clean cylinders couldn't get their free air.

2) The way our dives are organised buddy pairs (although decided in advance) are not informed until the day of diving who they will be with so appropriate advance planning to discuss using a mix cannot happen. (from my own point of view I'm not going to spend the money on a mix in my twinset only to be buddied with a diver on a single 12 on air)

3) Our divers cannot see the advantages of diving nitrox and therefore just aren't interested.

I suspect all of these are true to varying degrees within the club.

Is our club just backward or is this the norm? Does it even matter that no-one is using it? I'm trying to advocate a more 'planned dive' approach to diving rather than the usual leap off the boat say 'see you in about 40 mins - we might do a bit of deco - we'll see' approach to diving that our club has but if divers generally can't be bothered to even plan what to breath I'm going to be fighting a losing battle.

Any thoughts?

[nickb]

Only when I'm not using trimix

The only time I've dived using air since getting my nitrox ticket was on 2 dives I did in Kos in 2005 after my wife did her PADI AOW there.

I'd only use air if there was no nitrox available.

[abucksdiver]

Monkey Pony,
Slightly off-topic, but...

What club to you belong to? I keep thinking about joining a local club, and as I work in Aylesbury, one that is local may be of interest...

Slightly more on-topic, I'm guessing the access to free air is probably the biggest decider!

Oh, and I don't think I've done an air dive since getting my Nitrox card....

Thanks
Andrew

[robertsT]

Originally Posted by MonkeyPony

I'm interested in finding out from individuals and those in clubs, how much of your diving is done using nitrox.

I belong to a fairly large BSAC club. The vast majority of our divers are nitrox trained and yet virtually none of the hundreds of dives our club does a year is done on nitrox.

I have a few theories as to why

1) Our divers are very frugal and dont want to spend money on air fills let alone nitrox. Our club compressor cant pump clean air (yet) so people with o2 clean cylinders couldn't get their free air.

2) The way our dives are organised buddy pairs (although decided in advance) are not informed until the day of diving who they will be with so appropriate advance planning to discuss using a mix cannot happen. (from my own point of view I'm not going to spend the money on a mix in my twinset only to be buddied with a diver on a single 12 on air)

3) Our divers cannot see the advantages of diving nitrox and therefore just aren't interested.

I suspect all of these are true to varying degrees within the club.

Is our club just backward or is this the norm? Does it even matter that no-one is using it? I'm trying to advocate a more 'planned dive' approach to diving rather than the usual leap off the boat say 'see you in about 40 mins - we might do a bit of deco - we'll see' approach to diving that our club has but if divers generally can't be bothered to even plan what to breath I'm going to be fighting a losing battle.

Any thoughts?

My club is very much the same and I think all your suggested reason apply. However, the vast majority of my diving is done on Nitrox, even if i'm buddied with somone on air i use it to add safty. I got bent a couple of years ago and was told my the diving Doc that if I'd been on Nitrox I may well have got away with out a bend.

[Davwardo]

I generally dive Nitrox ( 32% ) as my standard gas. However, when diving with my BSAC clubs ( member of 2 clubs ) I generally end up getting buddied up with someone diving air.

As you say, this is usually because buddy pairs are arranged on the day ( or even on the boat just before you get in! ).

This means we end up diving air tables / computer mode but I do not mind as I prefer the safety side of diving with Nitrox.

I think you are also right about cylinders. Most people in the London club I am a member of do not have their own cylinders. Therefore, they use club ones which are generally not o2 clean. No one seems that bothered!

[MonkeyPony]

Originally Posted by abucksdiver

Monkey Pony,
Slightly off-topic, but...

What club to you belong to? I keep thinking about joining a local club, and as I work in Aylesbury, one that is local may be of interest...

Slightly more on-topic, I'm guessing the access to free air is probably the biggest decider!

Oh, and I don't think I've done an air dive since getting my Nitrox card....

Thanks
Andrew

There are 2 BSAC clubs in Aylesbury. Both use the pool at green park in Aston Clinton. Green Park BSAC meets on wednesdays and Aylesbury ducks BSAC meets on a friday.

Green park is a much larger club with great training and a loads of dive trips but is fairly regimented. The ducks are smaller and more relaxed and due to a small number of trainees the diving tends to be a bit more 'adventurous' Both are great clubs. Come on down!

[Garf]

join a different club if your needs dont match. there are clubs out there that happily blend nitrox and even trimix.

[Woz]

Air in the twinset, stage of 50% I think you'll find is a standard BSAC gas. Good for any depth from 0-50m.

Janos even worked out some Deco on the Pie for it.

[Keith Wood]

.

[Keith Wood]

Depending on what the dive is, if it’s in a lake either air or what ever is in my cylinders.

If on single and pony, I will dive on nitrox, so I can have as much no deco time possible.

If diving twins, depends on the dive if I we are planning a short deco then nitrox. If long deco which I will accelerate, air sometimes nitrox if doing more then one dive in the day.