Nitrox is it worth it?

[diving_moose]

Some advice from those who no please.
I am getting into the diving lark now and have 60 dives in total and at AOW and have been using twin 10s etc for last 20 dives. so still learing but getting there. I dive in the uk and abroad and due to goto Mexico in August and looking at doing my nitrox course. i have been reading the padi nitrox manual for the course just to get a feel for it and so i am not getting there with zero knowledge. I am just wondering is the course really worth it, i read the book and see that obviously your restricted to depth etc and even with 32% mix you cant really do a 30metre dive due to 02 partial pressure etc ( Think i have read it right ) I am not wanting to get into trimix and all serious stuff but thought the nitrox was a step forward in experience. Just wondered what it will benifit me with for my type of diving.
Lee

[dave archer]

Simply put - yes, well worth it.
Makes your diver safer or longer or a bit of each than the same dive on air.

Top avatar BTW

Dave.

[Alun]

32% Nitrox is fine up (down?) to 33m with a partial pressure of 1.4 bar. Nitrox also has other benefits - many people feel less narcosis, but then again many people also don't notice a difference. If you still dive on air tables/keep your computer set on air then it is a safer gas in terms of deco obligations. If you dive on air and use a pony full of a fairly rich nitrox at your safety stop you'll accelerate any off-gassing that you do (even if you don't credit yourself with the extra time saved)

Note: I'm not yet nitrox qualified, but am going to take a course this year. Having said that, I *was* going to take the course six months ago while everywhere was still quiet All I know about nitrox is what I've picked up/taught myself. I'm the same as you seem to be - want to know all the theory before I have the lesson to teach me it.

[zepp]

it is worth it on a few accounts, namely a lower narcosis, longer bottom times, less deco and a less tiring dive.

[JAG]

The two reasons I initially completed the TDI Basic Nitrox course were:

1. The obvious reduction in Nitrogen intake.
2. To see if I felt much better after a dive. I used to get headaches on air, and still do when I can't be arsed to get a Nitrox fill for a shallow pootle to test gear, or am not driving. A 30% mix definately makes me feel less tired and I don't get the headaches. After doing deco on 50% I'm positively buzzing!

[onthetrain]

In a word yes it's worth it, though to be honest I think you would be better off getting a Nitrox Qual from one of the tech agencies if your diving twins already.

If your diving twins I expect you will eventually be thinking about extended range and maybe trimix. I've not done PADI nitrox, but I understand it only qualifies you for 32% or 36%.

If your diving deeper mixes of 28% are very useful down to say 45M. If you get say a TDI advanced Nitrox ticket you can use o2 up to 100% for accelerated deco, allowing you to dive deeper on weaker mixes and then speed up your deco with a rich mix.

Hope this helps

Alan

[Lou]

Nitrox will either make your diving safer by reducing your nitrogen loading for the same dives or allow you to increase the length of your dives.

As you get deeper you reduce the "strength" of the mix (reduce the oxygen content) to keep the ppO2 less than whatever figure you feel comfortable with - the TDI figure for dive mix is 1.4.

So, you can use a version of nitrox up to the depth limit for air, you are just getting closer and closer to normal air with 21% O2. You can also use 32% at 30m, no problems.

[e-aquanauts]

You haven't quite got it correct 32% has a PO2 of 1.6 at 40M

1.6 (PO2) / 0.32 (FO2) = 5 (Depth ATA - so remove 1 ata for the surface and multiple by 10)

Nitrox allows you to manage your nitrogen exposure and allows more no stop dive time, so I vote YES! it's worth doing.

Best

/F

[keith_henson]

worth it? Yes

Was diving a 36 mix on saturday in dover, then an air top off on the second dive in the twin set. I had 130miles to drive home - if i did that on air i would have been falling asleep at the wheel. Not a good idea

Keith

[Lou]

Originally Posted by zepp

it is worth it on a few accounts, namely a lower narcosis, and a less tiring dive.

Hmmm, both of those are up for debate as i understand it. Less tiring is subjective. Never noticed it myself, a good ascent is more key in reducing tiredness post-dive. Narcosis is not really thought to be reduced as O2 itself can cause narcosis and swapping one gas at a high pp for another at increased pp doesn't reduce your narcotic intake.