What are the benefits of diving nitrox?
#1
Posted 22 September 2010 - 05:57 AM
So how do know when you are ready to benefit from Nitrox? And can we create a list of all the benefits for this and other divers considering getting the certification?
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#2
Posted 22 September 2010 - 06:53 AM
#3
Posted 22 September 2010 - 06:54 AM
#4
Posted 22 September 2010 - 08:27 AM
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"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
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Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906
#5
Posted 22 September 2010 - 08:37 AM
It is true that diving to equivalent depths and times on Nitrox will result in less Nitrogen absorption than the same depths and times on Air. If that is what people were doing, then I would grant that the above statements might be true. In my experience however, that is not how most people are using Nitrox. The most common use of Nitrox (and the purpose for which it was developed) is to extend bottom time at a given depth, or to go to a deeper depth for the same amount of time. If a person dives to the limit on Nitrox, then they will absorb just as much Nitrogen as if they dived to the equivalent limit on Air. So from a practical standpoint, I don't see "lowers Nitrogen absorption" as a tangible benefit, given how Nitrox is typically being used.
With respect to DCS, the operational aspects of the dive have much more to do with increased risk than the breathing gas does. Divers who ascend too quickly or hold their breath while on Nitrox, will be injured just as surely as if they had done the same thing on Air. There may be some marginal reduction in the chances of DCS, due to "slower effective ascent rate", or to breathing higher PPO2 at the safety stop, but I am not aware of any studies that support this notion. So again, I see no tangible benefit to using Nitrox for the sole purpose of "reducing DCS risk".
Nitrox is not some panacea that will automatically reduce risk of a diving injury. As divers, we all have the responsibility to follow safe diving practices, and the standard safety recommendations always apply, independent of the breathing gas - do not push the limits of your table or computer, always ascend slowly, and do safety stops on every dive. These things will reduce the overall risk much more so than the choice of breathing gas.
To answer the question that Kamala posed, I see the primary benefit of Nitrox as extending bottom time, for divers who have good enough air consumption to take advantage of it. And I guess I see some benefit to diving Nitrox on Air profiles where certain risk factors may be present (cold , etc). There is also some anecdotal evidence to suggest that divers "feel better" after Nitrox dives than after Air dives, probably due to reduced partial pressures of Nitrogen during the dives (my own experience diving with Nitrox bears this out).
But I don't really see "lowers Nitrogen absorption and (therefore) reduces the chance of DCS" as being applicable to most Nitrox dives, insofar as how most divers are conducting them.
(Sorry if I came on too strong with this post - this is a hot button topic for me, and I guess I get kind of crabby when I see people referencing these particular "sound bytes". )
-JimG
#6
Posted 22 September 2010 - 08:54 AM
Due to typical dive operation restrictions (no more than 1 hour bottom time per dive), I get the same amount of bottom time on Nitrox as I did on Air, and I do not max out the oxygen uptake even on my conservative dive computer, and I never go into nitrogen deco.
I do feel less fatigued after a week diving on Nitrox as compared to the same week of diving on Air. I don't know the science behind why I feel less fatigue, but at my age I DO notice the difference.
#7
Posted 22 September 2010 - 09:03 AM
LLDN, if you are diving as you describe, then I agree that you are probably reducing Nitrogen uptake (and therefore risk). However, you are the exception rather than the rule, at least in my experience.
-JimG
#8
Posted 22 September 2010 - 09:07 AM
#9
Posted 22 September 2010 - 09:09 AM
I do feel less fatigued after a week diving on Nitrox as compared to the same week of diving on Air. I don't know the science behind why I feel less fatigue, but at my age I DO notice the difference.
LLDN, I feel the same way. I've always felt that I can stay down longer without being as tired (also diving less than 100 feet), and perhaps more importantly, I'm ready to go back in the water sooner!
#10
Posted 22 September 2010 - 10:37 AM
I have been told that if a person is only going to do a few dives over a few days that there is really no reason to do Nitrox. That the biggest benefit comes from the multiple dive scenario such as on a live aboard. While the Nitrox can extend your bottom time as it pertains to depth. In reality does it really extend your overall bottom time? In other words, using JimG's example you can do 60' for the time based on a 50'NDL dive but at the deeper depth you are going to be using more gas so in most cases would you really get longer bottom time or just longer time at depth?
#11
Posted 22 September 2010 - 10:44 AM
Maybe the same concept applies to us older divers, and breathing a higher oxygen content gas??? Just a random thought....
#12
Posted 22 September 2010 - 10:50 AM
As to safety, I find most divers fall someway between the two extremes, so they both have rather longer dives AND absorb less nitrogen than they would have with the same dive on air. So I do believe there is in practice a DCS safety benefit, though I wouldn't sell that as the reason for using nitrox.
#13
Posted 22 September 2010 - 12:33 PM
2) I know all the books say that nitrox will not make you feel better. But my head and body ignore the books. I feel GREAT when I get back on the boat.
#14
Posted 23 September 2010 - 06:24 PM
Thank you everyone for the input. It sounds like i should definitely consider the nitrox, especially since i'll be staying a full 7 days in cozy.
My dive computer says that i shouldnt use it for nitorox diving. Is that true? Will it give me incoorect reading? Do i need a dive computer especially for nitrox? Wont i just be a getting an ultra conservative reading if i use the computer?
#15
Posted 23 September 2010 - 06:29 PM
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