I was offered a big price break on my nitrox course, so I took it basically for the heck of it. By the end of the course, I was sold on nitrox and I will _always_ prefer it. As a 'mature' diver [in my 60's] I know I'm at increased risk of DS, and I'm very mindful of the need to limit my Ni exposure...particularly at the end of my dive holiday when I'm flying home.
Love Nitrox! I use it on every dive if it’s available - I know there is no specific scientific proof, but I feel so much better on Nitrox. More bottom time, less surface interval and feeling better after the dive makes Nitrox the winner every time!
We are going on a Liveaboard this summer in Egypt - Red Sea, and im SO thrilled that we invested the time and money in EAN40+ certification and training ahead of that. Thanks for another great, easy to understand and share video James. Great channel - great communication and training. Keep it up. PS - diving the ocean in Denmark this weekend, water 2 degrees, icy and air 6 degrees C.
Clear and concise explanation that should help everyone new or old decide which way to go here. Cheers. Hope that lug hole works out good in the end James.
James, I new to the channel and diving. First let me say thank you for all of your videos! I am getting my certification next month and will get the Nitrox training as well.
Good explanation of the differences in pro's and con's of EAN vs. regular compressed air. EAN started in use in recreational diving back in the mid/late 90's and at that time there was a lot of confusion around it. Also, finding a qualified shop that could do EAN mixes correctly were hard to find. You also had to have your regulator rig "oxygen cleaned" which typically meant another setup to carry around. And your dive computer had to be capable of handing the EAN mixes and calculate things accordingly. Today EAN is pretty dominant and common for divers to use. And I'll probably get EAN trained when I can find time/money to get back into diving. I was a PADI instructor during the 90's and enjoyed it a lot. Lived in SoCal and dived every weekend, beach or boat, with proper weather. Now being landlocked for so long I know I've got a lot of retraining to do. But again James, I enjoy your videos. Keep up the good job.
Few Years ago, I spent 6 weeks in Cozumel. Well diving stopped at week 5 and 107 dives, all on air, never surfacing with less then 1200lbs, hitting the captains time limit. The last dive, nice little 60 footer, nothing bad on profile, but I DCS'd anyway. Dr Piccolo said, USE NITROX you are not 20 anymore. Prior to my trip 95% of my divers where on Nitrox. Lesson learned.
Long term viewer first time comment! First of, great content, James! So much of my diving has improved from small and large tips from you, and all the recommendations on listening to myself and choosing the stuff that is right for me has helped greatly. Regarding Trimix, i'm somewhat aware that Helium is a gas with a finite supply, and it is also used by hospitals for treatment. so i am conscious of us using it recreationally. I am keen on doing tech dives in the future but i am also aware of the prices going up.
Hi James. Great segment. I agree with you 100 %. The only time I dive air is in pool sessions. As an older diver I need less narcotics entering my body. Keep up the great info.
Are you able to get back in the water yet James? Hope things are going well with your ear. I just completed the TDI advanced nitrox and had the opportunity to carry a 55% mix, a 50%, and a 47% over the weekend (and again yesterday). Amazing to see the NDL get back to >99 on the shallower depths after closing in on deco at 100 feet. Deco procedures class is next, do a couple more practice dives, and then hit the Spiegel. Safe diving!
My gas of choice is always Nitrox 32% to 100ft depth. I have a yearly fill card and get as many fills as needed. My diveshop here in the PNW is great. After an undeserved hit a year ago on air, I'd rather not dive than dive on air.
I never went looking for nitrox but being certified just by doing any BSAC course meant when I was offered it I could take it. And I've never looked back
Not just narcosis but breathing I did a 130ft dive in Mexico, first time going that deep without mix in at least a year. I was like “People do dives this deepth without mix routinely?!? They are nuts.” For me if there is an up charge more than a dollar or two, my depth basis is above 40ft air. 40-60ft depends on the amount of diving to be done, 60-100ft nitrox, 100-130ft possibly nitrox but prefer mix particularly if it is a working dive, below that all mix.
I dive nitrox wherever possible (due to extending NDL or having a greater safety margin) but there are a few circumstances where nitrox is not ideal 1. You’re diving between 34 and 40m. Within the recreational limits but a bit beyond the MOD or Nx32. Probably a bit overkill for Trimix (though not bad if available and you can afford it. He is expensive). 2. You’re in a relative hurry for refills. My LDS will do on the spot air but not on the spot nitrox (most of the time). If I want to get out tomorrow, there’s a quicker turnaround on air. Plus there are 4-5 same day airfills near me and only 2 nitrox banked nitrox (and one you may not even get next day if busy). 3. Your local nitrox supply doesn’t have banks and is prefill only. The old school way to mix nitrox was to prefill oxygen and then top with air. Not only is this more expensive, but you need your tank to be oxygen clean. May not be practical depending on circumstances.
Great Video. Even if you touched it I hope that the final part does not become misleading. I often hear divers tell that Nitrox is a deep dive gas. Therefore again Id like to point out that the maximum operational depth of a Nitrox mix (no Trimix, tech. setups) should be limited by the O2 partial pressure which should not exceed 1.6bar (better 1.4bar)
@@krasteller I know, but that example is already borderline (pO2 = 1.6Bar). Anyway, what I wanted to point out is that a good understanding of dive physics and physiology is mandatory not just when using Nitrox. When I did my OWD course those theories weren`t part of it. (frankly spoken I think also the official PADI material did not contain any related information but I do not know by heart). I had to take a Nitrox course first to learn those elemental things. I´m pretty sure that I´m not alone with this experience. So Nitrox is for everyone but teach it right from the start (maybe as part of OWD training) and teach it right!
Hi James, quickly working my way through your content, loving the channel! Can of worms question: Nitrox twinset? Yeah or Meh? Is there much point in your opinion? Cheers bud!
In my country nitrox isn't that main stream because there isn't much to see below 15 meters. Nitrox is at least 2x as expensive. Generally you will pay something like €8,- for 12 liter of €14,- for a D12. Luckily my diveshop has 32% in buffers we can get cheaper if you buy in bulk. I even use that on my shallow 5 meter deep training dives. It's just standardization.
I'm nitrox certified and I fully understand all the benefits. However, after the past 10 years, I simply always get EAN32. When should I get EAN36 or higher? How should I make that decision?
If you have to choose, when doing two consecutive dives, lets say you are doing a first dive to 22 meters for 40 minutes, then a Surface Interval, then after the secong dive to 12 meters for 60 minutes, and you have a 36% Nitrox cylinder and an air cylinder... Which would you dive first?
Even diving shallow in a reef, the sat-level will build up (though slowly). will not nitrox be a (rather small) benefit for an emergency situation or emergency acent even from short shallow dives like 15-20ft?
Even though it is mostly true less nitrogen almost always better, if you are deeper than 150m, you may want some nitrogen to reduce high-pressure nervous syndrome.
That is more a question of what tank(s) you have, and how much lead you need for your exposure protection. For most rec divers a 30-40lb donut wing will work, unless you are entirely tropical when you can go down as low as 18lbs. 40-50lbs is light doubles like LP50s and AL80s. 50-60lbs is HP steel doubles. Above that is for more specialist tasks.
@@Teampegleg agreed. Odd that many single-tank BCDs are rated at around 45lb when all most people will need is 30. I use a 30lb wing for single steel, 45 for twin steels and 25lb for ali sidemount. That works for shortie wetsuit up to drysuit as the buoyancy of the exposure protection is neutralised by my weights. As you say, no-one should need more unless they are going to using additional stages and too big a wing both adds drag and makes gas more difficult to dump.
@Tim Gosling is right on, also my 32lbs is almost identical in the suitcase as my 24lbs. Hence the 24lbs has been retired. I dive LP108's on the 32lbs regularly. Personally I think its the best size wing for Rec.
I kinda disagree with the trimix part. First of all, helium is expensive. To the point, where the cost will affect, whether you use it or not. Second, helium is a finite resource, and wasting it on dives, where air would be totally sufficient is just that - A waste. There's an entire range of about 35 to 45meters (we did a week of wreck diving on Malta where all the dives were exactly in this range), where you can't really dive nitrox because of PPO2, but diving air is completely viable unless you are extremely prone to getting narked.
I'll dive whatever the boat is diving, that way everyone pretty much is Guaged pretty much equal. The divers who wanna show off and gossip about this and that, well just keep to yourselves and we won't have any problems.
Because of how expensive they are and the amount of maintenance required, I would recommend relying on your dive shop's. If there is the question of if the shop is maintaining their analyzer, then why are you using a shop that is that questionable to begin with?
@@laminar0886 I found my own analyzer bought second hand from somone who was getting out of diving I had to buy a new sensor for it but for $50 it was worth the piece of mind also it allows you to get an idea of the reliability of yours vs the dive shop's equipment. there are also plans available to build our own analyzer for less money if you are techincally inclined with parts available over the internet. I also purchased one brand new so I could take it with me and not have to rely on the dive operator's equipment.
I use my cheap analyser when I've had a part used Nitrox fill topped up with O2 safe air ( because nitrox wasn't available at the site) It gives me a figure to punch into my dive computer rather than guessing how much O2 is in the cylinder) I check that mine is OK every time I have a fill by comparing it with the shop's analyser. Its possible to calculate what mix is in the cylinder but much easier to just analyse. At 65 I dive with my computer knowing the O2 %, with the computer set to conservative and with Nitrox as often as possible. I try to minimise every risk I'm able to so that when things don't work out quite as planned, I have a margin.
James, I wanted to pick your brain or any other "experience diver" mind about sucking gas. I can go shallow at ~4-10 meters, and dive for as long as the boat captain is willing and come back with ample room. However, once I go past that 10 meter mark, I notice I just suck gas, if I shoot for 18 meters, I get ~20-30 minutes max before I am forced up for a safety stop at 500-600psi left and come back to surface with 200 or less a few times now. My wife will still have around 1500 or more. But at that shallow 4-10 meters we match. 10 meters seems to be a switch I flip on that says "Start sucking all the gas". Any tips?
First Rule of Diving.... NEVER Compete with a woman in air comp (my daughter kills me). You will loose. :) Ok, things for you to look at... 1.. Weight. More weight generally worse breathing. Sadly 90% of the dive shops teach you overweighted and people never learn proper, or you pay for the peak performance buoyancy class, that should have been taught day one. A buddy of mine was taught he needed 24-30lbs of weight, I got him down to 8lbs and everything improved. 2. Breathing, most people have no clue they are chest breathers. You want to be a stomach deep breather. 3. How often are you diving and how man dives do you have. Ever winter the motorcycle goes into the garage, every spring it comes out. The first couple weeks are always a little more nervous. 4. Buoyancy, how good is yours, how much do you put the finger on that inflator button. 5. Regulator... Do you own your own? Many rental Regualtors suck, literally. A good conditioned regulator enhances the diving by huge margins. This does not mean buy a $1500 reg, my $300 Hogs work like gems, and I sold my Atomics. You can fix 1 and 2 in a pool, pool time is never wasted. When you are heading to the dive site, do breathing exercises focusing on only breathing from the mouth. slowly using the diaphragm. Well, this is a good starting point.
@@shuntao3475 Thanks for the comments, and yes are right I shouldn't compare she def kicks my butt. 1. So weight I did feel overweight last time I went (A week ago), I live in a tropical environment, so we just dive with rash guards and shorts and call it a day as the water temp is always 86 or warmer year-round. I dived with 12lbs, I planned on kicking that down to 10 and seeing going from there my next dive. 2. I will try and keep this in check. 3. I only have 20 dives logged, since being cert. in December 2020. See one, luckily we live in the tropics and right on the water. 4. I did keep that in mind last time I went, I know you can waste a lot of gas playing with the inflator when you don't need it, so I try and leave it alone unless I am going to crash into something and can't breathe enough to stop. 5.. I don't I bought my own BCD first, regulators will be next. I checked out the Hogs, honestly haven't heard of them and all my local dive shops on island only seem to have atomics. Which hog do you own? The reviews on them seem really really solid across the board.
Hey James. Love the content on the channel and hope to study with you someday! Recently got an unexplained hit of DCI diving 32% nitrox down to max depth of 80ft, resulted in a micro pulmonary embolism. Executed the dive plan with my dive master perfectly, but clearly got unlucky…. honestly nervous to get back in the water…any advise on how to move forward? #askdiversready
I never understood people who are choosing NOT to dive nitrox because of increased costs.. met so many of those in Egypt.. guys! You paid for the flights, hotel, actual dives and you don't want to pay extra 4 EUR for nitrox fill???!! Wtf really??? And such people often end up having to cut their dives short due to approaching NDL.. weord to say the least
The surface time calculation is covered in all of the scuba certification courses, openwater and taught again in the nitrox course. there are tables and calculators and apps and computer programs that can help.
This depends. Courses today do not always teach tables (my son was trained purely on a computer). Your computer should tell you what you NDL is if you went back in right now, so you can monitor this during your surface interval). If you get a computer above the cheapest/most basic, they should have a planning mode that will tell you what your NDL will be if your surface interval is a given length. That way you can know how long to stay out as soon as dive 1 is finished.
@@richardkilburn2253 i had no idea that they arent teaching the dive tables any more, thats a little worrying to be honest but hey to each their own. if your son was taught purely on a computer now is the time to get him an "old school" set of dive tables just in case (great impromtu gift). My computer has a planning mode and it will tell me what the surface time is, seeing as how i am not 100% sure of our second dive due to the guests on the boat and the general comfort we may select a second dive that was different then we had expected so tables it is. we dive off a resort boat that has 4-16 divers/students on it including not including staff, so dives are very random as far as location and time down.
@@jr3628 I've already begun instructing him on tables! More knowledge is NEVER bad. My comment about the planning mode was for the benefit of Arron Landrum who initially asked the question. Happy diving.
FFESSM lets you dive to 60m on air and go into deco in recreation. BSAC lets you go down to 50m on air. Get out of the PADI box already. And technical diving is a completely different discipline.
@@aowi7280 yeah, I know, I'm a gas blender - thanks. My point is, where I live you pay €2 ($2.40) for an air refill, for €7 ($8.40) I can fill my stage with 100% O2.
Very interesting point of view, and that's true about clear head while diving with Nitrox, but what about 'Oxygen Toxicity'? NITROX benefit does not come without some cost. I like your videos but the way.
That ending has made me really want a video on trimix
I was offered a big price break on my nitrox course, so I took it basically for the heck of it. By the end of the course, I was sold on nitrox and I will _always_ prefer it. As a 'mature' diver [in my 60's] I know I'm at increased risk of DS, and I'm very mindful of the need to limit my Ni exposure...particularly at the end of my dive holiday when I'm flying home.
What GF do you dive while trying to be so conservative?
James needs a podcast
I did my enriched air course a few months, can't wait to get in the water again. :)
when the trimix video coming james ?
Love Nitrox! I use it on every dive if it’s available - I know there is no specific scientific proof, but I feel so much better on Nitrox. More bottom time, less surface interval and feeling better after the dive makes Nitrox the winner every time!
We are going on a Liveaboard this summer in Egypt - Red Sea, and im SO thrilled that we invested the time and money in EAN40+ certification and training ahead of that. Thanks for another great, easy to understand and share video James. Great channel - great communication and training. Keep it up. PS - diving the ocean in Denmark this weekend, water 2 degrees, icy and air 6 degrees C.
which dive centre are you going with in egypt?
Love the great points. Hope you're going to be back in the water sooner rather than later.
Clear and concise explanation that should help everyone new or old decide which way to go here. Cheers. Hope that lug hole works out good in the end James.
There you go saving lives AND making diving more fun again...
another great video explaining what most find to be a simple choice, but may not always know WHY it should be a simple choice.
James, I new to the channel and diving. First let me say thank you for all of your videos! I am getting my certification next month and will get the Nitrox training as well.
Good Luck Dave! Let us know how it goes
Good explanation of the differences in pro's and con's of EAN vs. regular compressed air. EAN started in use in recreational diving back in the mid/late 90's and at that time there was a lot of confusion around it. Also, finding a qualified shop that could do EAN mixes correctly were hard to find. You also had to have your regulator rig "oxygen cleaned" which typically meant another setup to carry around. And your dive computer had to be capable of handing the EAN mixes and calculate things accordingly.
Today EAN is pretty dominant and common for divers to use. And I'll probably get EAN trained when I can find time/money to get back into diving. I was a PADI instructor during the 90's and enjoyed it a lot. Lived in SoCal and dived every weekend, beach or boat, with proper weather. Now being landlocked for so long I know I've got a lot of retraining to do.
But again James, I enjoy your videos. Keep up the good job.
Thanks for the video James, hope everything is well with the ear problem! We're cheering for ya buddy!
Hows the ear situation??
Few Years ago, I spent 6 weeks in Cozumel. Well diving stopped at week 5 and 107 dives, all on air, never surfacing with less then 1200lbs, hitting the captains time limit. The last dive, nice little 60 footer, nothing bad on profile, but I DCS'd anyway. Dr Piccolo said, USE NITROX you are not 20 anymore. Prior to my trip 95% of my divers where on Nitrox. Lesson learned.
Long term viewer first time comment!
First of, great content, James! So much of my diving has improved from small and large tips from you, and all the recommendations on listening to myself and choosing the stuff that is right for me has helped greatly.
Regarding Trimix, i'm somewhat aware that Helium is a gas with a finite supply, and it is also used by hospitals for treatment. so i am conscious of us using it recreationally. I am keen on doing tech dives in the future but i am also aware of the prices going up.
Hi James. Great segment. I agree with you 100 %. The only time I dive air is in pool sessions. As an older diver I need less narcotics entering my body. Keep up the great info.
Are you able to get back in the water yet James? Hope things are going well with your ear. I just completed the TDI advanced nitrox and had the opportunity to carry a 55% mix, a 50%, and a 47% over the weekend (and again yesterday). Amazing to see the NDL get back to >99 on the shallower depths after closing in on deco at 100 feet. Deco procedures class is next, do a couple more practice dives, and then hit the Spiegel. Safe diving!
Please give us a update on your ear. I'm having the same surgery done next week and I think a number of divers have suffered the same. Thanks
I got Nitrox certified two years ago and I love it.
Looking forward to the Trimix clip. Thank you Jamesy.
My gas of choice is always Nitrox 32% to 100ft depth. I have a yearly fill card and get as many fills as needed. My diveshop here in the PNW is great. After an undeserved hit a year ago on air, I'd rather not dive than dive on air.
I never went looking for nitrox but being certified just by doing any BSAC course meant when I was offered it I could take it. And I've never looked back
Not just narcosis but breathing I did a 130ft dive in Mexico, first time going that deep without mix in at least a year. I was like “People do dives this deepth without mix routinely?!? They are nuts.”
For me if there is an up charge more than a dollar or two, my depth basis is above 40ft air. 40-60ft depends on the amount of diving to be done, 60-100ft nitrox, 100-130ft possibly nitrox but prefer mix particularly if it is a working dive, below that all mix.
I dive nitrox wherever possible (due to extending NDL or having a greater safety margin) but there are a few circumstances where nitrox is not ideal
1. You’re diving between 34 and 40m. Within the recreational limits but a bit beyond the MOD or Nx32. Probably a bit overkill for Trimix (though not bad if available and you can afford it. He is expensive).
2. You’re in a relative hurry for refills. My LDS will do on the spot air but not on the spot nitrox (most of the time). If I want to get out tomorrow, there’s a quicker turnaround on air. Plus there are 4-5 same day airfills near me and only 2 nitrox banked nitrox (and one you may not even get next day if busy).
3. Your local nitrox supply doesn’t have banks and is prefill only. The old school way to mix nitrox was to prefill oxygen and then top with air. Not only is this more expensive, but you need your tank to be oxygen clean. May not be practical depending on circumstances.
Welcome Back ! Hope the ear is better. Cheers.
I like your videos James, really informative and correct to.
I mix my own nitrox at home which is super handy and brings the cost way down
I hope you are doing better even if you can’t get in the water
Whoa tanks are $8 for a fill?! I've been put of the states too long
Great Video. Even if you touched it I hope that the final part does not become misleading. I often hear divers tell that Nitrox is a deep dive gas. Therefore again Id like to point out that the maximum operational depth of a Nitrox mix (no Trimix, tech. setups) should be limited by the O2 partial pressure which should not exceed 1.6bar (better 1.4bar)
Usually nitrox doesn't exceed 32% so that gives you 40m max depth which rec divers shouldn't be exceeding anyway.
@@krasteller I know, but that example is already borderline (pO2 = 1.6Bar).
Anyway, what I wanted to point out is that a good understanding of dive physics and physiology is mandatory not just when using Nitrox. When I did my OWD course those theories weren`t part of it. (frankly spoken I think also the official PADI material did not contain any related information but I do not know by heart).
I had to take a Nitrox course first to learn those elemental things. I´m pretty sure that I´m not alone with this experience. So Nitrox is for everyone but teach it right from the start (maybe as part of OWD training) and teach it right!
Hi James, quickly working my way through your content, loving the channel!
Can of worms question: Nitrox twinset? Yeah or Meh? Is there much point in your opinion?
Cheers bud!
James, what is the max depth on air with deco would you dive before you would look at tri mix?
My clubs equivalent to PADI open water diver are nitrox qualified as standard.
It’s for everyone indeed.
Thanks James great video as always I use Nitrox all the time just easier and keeps you in good habits
Any news on the ear hope its on the mend
In my country nitrox isn't that main stream because there isn't much to see below 15 meters. Nitrox is at least 2x as expensive. Generally you will pay something like €8,- for 12 liter of €14,- for a D12. Luckily my diveshop has 32% in buffers we can get cheaper if you buy in bulk. I even use that on my shallow 5 meter deep training dives. It's just standardization.
I'm nitrox certified and I fully understand all the benefits. However, after the past 10 years, I simply always get EAN32. When should I get EAN36 or higher? How should I make that decision?
Good luck with the surgery!
If you have to choose, when doing two consecutive dives, lets say you are doing a first dive to 22 meters for 40 minutes, then a Surface Interval, then after the secong dive to 12 meters for 60 minutes, and you have a 36% Nitrox cylinder and an air cylinder... Which would you dive first?
Great info. Thanks
Good luck today mate!
Even diving shallow in a reef, the sat-level will build up (though slowly). will not nitrox be a (rather small) benefit for an emergency situation or emergency acent even from short shallow dives like 15-20ft?
So weird watching this video after your “undeserved hit” video from a few months ago. It can happen to anyone at any time for any reason!!!
What about your ear? I can't dive any longer due to an accident that caused inoperable ear damage.
I have less cotton mouth on nitrox compared to diving air. How about you James?
Great video
Dude how’s the ear ?
Waiting for the trimix video
Even though it is mostly true less nitrogen almost always better, if you are deeper than 150m, you may want some nitrogen to reduce high-pressure nervous syndrome.
Well said..
Can you do an episode on how to select wing size for a dive.
That is more a question of what tank(s) you have, and how much lead you need for your exposure protection. For most rec divers a 30-40lb donut wing will work, unless you are entirely tropical when you can go down as low as 18lbs. 40-50lbs is light doubles like LP50s and AL80s. 50-60lbs is HP steel doubles. Above that is for more specialist tasks.
@@Teampegleg agreed. Odd that many single-tank BCDs are rated at around 45lb when all most people will need is 30. I use a 30lb wing for single steel, 45 for twin steels and 25lb for ali sidemount. That works for shortie wetsuit up to drysuit as the buoyancy of the exposure protection is neutralised by my weights. As you say, no-one should need more unless they are going to using additional stages and too big a wing both adds drag and makes gas more difficult to dump.
@Tim Gosling is right on, also my 32lbs is almost identical in the suitcase as my 24lbs. Hence the 24lbs has been retired. I dive LP108's on the 32lbs regularly. Personally I think its the best size wing for Rec.
I kinda disagree with the trimix part. First of all, helium is expensive. To the point, where the cost will affect, whether you use it or not. Second, helium is a finite resource, and wasting it on dives, where air would be totally sufficient is just that - A waste.
There's an entire range of about 35 to 45meters (we did a week of wreck diving on Malta where all the dives were exactly in this range), where you can't really dive nitrox because of PPO2, but diving air is completely viable unless you are extremely prone to getting narked.
I don't get notifications when you upload new video. :(
I always dive Nitrox…
I'll dive whatever the boat is diving, that way everyone pretty much is Guaged pretty much equal. The divers who wanna show off and gossip about this and that, well just keep to yourselves and we won't have any problems.
Should you invest in your own gas analyzer James? Or rely on ones supplied by dive shops? They are expensive indeed!
Because of how expensive they are and the amount of maintenance required, I would recommend relying on your dive shop's. If there is the question of if the shop is maintaining their analyzer, then why are you using a shop that is that questionable to begin with?
@@aralverson Thanks a lot! That all makes perfect sense.
@@laminar0886 I found my own analyzer bought second hand from somone who was getting out of diving I had to buy a new sensor for it but for $50 it was worth the piece of mind also it allows you to get an idea of the reliability of yours vs the dive shop's equipment. there are also plans available to build our own analyzer for less money if you are techincally inclined with parts available over the internet. I also purchased one brand new so I could take it with me and not have to rely on the dive operator's equipment.
I use my cheap analyser when I've had a part used Nitrox fill topped up with O2 safe air ( because nitrox wasn't available at the site) It gives me a figure to punch into my dive computer rather than guessing how much O2 is in the cylinder) I check that mine is OK every time I have a fill by comparing it with the shop's analyser. Its possible to calculate what mix is in the cylinder but much easier to just analyse. At 65 I dive with my computer knowing the O2 %, with the computer set to conservative and with Nitrox as often as possible. I try to minimise every risk I'm able to so that when things don't work out quite as planned, I have a margin.
James, I wanted to pick your brain or any other "experience diver" mind about sucking gas. I can go shallow at ~4-10 meters, and dive for as long as the boat captain is willing and come back with ample room. However, once I go past that 10 meter mark, I notice I just suck gas, if I shoot for 18 meters, I get ~20-30 minutes max before I am forced up for a safety stop at 500-600psi left and come back to surface with 200 or less a few times now. My wife will still have around 1500 or more. But at that shallow 4-10 meters we match. 10 meters seems to be a switch I flip on that says "Start sucking all the gas". Any tips?
First Rule of Diving.... NEVER Compete with a woman in air comp (my daughter kills me). You will loose. :) Ok, things for you to look at... 1.. Weight. More weight generally worse breathing. Sadly 90% of the dive shops teach you overweighted and people never learn proper, or you pay for the peak performance buoyancy class, that should have been taught day one. A buddy of mine was taught he needed 24-30lbs of weight, I got him down to 8lbs and everything improved. 2. Breathing, most people have no clue they are chest breathers. You want to be a stomach deep breather. 3. How often are you diving and how man dives do you have. Ever winter the motorcycle goes into the garage, every spring it comes out. The first couple weeks are always a little more nervous. 4. Buoyancy, how good is yours, how much do you put the finger on that inflator button. 5. Regulator... Do you own your own? Many rental Regualtors suck, literally. A good conditioned regulator enhances the diving by huge margins. This does not mean buy a $1500 reg, my $300 Hogs work like gems, and I sold my Atomics. You can fix 1 and 2 in a pool, pool time is never wasted. When you are heading to the dive site, do breathing exercises focusing on only breathing from the mouth. slowly using the diaphragm. Well, this is a good starting point.
@@shuntao3475 Thanks for the comments, and yes are right I shouldn't compare she def kicks my butt. 1. So weight I did feel overweight last time I went (A week ago), I live in a tropical environment, so we just dive with rash guards and shorts and call it a day as the water temp is always 86 or warmer year-round. I dived with 12lbs, I planned on kicking that down to 10 and seeing going from there my next dive. 2. I will try and keep this in check. 3. I only have 20 dives logged, since being cert. in December 2020. See one, luckily we live in the tropics and right on the water. 4. I did keep that in mind last time I went, I know you can waste a lot of gas playing with the inflator when you don't need it, so I try and leave it alone unless I am going to crash into something and can't breathe enough to stop. 5.. I don't I bought my own BCD first, regulators will be next. I checked out the Hogs, honestly haven't heard of them and all my local dive shops on island only seem to have atomics. Which hog do you own? The reviews on them seem really really solid across the board.
Hey James. Love the content on the channel and hope to study with you someday!
Recently got an unexplained hit of DCI diving 32% nitrox down to max depth of 80ft, resulted in a micro pulmonary embolism. Executed the dive plan with my dive master perfectly, but clearly got unlucky…. honestly nervous to get back in the water…any advise on how to move forward?
#askdiversready
use a more conservative algorithm and go up slower
I never understood people who are choosing NOT to dive nitrox because of increased costs.. met so many of those in Egypt.. guys! You paid for the flights, hotel, actual dives and you don't want to pay extra 4 EUR for nitrox fill???!! Wtf really??? And such people often end up having to cut their dives short due to approaching NDL.. weord to say the least
Recreational deep diver can achieve 40 meters. EAN32 MOD is 34. EAN36 MOD is 29.
Sure. But little bottom time, long interval between dives, and higher risk of nitrogen narcosis. Safer methods to dive to 40m.
James how would a diver know their surface interval time?
The surface time calculation is covered in all of the scuba certification courses, openwater and taught again in the nitrox course. there are tables and calculators and apps and computer programs that can help.
Your computer
This depends. Courses today do not always teach tables (my son was trained purely on a computer). Your computer should tell you what you NDL is if you went back in right now, so you can monitor this during your surface interval). If you get a computer above the cheapest/most basic, they should have a planning mode that will tell you what your NDL will be if your surface interval is a given length. That way you can know how long to stay out as soon as dive 1 is finished.
@@richardkilburn2253 i had no idea that they arent teaching the dive tables any more, thats a little worrying to be honest but hey to each their own. if your son was taught purely on a computer now is the time to get him an "old school" set of dive tables just in case (great impromtu gift). My computer has a planning mode and it will tell me what the surface time is, seeing as how i am not 100% sure of our second dive due to the guests on the boat and the general comfort we may select a second dive that was different then we had expected so tables it is.
we dive off a resort boat that has 4-16 divers/students on it including not including staff, so dives are very random as far as location and time down.
@@jr3628 I've already begun instructing him on tables! More knowledge is NEVER bad. My comment about the planning mode was for the benefit of Arron Landrum who initially asked the question. Happy diving.
20-30 meter range with people who don't suck down gas? Nitrox!
Otherwise, I'm not spending the extra money.
FFESSM lets you dive to 60m on air and go into deco in recreation. BSAC lets you go down to 50m on air. Get out of the PADI box already. And technical diving is a completely different discipline.
So what's the max depth on air for a 1.4 po2?
@@krasteller 1.4 is also from PADI, in FFESSM 1.6 is considered safe, in BSAC I think it's 1.5
I hope that your ear surgery went well
Yes James, how did the surgery go. No more bubbles.
$8 for air... Wow, that's mega expensive.
Its not the air that's expensive. Its the compressor, filters, maintenance, wages for the operator, insurance, rent, etc.
@@aowi7280 yeah, I know, I'm a gas blender - thanks. My point is, where I live you pay €2 ($2.40) for an air refill, for €7 ($8.40) I can fill my stage with 100% O2.
@@leerigby5735 Where's that? $8-$10 is standard in the US. $15 for Nitrox.
@@aowi7280 I know, like I said, expensive :)
I live in Gozo (Malta), a small island in the Mediterranean. Great for diving.
😂 If you continue to alienate asthmatic orangutans your channel will never grow 🤣
Very interesting point of view, and that's true about clear head while diving with Nitrox,
but what about 'Oxygen Toxicity'?
NITROX benefit does not come without some cost. I like your videos but the way.
I think you should have given some depths for when oxygen poisoning will set in🫡