Is Nitrox Oversold?

[bversteegh]

Nitrox is great for increasing NDL at moderate depth (80 -100 feet); no argument. But I see people using NITROX for all dives, including shallow dives - when I asked why, they say they feel better after the dive.

I believe that is just a case of marketing - I haven't noticed much difference in "fatigue" with/without Nitrox; and I do a lot of liveaboards with 4/5 dives per day. I only use Nitrox if I plan to spend significant time below 60 feet, or already have a heavy nitrogen load from previous dives.

What are everyone else's experience/thoughts?

[chinacat46]

I tend to agree with you. However when doing 4 or more dives a day I like to use it regardless of the depth. Shorter surface intervals, level of safety, longer NDL, etc... I think the fatigue factor is really all mental.

[Zenagirl]

I'm like you guys.....no difference as far as fatigue goes, but I know people who swear it has those benefits. Doesn't bother me if they want to believe it, I just wish instructors wouldn't make that a huge selling point since there's no proof one way or the other.

We like to dive nitrox when doing a lot of repetitive diving for the nitrogen loading benefits. We typically plan our dives somewhere between the air and nitrox tables to get a little more NDL but also to have less nitrogen loading. Trying to get the best of both.

[Capt Hook]

All my tanks are O2 cleaned and used for Nitrox, sometimes I'm diving air but you wouldn't know it by just looking.

[Desert_Diver]

Originally Posted by bversteegh

Nitrox is great for increasing NDL at moderate depth (80 -100 feet); no argument. But I see people using NITROX for all dives, including shallow dives - when I asked why, they say they feel better after the dive.

I believe that is just a case of marketing - I haven't noticed much difference in "fatigue" with/without Nitrox; and I do a lot of liveaboards with 4/5 dives per day. I only use Nitrox if I plan to spend significant time below 60 feet, or already have a heavy nitrogen load from previous dives.

What are everyone else's experience/thoughts?

I use it, especially on liveaboards.

I did the Cayman Island Nekton trip. I ended up with a female "instabuddy" who dove air. We did 4-5 dives a day. On the last day, Friday, she came up bent. According to her computer is was an "undeserved" hit, but a hit none the less. Before I flew out, she had already taken two rides on the Grand Cayman hyperbaric chamber and was being evaluated for another. She was from the mid-west, so I never heard the final outcome. We dove almost the same number of dives with almost identical profiles.

I am old, over weight, and a prime candidate for DCS. The only difference between our dives was air and nitrox. This isn't a definitive statement, but it reinforces my belief that nitrox is a good thing.

Art

[Miked]

Maybe the "less fatigue" argument is up for debate, but I use Nitrox for the lower Nitrogen loading.

[bversteegh]

Originally Posted by Desert_Diver

I use it, especially on liveaboards.

I did the Cayman Island Nekton trip. I ended up with a female "instabuddy" who dove air. We did 4-5 dives a day. On the last day, Friday, she came up bent. According to her computer is was an "undeserved" hit, but a hit none the less. Before I flew out, she had already taken two rides on the Grand Cayman hyperbaric chamber and was being evaluated for another. She was from the mid-west, so I never heard the final outcome. We dove almost the same number of dives with almost identical profiles.

I am old, over weight, and a prime candidate for DCS. The only difference between our dives was air and nitrox. This isn't a definitive statement, but it reinforces my belief that nitrox is a good thing.

Art

This is the kind of discussion I wanted to generate. I refuse to consider myself old yet But 50 is approaching pretty darn fast, and I also carry about 30 pounds I don't need. On liveaboards where I do a lot of diving, I try pretty hard to find a nice shallow reef to finish the dive in 10-20 feet of water - essentially do an extended safety stop. I really enjoy diving in Indonesia - so I do NOT want to have any kind of medical emergency that far from home.

[TAH 73]

In the August issue of Dive Training there is an article about the "baby boomer" generation in regards to health issues and diving, and has a couple of great insights as to how to adapt.
For those who are in great shape, Nitrox may not assist in fatigue benefits etc, but those who are older, not in the perfect shape, or do not dive as much the benefits are there. On the last trip I was on an older guy in his late 50s was doing his nitrox course, and over 4 dives felt a huge difference with the amount of energy he had post dive.

[Iceman]

Nope, I don't think EAN is oversold for two reasons:

First, the extra oxygen in the breathing mix has metabolic benefits for everyone. How much benefit I suppose varies with the person. At the basic science level we understand a lot of the principals that affect our diving, but don't fully understand how they specifically affect each individual.

Second, when I have an intense dive week I am able to have a clearer head and feel less fatigue at the end of the week using EAN than not. A couple weeks ago I did a trip with 14 dives in 5 days. Not real intense, but significant. It is the same schedule I've done before, in the same location. This time it was on air. Preivious times it was on 32%EAN.

I had my very first experience in being narced on the next to last day of the trip. It wasn't fun. I also was tired enough on the last day I was having some difficulty managing my twins. Usually, I have no problem.

So, from a basic science and from my anecdotal experience I am a believer in EAN and recommend it to anyone who does intense diving. For that once a month two dive person the benefits aren't quite as clear cut.

[ccarter]

Originally Posted by Iceman

Nope, I don't think EAN is oversold for two reasons:

First, the extra oxygen in the breathing mix has metabolic benefits for everyone. How much benefit I suppose varies with the person. At the basic science level we understand a lot of the principals that affect our diving, but don't fully understand how they specifically affect each individual.

Second, when I have an intense dive week I am able to have a clearer head and feel less fatigue at the end of the week using EAN than not. A couple weeks ago I did a trip with 14 dives in 5 days. Not real intense, but significant. It is the same schedule I've done before, in the same location. This time it was on air. Preivious times it was on 32%EAN.

I had my very first experience in being narced on the next to last day of the trip. It wasn't fun. I also was tired enough on the last day I was having some difficulty managing my twins. Usually, I have no problem.

So, from a basic science and from my anecdotal experience I am a believer in EAN and recommend it to anyone who does intense diving. For that once a month two dive person the benefits aren't quite as clear cut.

Ya I agree.. Nitrox is GREAT for week long trips where you're doing multiple dives per day.