Intro
ascention
can be a great venue for the exchange of all types of info. I see there
are a wide diversity of cert. levels here and would love to see
everyone helping each other out with Q&A. I am an (inactive)
Instructor. I did it just to challenge my-self, and was never that
interested in actually teaching. Although I find my-self enjoying
giving tips and tricks to already certified divers to help them advance
and enjoy diving more. With that said, i'll offer my first bit of
advice: If you are not certified Nitrox....GET IT QUICK.. I believe
this is the single most important cert. to have for any open water
diver. Air is bad for you (at depth) After you try it you'll get my
meaning. As for percentage I believe all you need is 32% all around
best mix down to 110 feet (my opinion). Of course if you want to
experience new things and dive beyond that depth, then I dive heliox.
But most dive shops really over charge for that cert. and I believe you
should be at least Master level with 200 dives before you venture into
trying heliox and hitting 200 ft. I know they will take your money and
stick a stacked tank on your back alot sooner, but I have seen alot of
good divers freak at 150.
Jake
curious about the comment you made about "divers freak at 150 ft."?
Scuba Diving
Diving below Recreational diving limits can be fatal to the untrained
diver. Get into a Dive Group/Dive Shop that regularly plans this type
of diving. A majority of all diving fatalities are after 80ft. It
takes training, equipment and your health to do this type of diving.
This comment "Air is bad for you (at depth)" is misleading. Anything
can be bad if it is in excess. Standard Air is 20% Oxygen and 80%
Nitrogen with traces of other gasses. Nitrox will become lethal at
deeper depths and heliox needs planning for a safe return trip to the
surface. Nitrox is an increase in oxygen percentage. Diving on 100%
oxygen deeper than 18 feet will probably kill you in a short dive.
Moral of this thread:
When looking for information, the Internet is great! When looking to
learn about SCUBA go to a Dive Store and learn from an active
Instructor that can be held accountable and liable for their comments.
The Dive Store and their Instructors should be the source of your SCUBA
education not the Information super highway! Dive above your training
depth limits.
Christian Stclaire
First of all with no offense intended, Air is 20.9 O2 and 79.1 %
Nitrogen and the trace gases in parts per million are all within the
nitrogen side since when you measure air you can with simple means
only measure the O2 so the rest is supposed to be Nitrogen in greater
parts and the trace gases combined within that percentage the great
trace being CO2 depending on locations ( air measured next to a
brewery for example)
Now I am a proponent of Nitrox, being an older diver I know that
Nitrox used within the context and profile of the Navy research Nedu
(Navy Experimental Diving Unit in Florida) is putting me in a safe
zone.
I have witnessed the bends on one of two divers that had the same
diving profiles and never left each others side and yet one of them
got hit (we are not all created equal obviously)
Now Oxygen is not lethal but it can induce a convulsion at certain
partial pressure
and what can kill you is the result of the convulsion which could be
banging your head on the reef or losing your regulator, and anything
in between, it is not a direct action of the oxygen upon your System
such as CO or CO2.
All I know per personal observations of myself and others around some
who took nitrox and some did not,
"you feel alert during and after the dive" the decompression/interval
are reduced or if taken as if air was consumed than increases your
safety for subsequent dives.
And yes, you will attend all those evening parties with no excuse of
being tired after 4 dives on that day,
I am opening the channel for discussion and if you guys like I could
invite Dr De Noble from Divers Alert Network of Duke University Durham
North Carolina to participate and give us an official explanation of
the mechanics at works concerning Hyper Oxyc Atmosphere and the human
System.
By the way I am an extremist and have drank Oxygen water that I make
for the last 7 years.
Christian StClaire former Owner/Founder of Nitrox Technologies Inc.
Petaluma CA USA
Owner of StClaire Diving Products
Owner of StClaire USA LLC CA
Owner of RDM (Research Development Manufacture)
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Please Acknowledge Receipt of this Email.
Best Regards, Christian StClaire 707 235-3095
Please Acknowledge Receipt of this Email.
Best Regards, Christian StClaire 707 235-3095