Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
Been thinking more and more about nitrox. My opinions kind of changed as I was writing the post I put up yesterday. I was initially going to say that rec nitrox wouldn't happen, but as I thought about the problems, I realized that it was not only going to happen, but that it was happening, and that to some extent, we're driving it by looking for more stores with nitrox fills, classes, and equipment. Had some time last night to catch up on my reading while I was doing laundry. Read a back issue of Technical Diver (3.1) I had bought from AquaCorps. It's a companion to AQ they used to publish. Anyway, this issue is basically the summary of a meeting on nitrox, discussing industry standards to position nitrox for the masses. The bulk of it is very similar to discussions we've had here, but with the underlying theme that nitrox WILL be brought to the masses successfully after significant work. Advanced education and certification is discussed, often with a discussion of cave diving, and how it became safer after the cave divers began to regulate themselves. point number one: I'm not sure we're regulating ourselves, or are going to get caught up in what gets set up to bring nitrox to the masses. IMHO, I think we do need something, I hope that the system recognizes the considerable experience some of us have amassed, and I hope we have a big say in it, since we will be the majority users of that part of the system. Back to Technical Diver. Here's a paragraph: "Clearly there is a lack of understanding among the recreational community of what diving with enriched air entails. Many clearly group it with "technical" diving, unaware that the depth limit of useful enriched air diving (with 32% oxygen, NN1) is the same as that of recreational diving: 130 fsw. Others perceive that a great deal of specialized training is needed. This is not the case. If the problems of mixing and handling can be dealt with separately and the appropriate depth limit is clearly established, the enriched air diver needs to know only two things: (1) Breath in, and (2) Breathe out. This somewhat tongue-in-cheek comment cought on and served as an example of the relatively little amount of in-water training needed, but the importance of understanding partial pressures, oxygen limits, and handling oxygen-enriched mixtures were not forgotten. One point about the necessary training for enriched air is that this transition is far, far easier than the initial one from being a surface air breather to breathing under water as a scuba diver. Any additional risk that may be imposed on a diver by enriched air becomes a trivial part of the total risk package." point number two: there's rec nitrox for you, and the first level of nitrox certification: use of premixed EAN32. We've been talking about nitrox for a few weeks now. We might break this down into 2 topics: 1. Our input to the people trying to set up the rec community. It's no good for us to just say "You can't teach technical diving to the masses," because we and they mean different things by that. They are going to teach EAN32, at least, to the masses. We can't stop them. I'm not sure we want to. Given that, how much further should the masses go? what does the rest of the curriculum look like? 2. Our input to the people trying regulate technical diving, which hopefully includes ourselves as regualtors. As I said yesterday, it's easy and obvious to see the difference between hiking and technical rock climbing. Part of the reason (IMHO) cavers were successful in regulating themselves is that it is also easy to see that entering a cave is crossing a line and that training is required to cross that line. There is no clear line drawn at 130 fsw. Rec divers, then, don't see a clear need for more training before crossing that line. Hell, I didn't, but then I can't be trusted with money, either. I just spend it on dive gear. One bit of discussion in that Technical Diver was on use of a new fitting for EAN fills. So I guess the way you regulate techdivers, the way you make a line to cross, is by using a new fitting. I guess it makes sense. I hope that our existing DIN fittings would be considered; I don't think there in really wide use yet. The TD did recognize that some of us making our own mixes know what we're doing. The people present were, after all, our kind of people. Finally, to echo a concern I've seen here many times, I hope the new system recognizes our existing talents, and I hope our existing talents are good enough to keep us alive. All technical schools have layers of training and we've seen IANTD's levels; just a matter now of hoping that one of us doesn't walk into a shop and find we need to spend time and money on courses to get a fill we could buy the week before. On the other hand, just giving us all a grandfather clause and a c-card for any air mix and any depth doesn't really change the status quo, and many feel that the status quo isn't good enough. I know mine isn't. | Roger Carlson w 310-812-0430 | roger@ch*.sp*.tr*.co* f 310-812-1363 | h 310-frogger
Navigate by Author:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Subject Search Index]
[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]
[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]