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> The fact is, Rich, that unless you have a good reason to dive nitrox, there
is 
> absolutely no justification for taking this kind of physical abuse. There is
no 
> reason to subject new divers to this kind of risk. They will not be even
capable 
> of staying down long enough to get into deco with air.

George,

Disengage the mouth for a second so you can put the brain in gear.  We
both agree nitrox is a classroom course, right?  Think about it.  What
does one need to understand over and above basic scuba to be able to dive
with nitrox?  Partial pressures, and physiology.  Now, tell me, which of
these should not be taught to entry-level divers?  Ask typical
recreational divers what "partial pressure" is, and they'll tell you it's
when the dive shop doesn't fill your tank all the way.  Are you following 
me here?  Which gear is the brain in?  You of all people should be 
agreeing with me.  The answer is so obvious it's almost painful. The 
bottom line:

Anyone who is truly qualified to scuba-dive is also qualified to dive 
nitrox.  The problem is, there are so many certified divers out there who 
are not qualified to scuba-dive because they do not fully understand 
partial pressures and physiology.  At least with nitrox incorporated into 
entry-level courses, they'll get a better understanding of these things. 
Anyone who cannot intelligently decide what ratio of oxygen to nitrogen 
to breathe for a particular dive, is probably not qualified to dive in 
the first place.  Do you get it, or do I have to explain some more?

> Anyone who is  actually in decent physical 
> conditon would dread using this crap , as it takes days to get back to where
you 
> were beforehand due to the lung damage caused by this stuff.

What kind of blatent buffoonery is this?  Come on, G-man!  These are 
*recreational* divers we're talking about here.  They're not doing 7-hour 
exposures.  Get a grip! I know you're an O2-weenie and I'm an N2-weenie, 
so I can see where we differ here.  But get real for a second - what is 
the ratio of DCS problems to O2 toxicity problems among recreational 
divers?  Advocating air for these sorts of profiles is pure stupidity.


Rich

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