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I am prompted by the current discussion about course proliferation to ask what use is nitrox other than as a decompression gas? Here in South Australia we are isolated fom the fads in the U.S.A., additionally, ANDI and IANTD are only starting in Australia and the closest training facility is 1600km (1000 miles) away. However, most cave diving in Australia occurs in South Australia and there is a small group of us who use trimix in some of our cave dives. Having designed the decompression protocols for these dives, I fully undestand the benefits of low inert gas partial pressure/inert gas switching for decompression, I also understand the theory for using a lower inert gas percentage as a bottom mix - so please don't reply with a primer on decompression theory. My impression, possibly incorrect, is that nitrox, with a higher PO2 than air, is being used as a bottom mix to either reduce decompression obligation or increase the decompression safety margin. If this is so, is the minor reduction in tissue inert gas loading by using nitrox in this way worth the risk of inadvertantly diving on a potentially oxygen toxic mixture, by for instance, accidentally using the wrong cylinder (even though they are meant to be colour coded and labelled).
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