Looking for info...

Hello,
I have never scuba dived and am researching courses at the moment. I
will be learning somewhere in the south of Spain (so any
recommendations/advice appreciated!) and am not sure if I need to do a
course that includes Nitrox or not. How necessary is this? Also, I am
looking at the PADI Open Water National Geographic - can anyone tell me
how useful the National Geographic component of these courses is?
I have been researching online and corresponding with some dive
schools, but it's always nice to get impartial views too!
Thanks.

If you have the time to do Nitrox it will be helpful. Contrary to the normal
selling pitch that Nitrox can give you extra bottom time, it rarely works
out like that, because most dive boat operators ask you to limit your bottom
time to 30 or 40 minutes depending on the circumstances. In any case you
will probably run short on air before you run out of time on most
recreational dives.

However, in my book Nitrox is a major safety factor and will add a safety
margin for you, especially when you do multiple dives per day for a couple
of days in a row. Nitrox makes a big difference to your nitrogen uptake and
the result is that you are safer with Nitrox. So if you can, take the
course.


"skychick" <lamorna@freefalladdicts.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1139945383.126327.114200@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> Hello,
> I have never scuba dived and am researching courses at the moment. I
> will be learning somewhere in the south of Spain (so any
> recommendations/advice appreciated!) and am not sure if I need to do a
> course that includes Nitrox or not. How necessary is this? Also, I am
> looking at the PADI Open Water National Geographic - can anyone tell me
> how useful the National Geographic component of these courses is?
> I have been researching online and corresponding with some dive
> schools, but it's always nice to get impartial views too!
> Thanks.
>

TD van Niekerk wrote:

> If you have the time to do Nitrox it will be helpful. Contrary to the normal
> selling pitch that Nitrox can give you extra bottom time, it rarely works
> out like that, because most dive boat operators ask you to limit your bottom
> time to 30 or 40 minutes depending on the circumstances. In any case you
> will probably run short on air before you run out of time on most
> recreational dives.

Take this advice with a grain of salt. It may be true where TD dives,
but it's not true everywhere. Further, it does not address the fact
that you may want to do more than one or two dives in a day. The more
dives you do, the shorter your no deco time is and the more nitrox is
likely to help.

> However, in my book Nitrox is a major safety factor and will add a safety
> margin for you, especially when you do multiple dives per day for a couple
> of days in a row. Nitrox makes a big difference to your nitrogen uptake and
> the result is that you are safer with Nitrox. So if you can, take the
> course.

Take this advice with several grains of salt. The facts are not as the
comments suggest. You're either safe or you are not. How safe you are
is a function of depth and time. It's no more dangerous to dive beyond
your no decompression time on air than it is on nitrox. Many feel that
the closer you are to your no decompression limit, the more risk you
have. I'm in this group, but I have to add, that the difference in
risk is quite small until you get close to, or over, your no
decompression time and depth. Some believe that, as long as you are
not over your no decompression time and depth, you are eqally safe no
matter what you are breathing. I understand their logic, but don't
agree with them.

Lee


>
>
> "skychick" <lamorna@freefalladdicts.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:1139945383.126327.114200@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > Hello,
> > I have never scuba dived and am researching courses at the moment. I
> > will be learning somewhere in the south of Spain (so any
> > recommendations/advice appreciated!) and am not sure if I need to do a
> > course that includes Nitrox or not. How necessary is this? Also, I am
> > looking at the PADI Open Water National Geographic - can anyone tell me
> > how useful the National Geographic component of these courses is?
> > I have been researching online and corresponding with some dive
> > schools, but it's always nice to get impartial views too!
> > Thanks.
> >

"Lee Bell" <leebell@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:1139956299.392538.221480@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

> Some believe that, as long as you are
> not over your no decompression time and depth, you are eqally safe no
> matter what you are breathing. I understand their logic, but don't
> agree with them.

That's because their "logic" is based on statistics which doesn't help the
individual very much. On the other hand, the logic of less nitrogen = less
risk of nitrogen-related disorders is entirely palpable.

skychick wrote:
> Hello,
> I have never scuba dived and am researching courses at the moment. I
> will be learning somewhere in the south of Spain (so any
> recommendations/advice appreciated!) and am not sure if I need to do a
> course that includes Nitrox or not. How necessary is this? Also, I am
> looking at the PADI Open Water National Geographic - can anyone tell me
> how useful the National Geographic component of these courses is?
> I have been researching online and corresponding with some dive
> schools, but it's always nice to get impartial views too!
> Thanks.
>

I would suggest that you first take your OW course, start diving and
gain experience. Then you can decide for yourself if nitrox is the thing
for you.

For your first dives you anyway don't need nitrox...

--
Michael Wolf

-----

Cthulhu For President.
Why settle for the lesser evil?

remove stopspam to reply

In article <1139945383.126327.114200@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
lamorna@freefalladdicts.co.uk (skychick) wrote:

> *From:* "skychick" <lamorna@freefalladdicts.co.uk>
> *Date:* 14 Feb 2006 11:29:43 -0800
>
> Hello,
> I have never scuba dived and am researching courses at the moment. I
> will be learning somewhere in the south of Spain (so any
> recommendations/advice appreciated!) and am not sure if I need to do a
> course that includes Nitrox or not. How necessary is this? Also, I am
> looking at the PADI Open Water National Geographic - can anyone tell me
> how useful the National Geographic component of these courses is?
> I have been researching online and corresponding with some dive
> schools, but it's always nice to get impartial views too!
> Thanks.
>

I presume you will be learning around the Marbella / Feungirolla area,
there is not a lot to see down there. as opposed to further up the coast
and around the Medas Islands.
Do not worry about Nitrox at the moment it will be just a hindrance to you
getting your open water and advanced certification, it would be ok to do
once you have learned the basics of scuba diving, at the moment you need
to concentrate on learning the required skills which are not rocket
science. Once you have your cert you should spend as much time in the
water as you can. Just a little advice..........when you start your open
water, get your bouancy right.....it is the singlemost important thing to
get right, you should be able to pump air into your jacket (BCD) at any
depth and not sink, you need to be bouant without having to kick or use
your fins, once you have mastered your bouancy everything else will fall
into place, it gives you time to compose yourself and not have to worry
about "sinking".......as for the National Geographic, i tend to be a bit
cynical about this sort of thing.
Oh.....and dont be rushed into anything when your training.....do things
in your time......stress and peer pressure are the real killers.....if it
dont feel right.....dont do it.

www.seatreker.com
Dave Morgan @ Work in the UK