Posted by CalAbDiver on August 09, 2001 at 13:04:27:
I was just breezing through the archives and I came across a really neat technical argument back in Feb 2001 between seahunt-Mike and MHK-Mike and Ken Kurtis about nitrox diving.
I am of the still-developing opinion that Nitrox is a better gas to scuba dive with to recreational depths not in excess of 130 fsw because there is less N2 in it, and the additional O2 in it gets metabolized naturally in our tissues, and offgassing of N2 happens quicker on it, so slow ascents and safety stops are more efficient with Nitrox, and bottom times can be extended with it compared with air.
Most of the PADI stores that I know of carry Nitrox. Since I D/M for a PADI store, I have had all my tanks O2 cleaned for Nitrox, and lately that has been the only gas I have been diving with. Most of the instructors I work with dive exclusively with Nitrox too.
GUE seems to have gone even further and has stated a preference for EAN32 specifically over the other Nitrox mixes like 36.
Even a lot of dive boats carry EAN32 these days.
Has this issue been resolved? Has EAN32 crowded out the other gas mixes such as air(21%O2) and EAN36 for scuba diving to recreational depths under 130 fsw?