Posted by SLANG on August 09, 2001 at 15:41:23:
In Reply to: Re: what about price, Mike? posted by MHK on August 09, 2001 at 14:56:54:
>>"Which is how much is my life worth???"
My response would be, I don't believe YOUR "life" would be in jeopardy if YOU did all of YOUR dives <100fsw on regular air. Can EANx be a better, or safer, gas? Yes, but I'm not going to die if I don't use it.
Then you talk about how it is a good way to extend your bottom times. If you are using EANx to extend your bottom times, aren't you decreasing the safety benefits of the gas? Are you going to tell me diving EANx on EANx tables is still safer solely because of reduced ENDs? Because if you are, I'd have to say, considering the minimal narcotic effects to a max depth of 100-120fsw, combined with the restrictions of MODs, it does not seem to justify paying twice as much for gas -- from purely a safety point of view.
IMHO, EANx can extend your bottom time, OR it can give you a greater margin of safety re NDLs, but when you start "fudging" on both calculations, it becomes guesswork.
Don't misunderstand me, I dive EANx whenever it is available and appropriate. Good luck.
SLANG