Karl your answer as 'why nitrox makes you feel better'


Outer Bamnks diving on the Great Escape Southern California Live-Aboard Dive Boat

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Posted by Maddiver on November 20, 2001 at 10:17:45:

In Reply to: nice dive report ... cant beat game reserve diving! posted by Karl S. on November 20, 2001 at 09:11:46:

Actually Karl you answered it pretty much on your own with your statement

"NitrOx is clearly more safe than air with respect to N2 diffusion and DCS risk. Since the O2 can be metabolized within the body muscles, it has that additional means of being removed from the blood. N2 does not have that quality, and must be off-gassed slowly and carefully."

On every dive n2 is dissolved into tissues and they reach differing levels of saturation. with nitrox you decrease both the level of saturation of n2 and increase the positive effects of increased oxygen. Everyone talks about subclinical DCS and after every dive, yep even to 40 feet, you have bubbles in solution and some that possibly come out. Small bubbles cause minor damage to cells that is *easily* (term used loosely) repairable. But you pay a price for this in being 'tired'. When bubles are too big well that's when we see major problems and start to see clinical signs and symptoms of DCS. The two-fold benefit is the increased fuel (oxygen) for the cellular reconstruction and the increase by the o2 in the metobolized portion of gas in the breathing mix or the decrease in N2.

So in essence if you continue to dive nitrox to air tables you will feel better than if you did that dive on air, but if you push nitrox you can start to see the same signs and symptoms as DCS principles hold true for air and nitrox in many respects equally. Continue to slow ascents and this will help the with the 'I'm tired' problems whether on air or nitrox.


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