Nitrox instruction

[tursiops]

When I teach open water students they are usually getting enough information with just the open water class. I do not think if we taught the nitrox class with the open water class the student would get the full knowledge of the risks involved with nitrox use. Keeping the class separate is not just to add to the cost but if you give someone more information at one time then some of that will not get retained.

+1
Exactly.

[skip]

What do you learn by doing two nitrox dives that you can't learn in a classroom?

For many people, especially bright young college-educated people, not much! But for the rest, the whole process of renting tanks, filling out the shop's forms, and conducting an in-field oxygen analysis, is worth the time. Admittedly, the dives themselves are instructive only in that they drive home the in-class lessons on tables and computers in terms of extending the dive times; for older divers who dive it as air, they get a chance to see how diving nitrox provides a safety margin (air versus nitrox tables). There is no substitute for the experience, for going through it all as instructed in class, but in person in real dive time. The added benefit is their realization of how much better they feel after two repetitive nitrox dives compared to how they feel after the air dives. With beginning students, who don't have prior experience, I arrange the first two training dives on air, then the next two on nitrox. Agreed, many people, especially the young educated, could easily do an online class, and go out and do the dives on their own. I'm just saying that way is not the way for many, perhaps the majority; they need to take it slow, see it for themselves, have a confident knowledgeable and interesting person to teach and to discuss.

Before being split off, this was in a thread concerned with lack of skills, apparent sloppy training, etc. It begins with OW. I'm not out to make money - I often half-joke that if I gave potential students 50 bucks and sent them away, I'd come out ahead! But I do wonder that as we claim OW and Nitrox are so easy a caveman can do them - with online instruction and no required dives - are we not setting up the beginner to view diving, even cave and technical diving, as just more instruction and little more? I'm concerned about the attitude we may be conveying as we loosen up on basic learning.


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[graepaep]

The dives required for nitrox class (by some agencies) are not only for the hands on but helps drive home depth awareness. Most OW students don't plan a dive (especially with computers). They just jump in, go to the bottom and come up with the computer tells them or they run low on air. With nitrox they have to be aware of depth because of PO2 limits. And yes, before anyone pounces, OW should be aware of depth but it just rarely happens.

Now as far as rolling nitrox into OW, I would have to say that's not always the best solution. Some students can handle that but not all. For some people OW class is a lot of information coming at them already that they need to digest. Also for the number of people that complete OW only a small percentage continue diving consistently and even fewer dive in the range that nitrox benefits the best.

Just my 2 pennies (which must be devalued due to inflation)

[SuPrBuGmAn]

When I teach open water students they are usually getting enough information with just the open water class. I do not think if we taught the nitrox class with the open water class the student would get the full knowledge of the risks involved with nitrox use. Keeping the class separate is not just to add to the cost but if you give someone more information at one time then some of that will not get retained.

If we are passing students who can't grasp nitrox, benefits and dangers, then instructors are being a disservice to the students. They need to know and worry about gasses other than air from day one, be cause they simply may be breathing it without knowing, or without knowing how to check.

The industry needs to quit dumbing down instruction for the lowest common denominator, and this goes across the board from ow through tech/cave classes.

[skip]

If we are passing students who can't grasp nitrox, benefits and dangers, then instructors are being a disservice to the students. They need to know and worry about gasses other than air from day one, be cause they simply may be breathing it without knowing, or without knowing how to check.

The industry needs to quit dumbing down instruction for the lowest common denominator, and this goes across the board from ow through tech/cave classes.

Good point. I teach as NAUI tells me to (plus a bit more), but I think I'm now going to include more on gas composition and the importance of knowing what's in the tank you are about to breath. I haven't taught OW since adding the need to analyze for CO, but I think now I'll just expand that to include O2 percentages commonly used in recreationally diving (although NAUI does have a section on all the classes one can take after OW - it comes at the end rather than specific to gas laws and breathing mixes).

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[graepaep]

If we are passing students who can't grasp nitrox, benefits and dangers, then instructors are being a disservice to the students. They need to know and worry about gasses other than air from day one, be cause they simply may be breathing it without knowing, or without knowing how to check.

The industry needs to quit dumbing down instruction for the lowest common denominator, and this goes across the board from ow through tech/cave classes.

OW classes already (or should) make divers aware that there are other gasses out there and they should only breathe air until they get further training. Though I agree that 'industry needs to quit dumbing down instruction', I don't feel not teaching nitrox is part of the dumbing down.

[w ripley]

Great thread. I remember when Nitrox was considered to be a "voodoo" gas, and many shops wouldn't pump it and some dive boats wouldn't let you dive with it.

Now a discussion about teaching it with OW. Just goes to show you how things change over time. Who knows, maybe one day the powers-to-be will recognize that it is OK to solo in state parks? Hope I live that long!

[Foxmeyer]

If we are passing students who can't grasp nitrox, benefits and dangers, then instructors are being a disservice to the students. They need to know and worry about gasses other than air from day one, be cause they simply may be breathing it without knowing, or without knowing how to check.

The industry needs to quit dumbing down instruction for the lowest common denominator, and this goes across the board from ow through tech/cave classes.

I consider dumbing down instruction as putting to much in a class that all concepts are not covered to fully benefit the student's education. We do teach about the different gasses in the open water class to the point that you do not use it with out the proper training. But I feel if you put too much information in an open water class and the student feels that this is something they will not use for a long time the proper attention will not be given the subject matter.

[jj1987]

I consider dumbing down instruction as putting to much in a class that all concepts are not covered to fully benefit the student's education. We do teach about the different gasses in the open water class to the point that you do not use it with out the proper training. But I feel if you put too much information in an open water class and the student feels that this is something they will not use for a long time the proper attention will not be given the subject matter.

What happens if a vacationing tech diver fills a rental tank of 10/70 or 50% for a stage/deco, then gets blown out and returns the rental tank full? Heck with CCR now a days, I bet it's not uncommon to return full tanks.

I think every diver should know how to verify they're breathing safe gas.

[JerseyJersey]

Unfortunayely most wont check for helium... Know i dont cause i dint have an anylizer for that.