Should I do my Advanced Nitrox?

[John Dalton]

Hello people

Do you think I should do the BSAC Advanced Nitrox course?

I am a Sports Diver and have done around 250 dives, mostly in the UK. I attended the
BSAC nitrox course a couple of years ago, but the majority of my diving is on nitrox 21.
We can mix in the club boatshed - we have access to a BOC account and have a clean
compressor - this was originally set up to accomodate trimix divers, however there is
less trimix diving going on in the club at the moment as people have moved away.

The reason for doing Advanced is mainly to learn more about the subject. As a side effect
it legitamises the use of mixes other than 32% and 36%, but that restriction does not seem
to be enforced anywhere (certainly not in our boatshed). I don't expect to be using
mixes richer than 40% or doing accelerated deco in the near future, but it would be nice
to know how. Likewise I'm not sure how I would rig a stage cylinder on my stab jacket (not enough D rings) - is
this sort of thing covered in the course?

How good do you have to be to pass the open water assessment? I can hold 6m and 3m stops
(and have done so once for 10 minutes after my computer went mad), but my stops are
distinctly less perfect than some of the more advanced divers I have been diving with
recently - they can lie dead in the water at 6m - I tend to be up and down by +/- 0.5m.

There are other agencies - TDI and IANDI come to mind and much has been written here
about 80% vs 100% and 1.4 Bar vs 1.6 Bar. From what I have read, I have doubts about the
use of 100% and 1.6 Bar in the sort of conditions we encounter around the UK so juggling
gas mixes and partial pressures does not really offer any advantage to me. I have
attended other SDCs in a couple of regions and have found them useful and learned a lot,
but have no experience of the other agencies.

What do you think?

John

[DeepDigit]

Hello people

Do you think I should do the BSAC Advanced Nitrox course?

I am a Sports Diver and have done around 250 dives, mostly in the UK. I attended the
BSAC nitrox course a couple of years ago, but the majority of my diving is on nitrox 21.
We can mix in the club boatshed - we have access to a BOC account and have a clean
compressor - this was originally set up to accomodate trimix divers, however there is
less trimix diving going on in the club at the moment as people have moved away.

The reason for doing Advanced is mainly to learn more about the subject. As a side effect
it legitamises the use of mixes other than 32% and 36%, but that restriction does not seem
to be enforced anywhere (certainly not in our boatshed). I don't expect to be using
mixes richer than 40% or doing accelerated deco in the near future, but it would be nice
to know how. Likewise I'm not sure how I would rig a stage cylinder on my stab jacket (not enough D rings) - is
this sort of thing covered in the course?

How good do you have to be to pass the open water assessment? I can hold 6m and 3m stops
(and have done so once for 10 minutes after my computer went mad), but my stops are
distinctly less perfect than some of the more advanced divers I have been diving with
recently - they can lie dead in the water at 6m - I tend to be up and down by +/- 0.5m.

There are other agencies - TDI and IANDI come to mind and much has been written here
about 80% vs 100% and 1.4 Bar vs 1.6 Bar. From what I have read, I have doubts about the
use of 100% and 1.6 Bar in the sort of conditions we encounter around the UK so juggling
gas mixes and partial pressures does not really offer any advantage to me. I have
attended other SDCs in a couple of regions and have found them useful and learned a lot,
but have no experience of the other agencies.

What do you think?

John
------------------------------------------------------
If you want to learn to use Nitrox properly, EAD and suitable mixes for different jobs and left to decide what mixes you want where and when

Then do a course witha Technical Agency, BSAC are great for teacing the basics but pants at technical stuff.

The TDI Advanced Nitrox is an excellent course and recognised world wide - Much better IMHO

Enjoy ;-)

[michael smith]

Hello John, as a BS-AC Nitrox Diver, and with the number of dives you have done, I would suggest that moving onto the Advanced Course would be useful. It will allow you to use other mixtures for your diving and give the benefit of using two mixes on a dive.

The course does include time to position kit on the practical day.

If you review the programme of events you will find Nitrox Courses listed.

Regards Mike

[nick kay]

Yes - do the BS-AC course. If you've done the "basic" course, then the "advanced" will (should) be a refresher of the theory plus the practical day. Note that some regions teach the "basic" as being the theory-only of the "advanced" course

With regards to kit configuration, yes you should get to go through kit configuration and the practical use of ponys/stages. However, its noticeable that the colder the air/water, the less time gets spent on this aspect, i.e. do an advanced course mid-year if possible... I know it shouldn't make any difference, but you try teaching kit configuration, etc. when its 0-5C...

One final thought... Don't think that Advanced nitrox is the end of the training. If you've done 250+ dives, then look at doing the BSAC ERD course

[John Dalton]

Hi Mike

Am I right in thinking that the point of the open water dives is to try out different kit configurations in open water. Currently I use a 12L main cylinder (air or nitrox) and a 3L pony (air).I have tried twin twelves and find them fine underwater, but impossibly heavy on land. I could put a rich nitrox in the pony to use as a stage but then I would lose my redundant air source at depth. I could get another pony from the club, and use mine as a stage (I've not worked out the gas requirements or how to rig it yet) or try twinning a couple of the clubs 10L (when some of our smaller divers arn't using them).

What sort of kit do people generally use on this course?

Regards

John

[AC]

I would say no but let me qualify that. If all your previous qualifications are with BSAC then go to either IANTD or TDI and do one of their courses. You'll be exposed to another agency which is all good experience and if you plan to go down the Trimix/Rebreather route you will no doubt come across these agencies again. BSAC recognizes both these agencies' qualifications though within BSAC you will be limited to the use of 80% O2 and don't get me started on its attitude to CCRs!

I would suggest that you look on each of the webistes for what's involved in their respective Advanced Nitrox courses and decide from there what suits you and where you want to go with your diving.

I've just looked on the IANTD site and it states that their Advanced Nitrox course teaches up to 40% O2 and up to 50% for deco which is different to when I did mine.

Anyway, good luck.

Regards

AC

[michael smith]

Hello John, appoligies for not replying earlier. On the Advanced Course, we have a session prior to the first dive where we suggest ways of using the equipment that people have brought with them. Most will bring with them their normal kit, be it twins or singles. The usual extra item of kit is a 3l cylinder for the deco gas. So if you dive normally with a 15l and use your pony as a redundant gas source, then all you will need is another cylinder for the deco gas.

Regards Mike

[John Williams]

------------------------------------------------------
If you want to learn to use Nitrox properly, EAD and suitable mixes for different jobs and left to decide what mixes you want where and when

Then do a course witha Technical Agency, BSAC are great for teacing the basics but pants at technical stuff.

The TDI Advanced Nitrox is an excellent course and recognised world wide - Much better IMHO

Enjoy ;-)

What the BSAC courses do is remove all the Techno-babble and teach the benefits and uses of Nitrox without making it complicated.

BSAC Advanced Nitrox teaches you all about what mix to choose for a given depth - what makes you think that they don't?

You don't need to be able to strip a car to peices and rebuild it to be able to drive. Similarly you don't need to get bogged down with EADs and ENDs and all sorts of T-sums- which together magnify the chances of making a mistake. Also...learning a completely new set of deco tables and how they work is not necessary to use Nitrox safely.

BSAC courses teach you how to use Nitrox safely, using a set of tables that all BSAC divers will find familiar to use.

If you use a nitrox computer then all that EAD/END/T-sum stuff is even more irrelevant.

I've done BSAC courses and those of some "technical" agencies. Unless you are going to start experimenting with your own mixed gases and/or go on to Trimix and/or rebreathers or developing your own deco tables then I cannot see why anyone would want to complicate the use of Nitrox beyond the point that BSAC take you to.

All Advanced Nitrox Courses are accepted as such worldwide - so this is not a valid argument.

The only thing that differs between BSAC and some other agencies is the maximum percentage O2 (and the max ppO2) that can be used. This is irrelevant at Advanced Nitrox Level and at best controversial at the higher levels. Certainly not something that needs be worried about at the level under discussion.

John
BSAC Nitrox Instructor

[Matt]

What the BSAC courses do is remove all the Techno-babble and teach the benefits and uses of Nitrox without making it complicated.

Excactly what you want at Basic level.

BSAC Advanced Nitrox teaches you all about what mix to choose for a given depth - what makes you think that they don't?

Well it teaches the mix BSAC would like you to use. I agree it is not much of an issue at Advanced.

Similarly you don't need to get bogged down with EADs and ENDs and all sorts of T-sums- which together magnify the chances of making a mistake.

Oh dear. END has nothing to do with Nitrox. Knowing the EAD is pretty useful for dive planning. The T-sums I use routinely, often having to do them for BSAC Nx divers that don't know them - it is no more difficult than working out air requirements.

Also...learning a completely new set of deco tables and how they work is not necessary to use Nitrox safely.
BSAC courses teach you how to use Nitrox safely, using a set of tables that all BSAC divers will find familiar to use.

The Advanced course is aimed at divers using 50% as a decompression safety gas. There is plenty of debate about the safety of using 88s for decompression dives. The deeper and longer dives are, the more it becomes an issue.

If you use a nitrox computer then all that EAD/END/T-sum stuff is even more irrelevant.

I hope you would agree that decompression dives should be planned in advance and you need to carry a slate just in case the computer dies. If you try to use a set of 88's for your plan and then dive on a computer you are going to find the stop times significantly longer on a u-profile. If you know how to use a Buhlmann table and apply EADs your plan will be pretty damn close to what your computer wants. I carry a single submersible Buhlmann table and write down the EAD of what I am breathing. That is all I need to plan dives or bailout of dives. I 'Plan the dive and dive the plan.' In comparision BSAC Nx divers could be said to 'Plan the dive and dive somebody elses plan!'

I've done BSAC courses and those of some "technical" agencies. Unless you are going to start experimenting with your own mixed gases and/or go on to Trimix and/or rebreathers or developing your own deco tables then I cannot see why anyone would want to complicate the use of Nitrox beyond the point that BSAC take you to.

Well I did the "technical" courses first, simply because BSAC did not have a Nitrox course at the time. The Advanced level is an intermediate course, a stepping stone towards ERD and Normoxic Trimix. You can do quite a lot of diving on a Basic ticket. To dive longer, you will soon find yourself buying a twinset - twinset skills are not covered in Advanced. If you dive deeper, having to lean the mix back towards Air will soon leave you looking to accelerate decompression stops - accelerated stops are not covered in Advanced.

I don't think the Advanced course in it's current form, adds much at all. It legitimises the use of mixes weaker than 32% and thats about it in practical terms (IMVHO). I think it would be more useful for people if BSAC Basic allowed a weaker mix (28 or 30 perhaps) and Advanced covered twinset skills.

All Advanced Nitrox Courses are accepted as such worldwide - so this is not a valid argument.

Sadly not completely the case. The Advanced course is a pre-requisite for 'other agencies' ERD and Normoxic Trimix. There are some instructors who will accept BSAC Advanced in conjunction with adequate experience. However some technical instructors will not accept BSAC Advanced as they feel a BSAC Nx diver has too much to catch up on (Tables, EAD, T-sums).

The only thing that differs between BSAC and some other agencies is the maximum percentage O2 (and the max ppO2) that can be used.

...And you will not know as much.

This is irrelevant at Advanced Nitrox Level

In practical terms yes.

and at best controversial at the higher levels.

The only controversy would appear to be BSAC's disagreement with everyone else!

[iainmsmith]

:=Similarly you don't need to get bogged down with EADs and ENDs and all sorts of T-sums- which together magnify the chances of making a mistake.

Oh dear. END has nothing to do with Nitrox. Knowing the EAD is pretty useful for dive planning. The T-sums I use routinely, often having to do them for BSAC Nx divers that don't know them - it is no more difficult than working out air requirements.

Umm...out of interest, what is are T-sums? Would I know them by another name? It's not a term I've ever heard before.

Iain
(BSAC NXI, TDI Trimix Diver)

[Alex Coomes]

Dear John

I started my nitox diving by doing the BSAC advanced course. I very quickly realised the limitations! It only allows you to use O2 up to 50% which in my view (and many others)is a waste of time if you are going to get the full benefit of the O2 when decompressing. You need a much higher O2 content (I use 70 or 80% as a deco mix depending on CNS units I have clocked up)
As a result I did a TDI course that gives me the ticket to 100% I probably will never use pure O2 but at least I have the ticket.
I am a strong supporter of the BSAC but I am getting fed up with the fact that we are not embracing all the latest techniques available to make diving safer.I feel this is a great shame.
There are hundreds of us out there like myself who would like to do the requisite courses within the BSAC but are forced to go to other agencies to get the training they need. It seems that you will go the same road as many before you !

Good Luck

[PeteM]

Dear John

I started my nitox diving by doing the BSAC advanced course. I very quickly realised the limitations! It only allows you to use O2 up to 50% which in my view (and many others)is a waste of time if you are going to get the full benefit of the O2 when decompressing. You need a much higher O2 content (I use 70 or 80% as a deco mix depending on CNS units I have clocked up)
As a result I did a TDI course that gives me the ticket to 100% I probably will never use pure O2 but at least I have the ticket.
I am a strong supporter of the BSAC but I am getting fed up with the fact that we are not embracing all the latest techniques available to make diving safer.I feel this is a great shame.
There are hundreds of us out there like myself who would like to do the requisite courses within the BSAC but are forced to go to other agencies to get the training they need. It seems that you will go the same road as many before you !


I think this problem is much like PADI's with its Advanced OW course, its a naming problem.

For the majority of users Nitrox is easy, set your computer up and jump in the water. In the AND course we are not talking accelerated deco we are talking about planning diving with single mix and then may be giving ourselves a Jesus factor by using a warm mix on the deco, there is nothing complex here.

I encourage people to do the AND course because it gets them using a safer gas cheaply. If they want to do accelerated deco then fine, go and do a tech nitrox course, but for the majority of non technical divers one day they are diving on air using a computer with a set of BSAC tables as backup, two days later they are diving Nitrox using a computer with a set of BSAC tables as a backup for very little cost.

Slagging off the AND course because it does not teach about using high mixes for deco misses the point of the course

YMMV

Pete

[Alex Coomes]

I am afraid that is not how I percieve the Advanced Nitrox course run By BSAC As I stated I am a great supporter of BSAC and am a paid up member. However, I feel that you are missing the point I made.
Use of nitrox mixes greater than 50 % is in the right situation safer than using 50% or less - it get you out of the water quicker. I feel the BSAC made a mistake making the limit 50% it is neither a good deco mix or bottom gas mix but a halfway house - useless in the real world. Why can't we have a third Nitrox grade to allow divers to get its full benefit if the powers that be are so worried about pp02 levels and CNS exposure?
At present BSAC divers (and I am one of them) are forced to do a course through another agency something I do not want to do.
If the BSAC continue to hold back their members on what is being used by many other agencies there will be a continual membership loss to TDI and INTD. This is a great shame.
Rather than following we must be leading the way and if we continue in this manner we will have no members left! You only have to look how far the BSAC is behind the curve with Rebreathers to see the writing is on the wall!

[Matt]

Umm...out of interest, what is are T-sums? Would I know them by another name? It's not a term I've ever heard before.

I am sure you would know them by another name.

PPO = FO2 x AbsP
FO2 = PPO / AbsP
AbsP = PPO / FO2

You can arrange this as a triangle or T shape and cover the value you need to find the formula.

PPO
----------
FO2 X AbsP

[PeteM]

I am afraid that is not how I percieve the Advanced Nitrox course run By BSAC As I stated I am a great supporter of BSAC and am a paid up member. However, I feel that you are missing the point I made.

And I still think you are trying to equate it to tech nitrox which it is not and never will be, see below for why

Why can't we have a third Nitrox grade to allow divers to get its full benefit if the powers that be are so worried about pp02 levels and CNS exposure?

We have, it's called the extended range course
<a href="http://www.bsac.org/techserv/syllabus/erdsyl.htm" >http://www.bsac.org/techserv/syllabus/erdsyl.htm</a>

At present BSAC divers (and I am one of them) are forced to do a course through another agency something I do not want to do.

You are not forced to, you can do the BSAC ERD course, whether that is a good course is a wholly different arguement.

If the BSAC continue to hold back their members on what is being used by many other agencies there will be a continual membership loss to TDI and INTD. This is a great shame.
Rather than following we must be leading the way and if we continue in this manner we will have no members left! You only have to look how far the BSAC is behind the curve with Rebreathers to see the writing is on the wall!

You are preaching to the converted

[Vic]

&gt; PPO = FO2 x AbsP
&gt; FO2 = PPO / AbsP
&gt; AbsP = PPO / FO2
&gt;
&gt; I am sure you would know them by another name.

Dalton's Law.

Why do we consider this tricky? Isn't it still taught at OD?

Vic.
[Been a while since I taught OD; maybe it has been dumbed down that far...]

[nick kay]

Come on guys... My "understanding" of the BSAC Nitrox courses is as follows:

Nitrox: Dive on "set mixes" of 32% or 36% - you understand the theory, but haven't proved yourself capable (via the practical/assessment) of the necessary skills (buoyancy) of being able to use 50% as a deco gas

"Advanced": You have proved yourself capable of the skills necessary of enhancing your deco by using (upto) 50%. You are not trained in "accelerated deco", so there's little point (in a practical sense) of using higher %age mixes

ERD: by way of additional lectures and additional practical sessions (typically 2 or 3 days of diving), you've proved yourself capable (and have the correct mindset) of being allowed to do acclerated deco - at which point, you can use upto 80%, cut your own tables or do pretty much what you want

I'd say all of the above is pretty logical, well structured and covers most requirements for "regular" branch divers and those who want to stay within BSAC and "go technical"

[Mike Halligan]

[Been a while since I taught OD; maybe it has been dumbed down that far...]

Ah! Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures, now I understand. I thought much like you, Vic, until I checked this out.

It seems to me that Dalton's Law first appears at the front end of ST4 - but this then dwells exclusively on N2 Narcosis and its avoidance. OxTox is referred to (in passing) during discussion of Nitrox in ST6 but the PPO2 thread is dropped and not recovered.

Of course, the O2 Admin chunk of DL Theory isn't going to be much help so ............. Aw, shucks do the Marshals know that OD and SD aren't OxTox-aware?

Regards,

Mike
[FX: Shuffles off to add a bit of serious science to OT and ST for the Branch]

[John Williams]

Very true Nick...couldn't have said it better myself!

One big flaw in your reasoning though....all those who have axes to grind end up keeping them blunt if they follow the common sense route.

Each of the BSAC courses is entirely "fit for purpose".

I don't like the Basic Course because it is too basic - but it does fill the need of those who want to use Nitrox 32/36 as if it were air and add safety to their profile.

I do like the AND as a starter course - to get people interested and aware of what is possible....and as a useful recreational diving qualification. With practical demonstrations/assessments of what should be basic diving skills performed at an acceptable level of competence.

ERD is for those who are more adventurous and want to do deeper/longer dives, are prepared to do longer deco stops to acheive this (but don't see much point in hanging for longer than absolutely necessary). All this underpinned with some lectures/demonstrations and assessments of the skills sensibly required to undertake this kind of diving more safely.

If you want to go further than this then you are leaving mainstream diving and should look outside a mainstream diving agency towards a dedicated technical agency.

Sounds eminently reasonable to me

But then I've not got an axe that needs grinding.


John

[nick kay]

ERD is for those who are more adventurous and want to do deeper/longer dives, are prepared to do longer deco stops to acheive this (but don't see much point in hanging for longer than absolutely necessary). All this underpinned with some lectures/demonstrations and assessments of the skills sensibly required to undertake this kind of diving more safely.

Agreed, though I'd love to know what %age of (BSAC) ERD divers actually DO accelerated deco. Most of the ERD divers I know user ERD techniques: runtimes, ProPlanner (or similar) but don't accelerate their deco?

Even when diving Trimix (TDI), I see PropPlanner "safety" settings around 20%. If you apply that to air/nitrox and compare back to BSAC-88 tables, then the BSAC-88 tables look "aggressive" with their "limited" deco! Of course, ERD/ProPlanner allows you to do dives that aren't in the BSAC-88 tables.

The think I'd like to see BSAC introduce into the main Diver Training syllabus, is deep stops. The "for" evidence seems compelling nowadays...

If you want to go further than this then you are leaving mainstream diving and should look outside a mainstream diving agency towards a dedicated technical agency.
But at least we accept external Trimix & Rebreather qualifications...

[iainmsmith]

:=Umm...out of interest, what is are T-sums? Would I know them by another name? It's not a term I've ever heard before.

I am sure you would know them by another name.

PPO = FO2 x AbsP
FO2 = PPO / AbsP
AbsP = PPO / FO2

You can arrange this as a triangle or T shape and cover the value you need to find the formula.

PPO
----------
FO2 X AbsP

Ah...yes...that is indeed something I've heard of! I think I call it "Dalton's Law".

It's interesting that you have found that BSAC Nitrox Divers don't know how to do this, though, as it is in the manual...indeed, it's in a highlighted box on p22 of the Nitrox Diver manual. Quite apart from which I thought it was in OD?

Iain

[PeteM]

Ah...yes...that is indeed something I've heard of! I think I call it "Dalton's Law".

It's interesting that you have found that BSAC Nitrox Divers don't know how to do this, though, as it is in the manual...indeed, it's in a highlighted box on p22 of the Nitrox Diver manual. Quite apart from which I thought it was in OD?


Having recently taught an Advanced Nitrox Course I can confirm that this is covered in depth in at least one lecture. However it's not in Ocean Diver having been moved to Sport when changing from Club sylabus to Ocean

[John Dalton]

Nitrox: Dive on "set mixes" of 32% or 36% - you understand the theory, but haven't proved yourself capable (via the practical/assessment) of the necessary skills (buoyancy) of being able to use 50% as a deco gas

"Advanced": You have proved yourself capable of the skills necessary of enhancing your deco by using (upto) 50%. You are not trained in "accelerated deco", so there's little point (in a practical sense) of using higher %age mixes

ERD: by way of additional lectures and additional practical sessions (typically 2 or 3 days of diving), you've proved yourself capable (and have the correct mindset) of being allowed to do acclerated deco - at which point, you can use upto 80%, cut your own tables or do pretty much what you want

This is prehaps the most convincing and useful argument here. I was aware of differences in opinion over 80% vs 100% and 1.4 vs 1.6 Bar, but did not intend opening that debate again - to a diver in my position it I don't think it's that useful.

Thank you to all for your thoughts - I think there are one or two thinks I need to think about and try (like rigging an extra pony or stage cylinder and what it does to my buoyancy) before booking a place on a course.

Regards

John

[Chris Cherrington]

Thank you to all for your thoughts - I think there are one or two thinks I need to think about and try (like rigging an extra pony or stage cylinder and what it does to my buoyancy) before booking a place on a course.

Regards

John

John,

Sorry to come in late to the debate, holiday weekend and all that!!

One thing you might want to look at is the IANTD Avanced Rec. Trimix course. This is the equivalent of the Adv EAN course but introduces mix. It is a pretty good course in terms of the academic interest that you talk about and qualifies you to EAN50 for deco.

I pretty much agree with thte other postings - the BSAC course is not the most comprehensive but it has its value for those of us that are not dropping to 50M every weekend! I like the IANTD mix course as I am a fan of mixed gas but don't really want to do 70M stuff..

Check out the details on the IANTD website - look under "standards" - its a PDF file. The site isn't very good and there is no mention of the course other than in this document. There is a new workbook out for the course but I havn't seen it so can't comment.

Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do in the end. or END?

Chris

[iainmsmith]

One thing you might want to look at is the IANTD Avanced Rec. Trimix course. This is the equivalent of the Adv EAN course but introduces mix. It is a pretty good course in terms of the academic interest that you talk about and qualifies you to EAN50 for deco.

If you're thinking of "Rec Trimix", you should also consider the GUE Rec Triox course. You would have to do their Fundamentals course first and, when I did it last year as a BSAC OWI/Nitrox Instructor and TDI Trimix Diver, it was unquestionably the best course I've ever done and had a significant knock-on effect on the rest of my diving. (Remember that this is the course that a diver has to do before doing any of their technical courses)

It's an excellent course which allows you to consolidate your recreational skills, while laying the groundwork for more advanced diving.

There was a writeup of Rec Triox in DIVER. You can find it at:
<a href="http://www.divernet.com/technol/0304triox.shtml" >http://www.divernet.com/technol/0304triox.shtml</a>

My regular buddies and I are currently trying to find the time when we're all available to do Rec Triox.

You can find more details of the GUE courses at www.gue.com

Hope this helps.

Iain

[Mark Powell]

I would say no but let me qualify that. If all your previous qualifications are with BSAC then go to either IANTD or TDI and do one of their courses. You'll be exposed to another agency which is all good experience and if you plan to go down the Trimix/Rebreather route you will no doubt come across these agencies again. BSAC recognizes both these agencies' qualifications though within BSAC you will be limited to the use of 80% O2 and don't get me started on its attitude to CCRs!

I would suggest that you look on each of the webistes for what's involved in their respective Advanced Nitrox courses and decide from there what suits you and where you want to go with your diving.

I've just looked on the IANTD site and it states that their Advanced Nitrox course teaches up to 40% O2 and up to 50% for deco which is different to when I did mine.

Anyway, good luck.

Regards

AC

The TDI course will cover you up to 100% O2 for deco - although that doesn't mean that we recommend using 100%, just that you have the option.

At your level you might want to think about combining an Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures course. This allows you to use accelerated decompression.

By combining this course it also means that you can move onto entry level trimix if you wish without having to do the ERD course.

Whatever course you choose Advanced Nitrox will ceretainly give ou more options in your diving and should certainly help build your diving skills.

Mark Powell
TDI Instructor

[John Dalton]

Hi Iain

I've looked at the GUE courses, and read the article in Diver, but a couple of things put me off. GUE seem very prescriptive (much more than BSAC) about things like kit configuration, and possibly demand far higher standards than are feasible for me right now. Maybe something to think about in a year or two's time.

I'm off to Egypt in a couple of weeks, so thinking about it will have to wait till I get back.

Regards

John

[iainmsmith]

Hi Iain

I've looked at the GUE courses, and read the article in Diver, but a couple of things put me off. GUE seem very prescriptive (much more than BSAC) about things like kit configuration

Indeed. However, from my experience of diving with likeminded buddies, there is a great deal to be said for standardised equipment within a team. I think that many would agree with that, though I know that others consider that their team's standardised configuration is better than that promoted by GUE.

From my own experience (albeit relatively limited), though. every time I think I've found a better way to do something, I've sooner or later found out why I was wrong! (And that, for me, has been the single most frustrating thing about starting along the road towards DIR!)

&gt; and possibly demand far higher standards than are feasible
&gt; for me right now. Maybe something to think about in a year
&gt; or two's time.

Again, from the perspective of someone who, halfway through Fundamentals, rather felt that I was having my trimix-qualified head handed to me on a plate in 6m, that's a year or two to get into bad habits. Fundamentals is not hard to pass as long as one is prepared to make an effort. I've heard, however, that Tech 1 is somewhat more challenging!

I'm off to Egypt in a couple of weeks, so thinking about it will have to wait till I get back.

Have a fantastic time. That is, after all, what it's all about!

Iain