NITROX Certified

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Andyconda is now board certified (NAUI) to breath an EAN (Enriched Air Nitrox) blend of air. More bottom time and less S.I.T. (Surface Interval Time). Calculations are done and to keep with the needed 130 foot depth MOD (Maximum Operating Depth), I have calculated a conservative 1.4 partial pressure limit of oxygen (to reduce the chance of CNS oxygen toxicity (Central Nervous System Oxygen toxicity) and will need a 28.345 % blend of Nitrox.

Laymans terms, WATCHOUT FISHIES here I come!

[LA_MERC_goose]

Andy, you have more time and money than sense. WHOOPS! That was my outside voice; I've got to work on that.

Congrats asshole. lol I've never really needed to be a deep depths for long periods of time. Enjoy and let me know how stank the farts are. :slp

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

LMFAO, I knew you would be the only one to get much out of this post but thought I would share with these other yahoo's that the physical outside world is fun too. NOTROX is great Goose. Look at it this way. On standard air at 120 feet deep (approximately at 5 times atmospheric pressure absolute) you have 12 minutes. With EAN32 Nitrox my bottom time goes from 12 minutes to 25 minutes. WOOHOO!

P.S. Yes, I do have more time and money than I have sense, but, Now I have more bottom time than I have sense too, wwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Why is the bottom the place to be? What are you doing at 130 feet that you can't do at say 80? Are your other dive buddies similarly qualified? And how the hell do you see at that depth? You carry a light and a spear-gun? What hand do you hold your breath with?... opps sorry... LOL

[Chi_Townz]

LOL wetz...

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Why is the bottom the place to be? What are you doing at 130 feet that you can't do at say 80? Are your other dive buddies similarly qualified? And how the hell do you see at that depth? You carry a light and a spear-gun? What hand do you hold your breath with?... opps sorry... LOL

Simple. The Gulf is really warm right now. Surface water temp is almost 90. So the fish stay in deeper water as they like cooler temps. and the visibility is almost 100 feet every time we go. meaning I can see pretty damn far considering I'm that deep. No flashlight needed. Also dive buddy is also Nitrox certified. Lastely, you don't have to hold your breath. It's SCUBA.

[LA_MERC_goose]

Hey Andy, get your ass to SC before 8 am Saturday and I'll take you on a great black water dive - you'll need a farmer john, bcd, a reg, mask, fins, and a really good flashlight (LED would be best). I've got your tanks covered - father in law owns the local dive shop. Oh, and you can't be afraid of the dark. We dive in the Cooper River for shark's teeth but we usually have 6 inches of visibility - totally different world from the clear blue waters off the coast.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Uh, Sharks Teeth. I can't eat sharks teeth. I will be on a 21 foot Sea Fox about 22 miles out from Pensacola Pass at about a 120 foot depth where I can see for a 100 feet in warm clear blue water. At 120 feet deep the water temp is still 82 to 85 F so I dive in a lycra short sleeve Obrian shirt and regular shorts. I have an Oceanic Pro BC with the Oceanic PS3 Alpha 8 regulator, slim line octo, Oceanic VEO180Nx dive computer, A.B. Biller 48" spear gun w/ triple bands, TUSA split fins, and an EVO III dive mask. I'll be loaded for bear sitting on the starboard gunwale of the Nickle Bine Barge waiting for a 10 to 30 pound Red Snapper to come by and say Hi, to which I will greet him with a long cold steel shaft.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Andy

That sounds a bit like sitting 22 feet up a White Oak, in my ScentLock realtree hardwoods, holding my Hoyt Hypertek, loaded with a 100 grain fixed blade Montec. Man that sounds like a blast to do.... Except for the part about being 120 feet below the surface, that would take a little getting used to ... I'll stick to shooting Deer, and Turkeys. Post a couple of underwater photos, couple of your favorites.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Hey Andy, get your ass to SC before 8 am Saturday and I'll take you on a great black water dive - you'll need a farmer john, bcd, a reg, mask, fins, and a really good flashlight (LED would be best). I've got your tanks covered - father in law owns the local dive shop. Oh, and you can't be afraid of the dark. We dive in the Cooper River for shark's teeth but we usually have 6 inches of visibility - totally different world from the clear blue waters off the coast.


Goose

Whats the coolest thing you've ever found on one of your dives?

[LA_MERC_goose]

A 6 inch sharks tooth. One of the guys that dives with us found three teeth from a woolly mammoth. The guy that co-owns the dive shop with my father in law found a civil war cannon in 45 feet of water in the Cooper River - it's in his house. It's awesome. I enjoy the diving - the finds are just extra credit. Hey Andy, we dive in Aruba for food :D

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Hey Wetz, Diving is the coolest thing I've ever done. That being said I'm always super surpised at the number of tuff guys I've seen wig out when out at sea. Some get very uncomfortable just not seeing land. Some can't go down after we get far out at sea, and a few try to pop when down. It takes speacial breed (probably just stupid) to do what I'm doing. It's fun as all get out but you better be brave. The best thing I've found when diving is a WWII air craft carrier. The Mighty Oriskany. 888 feet long in 220 feet deep water, (its where I broke my open water limit of 130 feet and went to 137 feet deep becuase I wanted to be on teh flight deck.) Coolest part is at that depth your at about 5 times atmospheric pressure. As snug as you can put your BC on when you get to that depth all your equipment is loose again. I've attached some pictures of it.

[LA_MERC_goose]

Well, Andy, we've got something else in common - I broke my 130 by going to 140 in Key Largo - I was having a blast and my dive buddy caught me as we broke 140 and then I realized I wasn't at 100 feet anymore. And talking about pressure - don't even think about adjusting your weight belt at depth cause it has a tendency of getting tight as hell on the way back up.:crazyeye

Is that your camera taking those pictures?

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Andy

Those are excellent photos! What a rush that must have been, viewing history at that depth and being that close to the ship. I would certainly say you’re not stupid, stupid people who attempt to do what you are accomplishing probably don’t last long with this hobby.

What prompted you to start open water diving? Was it to spear fish, or something else? Have you dived in other large bodies of water besides the Gulf/Atlantic? What is the maximum depth you’re now qualified for? You mentioned your father-in-law owns a dive shop does your wife dive?


Goose

Do you open water dive? How did you get interested in diving?

My folks live in San Diego and Scuba dive off La Jolla

(Their favorite dive area is 3 blocks from the house) at their age they don’t venture far from shore, maybe ½ mile or so. Plus the water is usually a lot colder than the warm gulf water.

Cool hobby!

[LA_MERC_goose]

Actually, my father in law co-owns the local dive shop and is a dive instructor. He got me certifier to Advanced Open Water which gives you certifications down to around hundred and a quarter. My favorite dives are black water dives - you can't see crap until you hit the bottom - then you turn on the light and can see 8 to 10 inches - if you're lucky. Black water divers are the stupid ones :D Our dive hole is an hour and some change drive from the house to the landing and then another 20 minute ride down river / up river, depends on the tides. I got interested in diving years ago when I wanted to be military demolitions - my dad's been certified by the Navy so it's given us a few times out where we're not hunting but still together - not sure why but my father and I have more fun together when neither is able to speak. lol

It's cool, unless the water is really freaking hot, but it's expensive too. My father in law's light he uses in the river cost him over a grand - and that was his price, not the selling price.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

I got into it becuase I got go to go on a snorkeling trip in the Bahamas earlier this year. As I inquired about it to several people I found out that one of the guys I work with was certified and goes spear fishing all the time. Next thing I know I'm 137 feet down 22 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico blasting fish with a spear gun. WHATA RUSH. Goose it right. It's expensive as hell. But well worth it. My dive buddy and I both have an underwater camera and I can't remeber which pics are his and which are mine. The water is warm and the visibility is usually around 100 feet. Goose dives in water you can't see your hand in front of your face. I myself don't have an under water flashlight just yet. The Oriskany was cool to look at and I even kissed the flight deck at 137 feet. Yes I had to remove my regulator to do it, but I wanted to do it for some reason. I think I had some nitrogen narcosis, but not sure. 130 feet deep is the limit for open water certification. Being Nitrox certified doesn't mean I can go deeper, just means I can go longer with less sit time at teh surface. In essence becuase I'm breathing air with a lower percentage of Nitrogen my body doesn't adsorb as much over time since the human body doesn't use Nitrogen for anything (It's Inert to us) we store it in solution in our tissue when we'reat higher pressures. The danger comes in when we accend to teh surface the Nitrogen starts to come out of our tissue in solution to a free state gas and can cause things like arterial embolisms. DON'T WANT TO GET THE BENDS. However, since my Nitrox air mixture will have a higher percentage of oxygen in it than standard air I have the possibility of suffering from CNS. Central Nervous System oxygen toxicity. You can't breath pure oxygen at pressure becuase it becomes toxic to the body. At a standard atmosphere your body is subjected to a .21 partial pressure becasue 1 atmosphere times .21 (regulare air is 21% O2) is .21. For divers with Nitrox say a 36% blend, means my air has 36% oxygen. Now at a depth of 120 feet, I'm at 5 atmosphere absolute. So 5 times .36 means a 1.8 partial pressure of O2. The safe limit for a partial pressure of O2 is 1.4 with a contingency of 1.6. This means I could not dive as deep with the Nitrox becuase of the threat of CNS oxygen toxicity. So I will use a 28% blend to dive to 120 feet that will give me 5 times .28 = 1.4 (Perfect). Hope I didn't bore you to death with the diving Nitrox 101 spill.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Hundred GR for a LIGHT? A Light?? Holy ****.

Ok so you like to dive in the muddy, murky, slimey, black water? as opposed to the clear and azure water off the coast? What makes black water diving so interesting? You make it sound like.... well... a bit like what I imagine it would be like looking at Oprah's business; big, black and stank! LOL


Andy and Goose,

First off I was told there would be no math… hehe. You’ve only started diving this year? Kind of a steep learning curve! I’ve snorkeled any number of times and in some great places, but I never taken the time to learn scuba. Could be because I’ve spent the last 28 years of my life living in Kansas!

Have you two ever dived together? You know…. as a couple?

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Well, he lives in South Carolina and I live on the Gulf Coast. Kinda makes it tough to buddy up and go diving on a whim, lol. But if he ever ventures to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, or Louisiana I'll be more than glad to take him. Also, You really don't have to know any math at all if you have a dive computer, which I do, But being that I'm an Engineer and really good in Math I learned everything really quick. Yes a very excellerated learning curve for me and my dive instructor was amazed to see me out at teh Oriskany doing dives only a month after certification. he works/instructs on charters for the local dive shops. I have about 2 grand tied up in all my gear cuase I have spear guns, duive computers, split fins, a sport reg, etc kinda great gear. 1000 for a light would be even too steep for me.

[LA_MERC_goose]

I've been diving close to 8 years now. I've even been approached about taking the instructor courses and doing what he does - teach the classes. It would be fun and the money wouldn't be too bad either - it's just the time needed to take all of the instructor classes - but I'm still thinking about it.

I've got around $600 in my gear. I've lucked up working in the dive shop and had a tank given to me, my BC I got off of ebay (brand new, still in the plactic with tags) for $100 and my reg I built at the shop from pieces that were suppose to be broke but were extremely fixable - I got my console off of ebay for $75.

I've dove in the open water like Andy's describing but it's all about the fish - I'm more of a finders keepers kind of diver. I like to dive for the finds - it's all about finding something better than you dive buddies. Speaking of which, anytime we're near Andy, I've got your side anytime!