Living a Diver's Life

Gas up! Doubles and deco bottles for a Tec 45  Course Photo: PADI Fred Stratton Instructor and Technician fred@bubblesornot.com Diving Deep is about Adventure Decompression stops simply are required safety stops. Both are performed in the same manner: stop and maintain a precise depth for a specific amount of time to clear your computer or to fulfill your analog dive plan based on a chosen decompression algorithm (e.g. RGMB, Buhlman ZHL-16c) and gradient factor . Deco stops are a means to an end, the end being encounters with deep-dwelling flora and fauna and wrecks resting below recreational diving depth. Tech diving is cool...but that's not a good reason to become a tech diver. Satisfying your craving for adventure and  exploration is!  PADI Tec 45 Clearly mark cylinder contents and maximum operating depth such as OXYGEN MOD 20 Photo: Fred Stratton   We introduced you to decompression diving in the January 2019 Tec 40 article ....

Nitrox cylinders ready for sidemount diving Image: Rose Bennett Fred Stratton Instructor and Repair Technician fred@bubblesornot.com What is PADI's most popular Specialty Course?  Good guesses would include Deep, Boat, Underwater Videography and Project AWARE. It may surprise you that the  Enriched Air Diver  is number one. Bob Bennett teaching a Sidemout Specialty course using Enriched Air. Image: Rose Bennett In this month's article we'll discuss Enriched Air's progression from commercial and military applications to widespread recreational use, certification, cost, benefits, safety, and equipment considerations. Terminology : All divers know that air is comprised of 21% oxygen (O2) and 79% inert gases (78% nitrogen  and 1% trace elements of helium, neon, argon, etc.).  Any diving gas with > 21% and < 100% pure oxygen is considered enriched air nitrox (nitrogen and oxygen). It is abbreviated EAN or EANx. The number...