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Dan Bracuk - 18 Oct 2003 13:49 GMT

Got a letter from Nekton Cruises yesterday. The content is available here:
http://www.nektoncruises.com/nitrox.htm

28 divers, 14 get nitrorx. Looks like if you want nitrox, you had better ask
early.

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

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bullshark - 18 Oct 2003 20:59 GMT

>Got a letter from Nekton Cruises yesterday. The content is available here:
>http://www.nektoncruises.com/nitrox.htm
>
>28 divers, 14 get nitrorx. Looks like if you want nitrox, you had better ask
>early.

Negative.

If you want Nitrox, you dive from another boat.

Last I heard, they draw straws to see who gets it.
This was news to the losers who all got pretty irate.
The crew relented and agreed to supply Nitrox to everyone,
which turned out to be like, EAN24 on a good day.

26%? Utter crap. These guys have a real problem.

From that page:
"The most commonly used EANx mixture is EAN 29 (29% Oxygen and 71% Nitrogen)."

Totally clueless.

Rix compressors = clean air? Baloney. Filters make air clean,
not compressors. Somebody saw these guys coming and cleaned their
clock.

It's scary to see someone in the liveaboard business so totally
afraid of their business, and ignorant of the world around them.

Jeez, if you want to know all there is to know about Nitrox on
liveaboards take a ride with the world leaders. They'll give you a tour,
and wait while you draw plans. They obviously know how to do it
reliably, safely and economically. Leave to a guy with not one,
but two swath boats, to reinvent the wheel as a square.

safe diving,

bullshark

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Dan Bracuk - 18 Oct 2003 21:08 GMT

bullshark <bullshark@scubadiving.com> entertained us with:

:Last I heard, they draw straws to see who gets it.

Actually, that was in the letter I got from them..

<quote>
If you decide to try Nitrox while aboard, it will be available if 14 divers have
not already prepaid. If several divers request Nitrox and only a few openings
are available, the crew will conduct a lottery for the available spaces.
</quote>

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

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Dan Bracuk - 18 Oct 2003 21:08 GMT

bullshark <bullshark@scubadiving.com> entertained us with:

: Leave to a guy with not one,
:but two swath boats, to reinvent the wheel as a square.

What's wrong with swath boats?

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

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Pmcduffee - 21 Oct 2003 03:33 GMT

>From: Dan Bracuk bracuk@pathcom.com

>Message-ID: <jhd2pvkb3uecdq9lkkkf20bcqug038cvr1@4ax.com>

>ot a letter from Nekton Cruises yesterday. The content is available here:
>http://www.nektoncruises.com/nitrox.htm
>
>28 divers, 14 get nitrorx. Looks like if you want nitrox, you had better ask
>early.

Yep, been there, done that unfortunately $$.

I am very "hostile" to the fact that they are controlling my dive profile and
gas mix.

I do like the Nekton folks, but if this forced profile continues I will not
dive Nekton again.

The forced nitrox mix is from 26 to 29 max to force a 1.4 ppo2 at 130ft.

Whatever happened to plan your dive and dive your plan?

It seems that Nekton has taken that away.

We are currently booked to Mona Isl. in Jan. with Dano and his wife.

If this policy continues, I will never dive Nekton again.

Pat

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I Call you My Friend, because You are My Friend.

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Dan Bracuk - 21 Oct 2003 03:38 GMT

pmcduffee@aol.com (Pmcduffee) entertained us with:

:I am very "hostile" to the fact that they are controlling my dive profile and
:gas mix.

As an air user, I don't see them controlling my profile any more than any other
liveaboard does.

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

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Drew A. Dunn - 21 Oct 2003 04:14 GMT

> I am very "hostile" to the fact that they are controlling my dive
> profile and gas mix.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Whatever happened to plan your dive and dive your plan?

There are two chinese take-out places near me. One makes a shity Kung Pao
Chicken so I don't order from them.

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Chris Painter - 21 Oct 2003 06:33 GMT

> Got a letter from Nekton Cruises yesterday. The content is available here:
> http://www.nektoncruises.com/nitrox.htm
>
> 28 divers, 14 get nitrorx. Looks like if you want nitrox, you had better ask
> early.

Personally with all the great number of shallow dive sites in the Bahamas I
don't see the point of diving nitrox period.

Chris

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Dan Bracuk - 22 Oct 2003 00:38 GMT

"Chris Painter" <chrpai_remooove@sbcglobal.net> entertained us with:

:Personally with all the great number of shallow dive sites in the Bahamas I
:don't see the point of diving nitrox period.

It is a very very rare event that I end a dive because I am out of bottom time.
However, when I was on the Nekton Pilot in the Bahamas, it happened 3 or 4
times in one week. While the water wasn't all that deep, unlike most places I
have been, there wasn't much in the way of walls coming up to the 15 or 20 foot
mark to end the dive.

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

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Chris Painter - 22 Oct 2003 01:23 GMT

> "Chris Painter" <chrpai_remooove@sbcglobal.net> entertained us with:
> :Personally with all the great number of shallow dive sites in the Bahamas I
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> have been, there wasn't much in the way of walls coming up to the 15 or 20 foot
> mark to end the dive.

Want to share some profiles? I've never come close to running out of NDL in
that neck of the world while on air. There are just tons and tons of
shallow sites ( <30' ) in which you can get hours of bottom time with very
little exposure.

Chris

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Airhog - 22 Oct 2003 02:15 GMT

> There are just tons and tons of
> shallow sites ( <30' ) in which you can get hours of bottom time with very
> little exposure.

Painter--You naked would be very little exposure.....

AirHog

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"Behold the pale horse and the man who sat on him was death and hell
followed with him."

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Dan Bracuk - 22 Oct 2003 03:23 GMT

"Chris Painter" <chrpai_remooove@sbcglobal.net> entertained us with:

: There are just tons and tons of
:shallow sites ( <30' ) in which you can get hours of bottom time with very
:little exposure.

Could very well be, but I dove where the boat parked.

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

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Dan Bracuk - 22 Oct 2003 03:37 GMT

"Chris Painter" <chrpai_remooove@sbcglobal.net> entertained us with:

:Want to share some profiles?

Here is a day I probably called dives due to bottom time:

2000-05-23 from the Nekton Pilot, Bahamas (near Freeport)
~12 hr interval from night dive
Dive 1 Theo's Wreck - 91 ft, 32 minutes, surfaced with 1000 psi
~ 2.5 hr interval
Dive 2 Theo's Wreck - 95 ft, 25 minutes, surfaced with 1500 psi
~ 1 hr 50 minute interval
Dive 3 Shark Junction 61 ft, 50 minutes, surfaced with 1200 psi
~ 1 hr 50 minute interval
Dive 4 Shark Junction 64 ft, 48 minutes, surfaced with 1200 psi

Chances are, either I or Patti were out of bottom time on at least 3 of those
dives. But, as I said earlier, this is a very rare event year in and year out.

Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/

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