Dear Fellow Diver, It was incredible. There I was in 24 metres/80 feet of water staring at a wrecked WWII fighter. During predive planning, I scrolled through my computer’s no stop limits and found 30 minutes no stop for the first dive. Since I don’t push the limits, that would mean heading up after just 25 minutes - not nearly enough time to check out the warbird. Fortunately, my buddy and I weren't diving with air, but enriched air nitrox (EANx). We were using EANx36 (36 percent oxygen versus air’s 21 percent) and when I reset my enriched air compatible computer and rescrolled my no stop limits I now had 55 minutes (call it 50 to be conservative) instead of 30. Touring the wreck, I was glad that we'd be coming up based on our gas supply rather than no stop time. Our repetitive dive was along a reef, bottom depth again 24 metres. Still using EANx36, our no stop time for 80 feet was just over a half hour. But because this was a multilevel dive in which we gradually ascended to about 18 metres/60 feet, we enjoyed an hour dive and again surfaced due to gas supply, not no stop time. This highlights two of the most important innovations that maximize the time you get to enjoy your dive underwater - dive computers and enriched air. Computers boost your no stop time by crediting you for a multilevel dive. Enriched air reduces nitrogen to give you longer dives. Combine the two, and that vast majority of the time you'll find your dives limited by your gas supply – not the no decompression limits. If you’re in the market for a dive computer, by all means be sure it’s enriched air compatible. If you recently invested in a dive computer, chances are it’s an EANx model (some manufacturers make only EANx compatibles). Are you a PADI Enriched Air Diver? If not, you’re letting half the power of your computer sit idle. The PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty course is the specialty of the month, so get with your PADI Dive Center or Resort and get qualified to use enriched air. And, if you’re a PADI Enriched Air Diver but don’t have an EANx computer, invest in one to put what you learned to the best use. The PADI Enriched Air Diver course and an EANx dive computer are the best way to maximize what diving is all about: extra time enjoying the underwater world. Best wishes and good diving. Sincerely, 
Drew Richardson
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