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Review of
NAUI Nitrox: A Guide to Diving with Oxygen Enriched Air
by: R.W. Bill Hamilton and Joel D. Silverstein
by Hillary Viders, Ph.D.,
EMT
(Author, lecturer, and professional educator with over twenty years of diving
experience, including technical diving and diving with enriched air)
Anyone who has been paying attention to
diving technology over the last decade knows that oxygen enriched air (Nitrox) diving
offers divers a considerable advantage in terms of safety and bottom time. Now that the
sport diving industry has finally embraced Nitrox diving, there is a need for quality
education on the subject. "The NAUI Nitrox Guide to Diving With Oxygen Enriched Air,
by R.W. Hamilton, Ph.D. and Joel D. Silverstein, is the best training manual available on
oxygen enriched air.
Most books on enriched air and technical diving tend to be intimidating to recreational
divers, because very few "experts" have the talent for making technical
information comprehensible to the lay public. But, Hamilton and Silverstein have done an
admirable job of laying out a clear, easy to read, progressive text which can be used
either as a self-tutorial, or by an instructor in conjunction with a course in enriched
air diving. The book covers everything a diver needs to know (and more) about enriched air
diving, including physiological issues, decompression principles, equipment
considerations, gas mixing and analysis, and Nitrox tables and computers. There are things
that experienced divers can learn, yet even a newly certified diver can follow the
material. There are numerous chapter sub-headings, side bars, illustrations, plus an
excellent glossary. The stated objectives and review questions and answers in each chapter
emphasize the key concepts, which make the book an excellent teaching tool.
In addition to the wealth of information in "NAUI Nitrox," Hamilton and
Silverstein emphasize responsible diving, the need to respect one’s limitations, and
the importance of ongoing dive training and education. The final chapter gives readers a
glimpse into the next phase, that of technical diving, which entails more complex gas
mixes and procedures. As an avid professional and recreational diver and scuba instructor,
I highly recommend this informative and user-friendly book. My only regret is that it
wasn’t written years ago!
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