PADI Enriched Air Diver Course

You have heard the questions…. You have asked them yourself: What is nitrox? What are the benefits? What about equipment? Can I really extend my no-decompression limits? When should I use nitrox? How do I get nitrox?

The PADI Enriched Air Diver Course is designed to teach you the procedures for safe recreational diving with enriched air/nitrox. Get your questions answered and eliminate the myths and mysteries of diving with mixed gas.

During the PADI Enriched Air Diver Course you will be able to select the appropriate nitrox mixture for your planned depth, analyze the mix to insure accuracy and safety, and determine the oxygen exposure limits after each dive. There's much more to this course than just diving!

Course Highlights

Just what is enriched air/nitrox? Enriched air/nitrox is recreational diving's latest tool in the struggle to safely extend no-decompression limits. This gas is particularly effective in the 50-100 foot rang. Enriched air (as you will learn) depends on the exact mixture of oxygen and nitrogen. It extends dive time by replacing some of the nitrogen in our normal air mixture with a higher percentage of oxygen. You already know that our bottom time is dictated by a depth and time limitation based on nitrogen being absorbed into our system. If we decrease the nitrogen then our NDL's should be longer. There is a trade off for being able to stay longer at these depths and using higher concentration of oxygen… A higher oxygen percentage brings new concerns and precautions due to the effect oxygen has on our central nervous system. The PADI Enriched Air Diver Course teaches you how to plan dives and to take into consideration both nitrogen and oxygen exposure limits. You learn how to find and log these limits based on PADI's Enriched Air RDP's.

Prerequisites: PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent. Minimum age 15.

Instructional Equipment: Students will receive the PADI Enriched Air Diver manual and access to the PADI Enriched Air Diver DVD. Northeast Scuba will supply two tanks of nitrox for the two optional dives. Normally there are two academic sessions and two open water dives for certification.

You can combine the Nitrox course with any other dive course and complete both at the same time. Using nitrox entails pre dive planning to select the appropriate gas mix for the planned dive. End of dive or post dive planning will have you calculating your CNS exposure and NDL for the next dive. It's easy, it's fun and you receive a benefit from diving nitrox.

Required Equipment and Materials: Students are responsible for providing a complete scuba equipment package including mask, fins, snorkel, boots, appropriate exposure protection, (students wishing to use dry suits must show proof of dry suit certification or they may elect to use Northeast Scuba's dry suit option for the course), hood, mitts or gloves, BCD with LPI , regulator with octopus or alternate air source (not a "Spare air"), SPG, depth gauge, timer or watch, compass, weight system, two tanks, knife, whistle, RDP and log book. Note: Some of the very basic equipment items may be available for rental, however items such as masks, fins, snorkels, timers, knives, and whistles must be purchased.

Tuition: $125.00 plus academic material - $84.95. With 2 dives tuition:$225 plus academic material.

Combine Nitrox with another course and the tuition is only $100.00 plus academic material.