Can I take my Nitrox with my open water class?

[adventurelarry]

Hi,
I have taken my open water book work and confined water dives. I will be doing my open water dives while on vacation in Florida. To maximize my dive time out there, can I take the nitrox now and be able to use nitrox the next day after getting my open water check off done?
Thanks,
Larry

 

[cudachaser]

Yep...Nitrox is just 4 hr more class with optional (recommended) dives

 

[snowflake4727]

Yes, you can.

 

[dbulmer]

AdventureLarry,

You could get Nitrox certed which will add to your knowledge which is always good but I think in the short term you should perhaps just use air on your dives. Why?

a) Your OW cert (assuming PADI) limits you to 18m and the benefits of nitrox start to kick in at deeper depths than this

b) Using Nitrox sets a Maximum Operating Depth which you should not exceed. This early in your dive career you need to dive a bit and practice the new skills you'll have learned in your class. Buoyancy control is one of those skills and making sure you are in control of your depth at all times is important but becomes even more important with Nitrox so that you don't exceed the MOD.

 

[Tailspin]

I may be wrong, but if you are going through PADI there may be a catch.

PADI's course description states that you need an OW certification (either PADI or other) as a prerequisite to taking the Enriched Air Diver class.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

AdventureLarry,

You could get Nitrox certed which will add to your knowledge which is always good but I think in the short term you should perhaps just use air on your dives. Why?

a) Your OW cert (assuming PADI) limits you to 18m and the benefits of nitrox start to kick in at deeper depths than this

b) Using Nitrox sets a Maximum Operating Depth which you should not exceed. This early in your dive career you need to dive a bit and practice the new skills you'll have learned in your class. Buoyancy control is one of those skills and making sure you are in control of your depth at all times is important but becomes even more important with Nitrox so that you don't exceed the MOD.

Agreed. I've had my Nitrox cert for awhile and have yet to actually dive with it: have simply never needed it. I'm glad to have the cert "just in case", but you really need to be doing a fair bit of deeper diving in a short time period to require it. If you're using regular sized, single tanks and not exceeding 60 feet, it would be pretty tough to exceed the limits.

 

[rongoodman]

While you're unlikely to exceed the NDL on a single 60' dive, on vacation, especially on a liveaboard, you might be doing 4-5 dives a day. Making repetitive dives like this is one area where using Nitrox comes into its own, reducing the cumulative N2 loading.

 

[Brishar]

Nitrox is a tool. Use the right tool for the job at hand.

As a brand new diver, let's assume you will not be diving deeper than 60 feet max.

Let's also assume you are using an Aluminum 80, the most popular size rental tank.

SSI air table shows a NDL of 50 minutes, PADI and NAUI air tables are slightly longer at 55 minutes. My PADI EAN 32 shows a max of 90 minutes and the PADI EAN 36 shows a NDL of 115 minutes. Quite an increase in bottom time as well as decreasing your nitrogen loading.

Most new divers deplete their breathing mix well short of reaching no decompression limits. For me, the more I dove, my increase in experience and knowledge, and the training I've taken have greatly improved my underwater comfort and breathing rate. My bottom time is now limited by NDL instead of remaining breathing mix.


I hope your dive career follows a similar path. Take the class, use the optimal mix for the dives you are planning. The course, along with a good instructor, will teach you how. I wish you well with your decision.

 

[DevonDiver]

PADI's course description states that you need an OW certification (either PADI or other) as a prerequisite to taking the Enriched Air Diver class.

From the PADI Enriched Air Speciality Instructor Manual...

Prerequisites
To qualify for the PADI Enriched Air Diver course, an individual must:

1. Be certified as a PADI Open Water Diver* or have a qualifying certification from another training organization.
2. Be 15 years of age or older.

* Open Water Diver course students who have completed Open Water Dives 1, 2 and 3 may complete Enriched Air Training Dive 1 combined with Open Water Dive 4.

Students completing this option must be certified as PADI Open Water Divers prior to Enriched Air Training Dive 2.

Student Qualifications
To qualify to take the PADI Enriched Air Diver course, an individual must:

..... have successfully completed Training Dives 1 through 3 in the PADI Open Water Diver course and be completing the combined Training Dive 4/Enriched Air Training Dive 1 option. Students completing this option must be certified as PADI Open Water Divers prior to Enriched Air Training Dive 2. (See Course Structure and sequence in Section One and Enriched Air Training Dive 1 in Section Two for more details and standards requirements for this option).

Combined Open Water Diver Training Dive 4/ Enriched Air Training Dive 1 Option

The combined Open Water Training Dive 4/Enriched Air Training Dive 1 option gives you the opportunity to introduce enriched air nitrox diving to PADI Open Water Diver students as part of their final training dive for the PADI Open Water Diver course. If successfully completed, the dive may be credited toward both courses and certifications, at instructor discretion. The following standards apply to this option:
1. The instructor must be a PADI Enriched Air Instructor.

2. The student must have successfully completed Open Water Training Dives 1-3.

3. The dive must be made with enriched air having 32 percent oxygen or higher. The student must plan the dive within the no decompression limits using the Enriched Air RDP for EANx32 or 36. If the dive will be made with a blend other than 32 or 36, the student must use the EANx RDP with less oxygen than the actual blend. (E.g., use the EANx32 RDP for EANx35, or the EANx36 RDP for EANx38). Use of enriched air dive computers is also recommended, but not required.

 

[DevonDiver]

In a nutshell.....

The first dive of the nitrox course can be completed whilst on the lastdive of the open water course.

You then have to complete one more dive to have completed the nitrox course (providing you choose the 'dive' option course).

Furthermore.... the second nitrox dive, can also be counted as the first dive of the AOW course. :-D