Advice on refresher and nitrox

[Joe the plumber]

Hello all, PADI certified in 1993 but have not been since I was certified. Was looking to do refresher and I checked a few local places and the want $129-199. I see PADI does online refresher for $55 but of course will not have a in water dive. So opinions to take online course and then do my own dive or charter a dive? I live in the Jupiter,FL area and I can do some shallow dives first. Also nitrox certification the dive shops want $199 which sounds like a lot to me for a course that is really just academics? I found this place online Online Nitrox Certification - Scubagclid=CKfqrtzq07ECFc2a7Qodv0sAjw $79.95 for course. Will I have any trouble getting tanks filled with online course? The problem for me is I need to possibly buy some new equipment and with the price of these dive shop courses and the gear it is getting up there. So let me hear your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you, Joe

 

[OldNSalty]

$199 is high but I have never heard of SDA...sounds fishy to me. I would shop around. There has to be more then 1 shop around Jupiter.

 

[elan]

That site looks fishy to me...
Just get certified by PADI. There sure will be no questions anywhere

 

[Scott L]

That's a long gap. I would plan on working with a top instructor for longer than a refresher. Perhaps AOW after...

 

[Scuba_Noob]

At nearly 20 years and no dives after initial certification, I might even consider doing the initial Open Water course again. With a single digit dive history, there is almost no way you retained most of the important elements in two decades.

Sure, it's going to cost more, but you need to make sure you're doing it right and doing it safely. Check your local forums for any suggestions of excellent local dive ops and dive instructors.

As for Nitrox, the knowledge is good, but you likely don't need it yet. It's mostly useful for multiple dives per day, if you're getting close to your NDLs before you're getting lower on air, and/or if you want to stay deeper for longer.

 

[antattack]

Remember that an instructor should be paid for training you, the certifying agency gets paid for developing a recognized curriculum, managing records and attracting talented dive pros. Your local dive shop gets paid to market the program an provide the facility.

That refresher course is inexpensive if it lasts a total of five hours. Thank goodness most dive instructors teach because they love divers more than money

Beware cheap training. You will not get more than you pay for.

 

[antattack]

Oh, once you are back in the water and refreshed on the basics, the SSI nitrox course was very good. I liked that my instructor took me to the shop and watched me analyse my gas, then went on a dive with me. We planned a dive, worked the tables, programmed a rental dive computer and afterward, reviewed our dives and compared to our profiles on air.

The value of the practical experience was apparent when I was at my LDS helping with an OW class. Some new Nitrox divers where chased down by the shop tech because they didn't fill out the Nitrox log. Nobody ever showed them the drill.

I've dm'd the PADI Nitrox class- it also very good.

Have fun Diving!

 

[Bigd2722]

Check out Stuart Scuba. New shop just a few miles from Jupiter. Great prices on the good gear, not the pretty pink stuff. Avoid the online nitrox cert and get a real refresher or as suggested, take the entire cert course again

 

[ajduplessis]

The Nitrox course is purely academic, but maybe you can twist the instructors arm to do some dives on Nitrox and use that as refresher???

 

[DiveMaven]

Personally, I agree with the recommendation of taking OW again and relearning all of the academics and water skills you haven't practiced or thought of in 20 years.