cvrle1
Contributor
I will be doing both at the same time. LDS has the option of combining them and getting a discount, so why the heck not 
Enriched Air v. Advanced Open Water Certifications
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Joe Burns
Registered
I think it really depends on your dive goals, and where/when you are going.
I found that AOW was usefull just because it was more opportunities to practice and build confidence. However, keep in mind, that I was training in the midwest, where dive opportunities are limited and conditions are a little more challenging (cold, low viz, etc). If I were somewhere with oportunity to dive more often in easier conditions, I'm not sure I would promote the AOW cert as much... While some of the skills in the course were helpful, I found overall it was mostly re-hashing a lot of the basics. If you easy access to go diving often in areas where you feel comfortable, build your skills through practice, and take the specialties (deep, cavern, navigation, etc) on their own for more hard core instruction and real skills than you will get in the AOW course.
If you are planning a trip that is explicity for diving, I think I would definitely recommend the Nitrox course. It's not a silver bullet for extended dive skills/experience, but I think it's useful for extended dive times and overall comfort.
I found that AOW was usefull just because it was more opportunities to practice and build confidence. However, keep in mind, that I was training in the midwest, where dive opportunities are limited and conditions are a little more challenging (cold, low viz, etc). If I were somewhere with oportunity to dive more often in easier conditions, I'm not sure I would promote the AOW cert as much... While some of the skills in the course were helpful, I found overall it was mostly re-hashing a lot of the basics. If you easy access to go diving often in areas where you feel comfortable, build your skills through practice, and take the specialties (deep, cavern, navigation, etc) on their own for more hard core instruction and real skills than you will get in the AOW course.
If you are planning a trip that is explicity for diving, I think I would definitely recommend the Nitrox course. It's not a silver bullet for extended dive skills/experience, but I think it's useful for extended dive times and overall comfort.
Advance your skills by taking individual specialties. Some shops will group specialties as an advanced package. Be sure you're getting an advanced course and not the "Advanced Adventurer" program which is simply an introduction to advanced courses without actually gaining certification in any of them.
After open water, the best things to take are 1. Deep, 2. Advanced Navigation and 3. Night & Limited Visibility. All three can quickly come into play for you when you start diving.
After these three you can reach advanced certification with a 4th specialty through most agencies. I'd recommend choosing something useful like Search & Recovery, Wreck or Advanced Buoyancy Control.
Beyond that, if you do not intend to become a Dive Master or Instructor, the final course you need to take is Rescue. This class (when taught properly) will give you much better confidence in the water and ready you for most things that may happen out there.
There is much debate about the usefulness of Nitrox. DAN (Divers Alert Network) and others have done extensive research into the benefit of EANitrox in recreational diving. The fact is that there is little benefit in using Nitrox - except that it puts extra money into a dive shop or dive resort owners pocket. In most cases, Nitrox has little benefit to recreational divers.
The exception to this rule is if you are doing multiple dives over multiple days... such as one a live-aboard dive trip. If you are doing 3 or more dives daily for 3 or more consecutive days, then it is possible to reach real benefits with Nitrox.
Also, if you intend to extend your education into technical diving, the basic Nitrox course is your first step into Advanced Nitrox & Deco Procedures, Trimix and Extended Range diving (beyond 130ft.)
If you are the type of diver who vacations a day or two here or there or dives say once or twice a day in shallow water on a week long vacation, with no intention of ever doing more "hardcore" diving, you are throwing money away on a Nitrox course and paying the extra money for Nitrox on you vacations.
Improve your diving with the advanced courses... then decide if you're the diver who needs Nitrox or not...
Welcome to the Wonderful Underwater World - Hope to See You There!
After open water, the best things to take are 1. Deep, 2. Advanced Navigation and 3. Night & Limited Visibility. All three can quickly come into play for you when you start diving.
After these three you can reach advanced certification with a 4th specialty through most agencies. I'd recommend choosing something useful like Search & Recovery, Wreck or Advanced Buoyancy Control.
Beyond that, if you do not intend to become a Dive Master or Instructor, the final course you need to take is Rescue. This class (when taught properly) will give you much better confidence in the water and ready you for most things that may happen out there.
There is much debate about the usefulness of Nitrox. DAN (Divers Alert Network) and others have done extensive research into the benefit of EANitrox in recreational diving. The fact is that there is little benefit in using Nitrox - except that it puts extra money into a dive shop or dive resort owners pocket. In most cases, Nitrox has little benefit to recreational divers.
The exception to this rule is if you are doing multiple dives over multiple days... such as one a live-aboard dive trip. If you are doing 3 or more dives daily for 3 or more consecutive days, then it is possible to reach real benefits with Nitrox.
Also, if you intend to extend your education into technical diving, the basic Nitrox course is your first step into Advanced Nitrox & Deco Procedures, Trimix and Extended Range diving (beyond 130ft.)
If you are the type of diver who vacations a day or two here or there or dives say once or twice a day in shallow water on a week long vacation, with no intention of ever doing more "hardcore" diving, you are throwing money away on a Nitrox course and paying the extra money for Nitrox on you vacations.
Improve your diving with the advanced courses... then decide if you're the diver who needs Nitrox or not...
Welcome to the Wonderful Underwater World - Hope to See You There!
NudeDiver
Contributor
Your nitrox comments are interesting.
Do you think there is really no benefit to using nitrox, on, say, the deeper divers in Cozumel, where you may run into the NDL? Assume large, steel tanks like Aldora uses - so that you actually have enough air for the NDL to be a potential issue. Also, assume 2 dives/day for 5/6 days.
Do you think there is really no benefit to using nitrox, on, say, the deeper divers in Cozumel, where you may run into the NDL? Assume large, steel tanks like Aldora uses - so that you actually have enough air for the NDL to be a potential issue. Also, assume 2 dives/day for 5/6 days.
NudeDiver
Contributor
With only 2 dives per day this will depend on your air consumption and surface interval, however if there was no time preasure then I would just extend my surface interval slightly and dive air. For me the slight delay is better than paying the extra cost and running the risk of going to deep for the mix.
If I was going to do 3 of more dives a day then nitrox would definitly be an advantage, worth the extra cost and care that must be taken.
Note: I do not feel that I get extra energy or am less tired after diving nitrox so that is not a perceived adantage for me.
I'm not sure what you're referring to as the deeper dives in Cozumel. I'm going to assume you're diving within recreational limits to (130ft and NDL)
As someone else noted... other factors come into play such as length of surface interval and your air consumption. If you're only doing two dives and you're staying within NDL on both dives, then it is highly unlikely Nitrox will make a difference or give you any real benefit.
The only way to take advantage of the extra air you're carrying in a larger tank at those depths is to go into decompression diving.
Because the most common Nitrox mixes have MOD's (Maxium Operating Depths) you may not even be able to get to 130 feet for any period of time without risking Oxygen Toxicity.
It is important to understand that Nitrox does not mean you can go deeper - quite the contrary. It is very limiting in the depth you can go... especially in the common mixes provided at resorts.. typically 32 or 36 percent.
I prefer air for all deep dives. In my opinion, the best thing you can do for deep diving is dive on air and make sure you understand your computer. Short decompression stops are not a horrible thing. As an example - we dive regularly in NC. Both our first and second dives are to depths between 100 - 130ft using LP 95's. My air consumption rate allows me about 45 minutes on each dive. At the end of the first dive I am nearing or slightly into DECO diving. Typically we have about a 2:30 minute surface interval. Our second dive usually ends requring a 10-12 minute DECO stop at 20 or 30 feet before ascending to our final 3 minute safety stop.
For this type of diving we recommend carrying a pony bottle of 19 or 30cf. The bottle is for emergency use only and we have never tapped into them.
So as you can see, there are many factors to consider... but my original statement about Nitrox having no real use in "most" recreational diving is factual.
1. Are you doing 3 or more dives a day over 3 or more consecutive days? YES to Nitrox
2. Anything Less? NO to Nitrox
3. Nitrox is NOT for deep diving - Understand MOD's (Maximum Operating Depths) for your % mix
4. Mixes provided at resorts typically pushes MOD limits - BEWARE of Nitrox use on deeper dives and the build-up of o2 in your system - usually the right-side bar gragh on many computers
NO one gets extra energy from Nitrox - this has been disproven... it is all mental... "you think you feel better... because someone told you it would make you feel better." The small % from 21% to 32 or 36% for the short time you breath it (30 - 60 minutes) is not capable of making you feel better. 100% oxygen has this ability... maybe something even close to it - but that is not safe for diving!
As someone else noted... other factors come into play such as length of surface interval and your air consumption. If you're only doing two dives and you're staying within NDL on both dives, then it is highly unlikely Nitrox will make a difference or give you any real benefit.
The only way to take advantage of the extra air you're carrying in a larger tank at those depths is to go into decompression diving.
Because the most common Nitrox mixes have MOD's (Maxium Operating Depths) you may not even be able to get to 130 feet for any period of time without risking Oxygen Toxicity.
It is important to understand that Nitrox does not mean you can go deeper - quite the contrary. It is very limiting in the depth you can go... especially in the common mixes provided at resorts.. typically 32 or 36 percent.
I prefer air for all deep dives. In my opinion, the best thing you can do for deep diving is dive on air and make sure you understand your computer. Short decompression stops are not a horrible thing. As an example - we dive regularly in NC. Both our first and second dives are to depths between 100 - 130ft using LP 95's. My air consumption rate allows me about 45 minutes on each dive. At the end of the first dive I am nearing or slightly into DECO diving. Typically we have about a 2:30 minute surface interval. Our second dive usually ends requring a 10-12 minute DECO stop at 20 or 30 feet before ascending to our final 3 minute safety stop.
For this type of diving we recommend carrying a pony bottle of 19 or 30cf. The bottle is for emergency use only and we have never tapped into them.
So as you can see, there are many factors to consider... but my original statement about Nitrox having no real use in "most" recreational diving is factual.
1. Are you doing 3 or more dives a day over 3 or more consecutive days? YES to Nitrox
2. Anything Less? NO to Nitrox
3. Nitrox is NOT for deep diving - Understand MOD's (Maximum Operating Depths) for your % mix
4. Mixes provided at resorts typically pushes MOD limits - BEWARE of Nitrox use on deeper dives and the build-up of o2 in your system - usually the right-side bar gragh on many computers
NO one gets extra energy from Nitrox - this has been disproven... it is all mental... "you think you feel better... because someone told you it would make you feel better." The small % from 21% to 32 or 36% for the short time you breath it (30 - 60 minutes) is not capable of making you feel better. 100% oxygen has this ability... maybe something even close to it - but that is not safe for diving!
For skills, I would go with the AOW course. After that, I would set my sights on Rescue. I heartily encourage every diver to get to Rescue level. It really is that much worth doing.
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
I too applaud you for wanting to carry on your dive training. Given the two choices, it is hands down AOW from me. You have 25 dives and as a couple people have already said, your skills, as a new diver, are still improving. AOW will give you instructed dives as well as very pertinent classes such as Peak Performance Buoyancy.
Unless you are planning on actually using the EANx certification (meaning many repetitive dives necessitating the need for a more oxygen rich mixture), it is just knowledge (which is definitely not a bad thing). At least the AOW will help you today and the EANx can be obtained when your obsession for diving takes over and you absolutely must dive more, more, more.
Unless you are planning on actually using the EANx certification (meaning many repetitive dives necessitating the need for a more oxygen rich mixture), it is just knowledge (which is definitely not a bad thing). At least the AOW will help you today and the EANx can be obtained when your obsession for diving takes over and you absolutely must dive more, more, more.
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