Nitrox Certification - Check-Out Dive

[PK1]

I'm an Advanced Open Water diver w/ 130+ logged dives. I am thinking of getting Nitrox certified. I checked into courses in my area and found that some include a dive as part of the certification and some do not. Any thoughts on whether a check-out dive is essential?

 

[JMBL]

Would you have followed your OW class without diving ? In my opinion, it's just the same for Nitrox or any underwater activity : training means both theory and practise.

 

[violamama]

You're way more experienced than I, but the only thing different about our nitrox checkouts was the air testing and the dive planning. Both could be done with an instructor without ever putting a toe in the water. The dives were nice, but not strictly necessary.

 

[Levigarrett]

I did not do any dives when I obtained my Nitrox cert years ago. I do not think it's necessary frankly. I'm not opposed to the idea by any stretch but I do not think it's needed. Analyzing and dive planning are an important part of the pre-dive preparation but a dive using Nitrox is simply nothing special.

If I were to do it again and had both options, I'd comfortably select the course without a dive provided I was comfortable with competency of the class room instruction.

 

[chrisch]

... training means both theory and practise.

True. Practice for Nitrox means gas analysis. No need to get wet at all.

 

[TSandM]

If the price for the two is comparable, why not do the one with the dives? Time in the water with an instructor is always good.

 

[Oldbear]

I'm an Advanced Open Water diver w/ 130+ logged dives. I am thinking of getting Nitrox certified. I checked into courses in my area and found that some include a dive as part of the certification and some do not. Any thoughts on whether a check-out dive is essential?

The Enriched Air course is a "Theory" based course learning about O2 enriched gas for diving. The accompany dives are not essential. If you are told otherwise by a shop I would look elsewhere for training. If the dives are included in the training as a familiarity dive(s) you decide if the price is right. When I did my Enriched Air specialty I did it as a group package with other training specialties; so inclusively my dives were less expensive together than if I did them individually.

 

[scuba5150]

IMHO, the dives are not necessary. The majority of learning about nitrox is didactic knowledge and the practical aspect is analyzing the gas and setting your computer neither of which need a dive. Yes, it's always (usually) nice to dive with an instructor, but the cost differential of the nitrox class with and without dives is substantial (in my area) and I would rather put the money towards buying my own analyzer.

 

[PK1]

Many thanks for the replies. Much appreciated!

 

[kwinter]

The dives are necessary. On air, you learn to breathe in and out. On Nitrox it's totally the opposite.