Nitrox now or later

[FuzzyMelton]

Sorry if this has been discussed earlier, did a search and didn't find what I was looking for.

Not certifed, my instructor offers Nitrox certification along with PADI certification at the same time.

Should I go for the Nitrox or just focus on the standard certification and complete the Nitrox later?

Thanks,
Fuzzy

 

[Gator Diver]

If you have the extra cash, take the Nitrox class.

 

[ChrisA]

Sorry if this has been discussed earlier, did a search and didn't find what I was looking for.

Not certifed, my instructor offers Nitrox certification along with PADI certification at the same time.

Should I go for the Nitrox or just focus on the standard certification and complete the Nitrox later?

Thanks,
Fuzzy

Nitrox is all "book work" there is no skill involved so you could learn it at the same time. It's not like you need dive experiance to learn nitrox. But do you need it? Depend on your plans. If you will be doing repetitive dives in the same day to depths between 60 to 100 feet then yes Nirox helps. The clasic example where nitrox is usfull would be on a live aboard dive boat. Nitrox is least usfull to the dive who does one dive off the beach in a day. That said the theory that yu learn in the nitrox class is nice to know just for general education even if you don't need nitrox.

But as a new diver you will really only need to use nitrox because you will be diving shallow untill you gain experiance.

 

[Rick Inman]

I think Nitrox should be a part of open water class anyway.

Do the Nitrox class.

 

[Scubagolf]

Are you talking about taking the Nitrox course right after you finish your Open Water (OW) certification? I'm not sure that I see the need, nor the point of doing it right away. Unless you are planning on going on a "live-aboard" trip right after getting certified, I would wait and get some dives under your belt first and then do the nitrox course. There is some controversy on whether nitrox is really much of a benefit for most recreational divers.

 

[KazooDiver]

I say take the class if you have the money! I believe that the more knowlege you have about diving the safer! Besides your already in the learning mode so you might as well...There are alot of instructors that are offering this as part of the basic class!
Hope you have lots of great diving!

 

[JessH]

The only reason not to get it would be the money. Even if you don't plan on using it much it is always good to have the option.

~Jess

 

[Rick Inman]

Are you talking about taking the Nitrox course right after you finish your Open Water (OW) certification? I'm not sure that I see the need, nor the point of doing it right away. Unless you are planning on going on a "live-aboard" trip right after getting certified, I would wait and get some dives under your belt first and then do the nitrox course. There is some controversy on whether nitrox is really much of a benefit for most recreational divers.

Understanding gases and pressures is such a basic scuba principle - not taught completely in BOW - that a nitrox class is really the next obvious conclusion for the new diver. At the risk of sounding koolaidish, the best place to breath straight air is only on the surface. Without even taking the class, anyone can understand that the less nitrogen in your tank the better - because nitrogen is not your friend under pressure.

If you just think about prolonging your bottom time, I'll grant you, nitrox is not that big a deal for the new diver. But if you think about reducing the amount of nitrogen in your mix (and blood), how can you loose?

JMHO.

 

[Dive-aholic]

If all you're planning on doing after certification is 30' dives, then it's not worth it. Nitrox doesn't really become worth paying the extra money until you start doing dives to 50-60' or deeper. Then the benefits are realized. If that's not in your plans for a while, or if you won't be diving enough to justify it, then put it off because by the time you do dive it, you'll have forgotten all you learned about it during your OW course.

OTOH, if you plan on diving a lot and advancing your experience level on a regular basis, then it might be beneficial to learn it now. Just make sure you're going to use it. If you don't use it, you'll forget it.

 

[The Kraken]

Take the nitrox class.

If nothing else, it teaches you a great deal more about how your breathing gas works in conjunction with your body and your diving depths than does the basic open water course.

Knowledge, when properly applied, is a good thing.

the K