Nitrox Specialty with PADI

[Dive Ranger]

I'm thinking hard about doing the Nitrox Specialty with PADI, but I noticed the local dive shops are having classes earlier in the year. Well, in the north east its cold out, and I'm not into getting cold anymore. Anyway, I'm not sure what to expect, I know, contact the dive shop, but I thought I'd try here first. How much class work, pre class reading, how may hours/days is the training and is there going to be any diving done? Just trying to get a feel of what to expect

 

[scoobydrew]

There is a range of possibilities. Some courses will include OW dives, some will not, both give you the same certification (in terms of the piece of plastic in your hand) some teach the new syllabus (if you are going through PADI) which is computer based and very thin, others still hold on to the tables and teach them which covers more theory.

Other people use the courses above as a guide and teach more thoroughly such as adding more theory and training.

The end certification is the same in all cases but the knowledge you end up with like pretty much all other courses depends on the person/facility delivering it.

I would fire off an email to the store you have seen and ask them how the course runs and what is included.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

The PADI Enriched Air Diver that I took at my local dive shop was about three hours of classroom and a few minutes working with an O2 analyzer. There was no diving involved. You can also take the PADI course through PADI elearning. https://www.padi.com/elearning-scuba-registration/purchasecourse.aspx

The elearning information says that you have to do two dives or predive simulations:

[h=3]PADI Enriched Air Diver Course – More Info[/h]What does it cover?
The PADI Enriched Air Diver course online includes all the knowledge development requirements for the course. You'll also have unlimited access to the PADI Enriched Air Diver manual online for reference after you have completed the course.
What are the PADI Enriched Air Diver course prerequisites?
You need to be a certified diver and at least 12 years old and fit for diving to be certified as a PADI Enriched Air Diver. Any certified diver who is at least 12 years old may enroll in the PADI eLearning Enriched Air Diver online program.
How does it work?
After enrolling, PADI's eLearning® system presents you with interactive presentations that include videos, audio, graphics and reading. Short quizzes let you gauge your progress, and review and correct anything you might happen to miss. This lets you move through the program efficiently and at your own pace.
What else is required to complete the course?
Prior to certification as a PADI Enriched Air Diver, you must complete a Quick Review, a Practical Application session and either two enriched air training dives or predive simulations, with a PADI Enriched Air Specialty Instructor. Contact your PADI Dive Center or Resort to schedule these sessions.
What does it cost?
The PADI Enriched Air Diver course online is $195 (US) nonrefundable. The fee covers the knowledge development training as well as unlimited access to the PADI Enriched Air Diver manual online. Your PADI Dive Center or Resort will charge an additional fee for participation in the Practical Application session and enriched air training dives, or predive simulations. Contact your PADI Dive Center or Resort regarding these additional costs.

 

[apertyx]

The PADI Nitrox course is now an on-line course as well -- all you'd have to do at your LDS is analyze a couple tanks to show you know how to do it correctly. The rest is all theory now, and you can do it online whenever you choose to. Figure a half hour at most at your LDS to sign you off. Only in Australia is diving with Nitrox mandatory (might be another country, but I am not aware of it).

Have fun whichever way you go, but you can certify in an evening if you like!!!!

 

[txapacheguy]

My wife and I did the PADI Nitrox course a couple of years ago while we were in Florida. I think it was $100-150 USD for each of us plus a few bucks for the book and materials.

We both did the knowledge review stuff before we showed up for the class, and probably spent an hour and a half apiece on it. The classroom lecture portion of the class lasted about two hours, and we spent 20 minutes or so in the back of the shop analyzing tanks and looking at gear. The test lasted less than an hour. After a few minutes worth of additional paperwork, we were done.

I never had the opportunity to do any recreational Nitrox diving before I went down the tech route. My wife still has not used her Nitrox training(and has admitted to having forgotten everything she learned in the class) . My recreational Nitrox certification was a prerequisite for the classes I took later on. The the fact that I had not gone diving with Nitrox prior to my Advanced Nitrox/Deco/Trimix classes had no negative effect on the outcome of the classes.

I would encourage you to take the class, and embrace the book work that comes with it rather than looking for a class that emphasizes the use of dive computers for all the calculations. The understanding you will gain from being able to calculate everything yourself (with the aid of a calculator) will help you make better choices and decisions about planning your gas and your dives.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

The PADI eLearning Enriched Air Course looks to be $195

Welcome to PADI eLearning

 

[knowone]

Considering padugh was the last to be dragged kicking and screaming into the recreational nitrox foray and only when "it" could appear to do so legitimately after the fast to forget forgot, I wouldn't out of principle touch anything they had to offer one, even with their stick

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Most half decent Independent PADI EANx Specialty Instructors are probably charging ~half what PADI eLearning costs, so even adding the Manual & RDP cost the students cert cost with an Independent PADI Instructor is likely <half the cert cost going eLearn/LDS.

 

[ElGaucho]

Try and get a good instructor, it could definetively make it worthwhile your time and money. E-learning just doesn´t give you any extras at all, just the basic knowledge (and very little on formulas which are important imho to understand, not memorize). I try to teach more into my Nitrox class, being also a gas blender instructor, I try to add to the students that are interested more info on blending methods, on oxygen handling, oxygen service and some tidbits of tech diving and how nitrox can effectively be used as an accelerated deco gas. All in all it takes me around 5 hours to give the entire lecture, including the DVD which I enjoy watching with the students and pausing and talking about stuff as it comes up. I think I give a very thorough Nitrox class that will give you the basics and prep you with enough base knowledge to take on Adv Nitrox or any other such tech class in the future. I want students to understand the concepts, not just "know" the basic Nitrox diving formula.

Nitrox can be a card, or it can be a class. I rather strive for a class.

 

[Colliam7]

I'm thinking hard about doing the Nitrox Specialty with PADI . . . How much class work, pre class reading, how may hours/days is the training and is there going to be any diving done? Just trying to get a feel of what to expect

As others have noted, the enriched air course is now a diving-optional course, and can even be completed (theory) through eLearning. The only time I teach it as a 'wet' course now is when I do so in conju8nction with a planned dive tri[p, where the student divers are going to be in the water anyway.

I just did a 'dry' course for 7 students through our shop, was scheduled for 5 hours, and ran over slightly, and here is what we did: 1) general discussion of enriched air use (what, why, how) - I actually started with Peter Guy's '30 second nitrox class' (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/400075-padi-nitrox-course-review.html) to stimulate the discussion; 2) Knowledge Review / academics; 3) RDP use in dive planning (probably the most difficult part for some people whio haven't used the RDP in a while, easiest part for newly certified OW divers; 4) tour / orientation of the shop fill station / gas analysis. I have each person analyze 5 'unknown' tanks (including one with very high O2, and one with less than 15% O2, just to see their reaction); 5) simulated dive planning - I give them the outline (e.g. site description, depths) of an actual two-tank coastal charter, tell them what mixes are available / banked at our shop and at the coastal charter site, and have them plan a 2-dive trip - mix(es), depths, run times, surface interval, resulting pressure groups, etc., after which we discuss their individual plans as a group, to see how they compare and what their reasoning was. We charge $79 for the class, plus the 'crew pak'.

Nitrox can be a card, or it can be a class. I rather strive for a class.

Well said!