Q on Enriched Air/Nitrox - PADI

[Gabriel Torres]

You know I am a newbie, so bear with me.

I am going to the Cook Islands on a diving vacations and the dive shop I am going to use is from "my" certification agency (PADI). I asked about getting Nitrox certified and they sent me a link to PADI's elearning saying that I needed to do the elearning part and pay PADI directly (at a cost of about AUD 259) and then when I arrive there, they would "issue my certification" for NZD 85. Which I found a little odd, since on PADI's website it says the elearning course includes the certification...

Does that make any sense?

Thanks,
Gabriel.

 

[DevonDiver]

Via eLearning you get a certificate to prove you completed the online theory training. This is not the same as the certification as a Enriched Air Nitrox Diver.

The dive center have to see that eLearning certificate, then provide you with the practical application (actual analysis and marking of a nitrox tank, with MOD calculation) before they can process your qualification.

 

[Gabriel Torres]

Thanks for the prompt reply!

 

[Centrals]

This must be the ONLY specialty course that does not require student to get wet!!! The two dives are optional!!
PADI will pocket all the money and no wonder it is the most popular specialty course for PADI.
It was NOT like that back in 1997. There was no such thing as optional dives, the two required dives were part of the course. And the theorey of "extended bottom time" was clearly demonstrated.

 

[oly5050user]

Here in New York ,we have student complete PADI elearning for nitrox via a link on our web site. Once they finish they give us a call to set up appointment with instructor on a one to one basis. There is absolutely no charge to do this. We get them their certification card at no charge. Not to say any facility charging for this service is ripping off their students, but this is our policy at the facility I teach out of.

 

[RJP]

This must be the ONLY specialty course that does not require student to get wet!!!

You stay fairly dry during "Equipment Specialist" too.

 

[Hawkwood]

Emergency O2 Provider

 

[RJP]

And the theorey of "extended bottom time" was clearly demonstrated.

Were there many divers that had so much trouble comprehending the "theory" that 63 minutes is longer than 46 minutes... that they actually needed to spend the extra 17 minutes underwater for it to make sense?

It's funny how people will bash PADI for any attempt to "grab all the money" at every turn, but in a case like this where the student is let off the hook on doing the dives (saving them the cost of two air fills, gear rental, dive park admission, travel costs, hassle, etc) they STILL get bashed.

I'd bet that if none of the agencies required dives (and many/most don't) and suddenly PADI added a two-dive requirement... everyone would be bashing that idea as being a money grab.

PS - PADI wasn't the first agency to drop the dive requirement for EANx.