Should Nitrox Certification require dives....

[Don Burke]

Would an infrequent diver see a need to get nitrox certed?

I would imagine so. I am thinking of the person who hits warmer climes for a week or so out of the year and dives his butt off.

 

[scubatwinned]

The ground truth is that Nitrox classes require checkout dives because it is a Quality Assurance "band aid" to try to catch & correct those divers who have nevertheless gotten into the system without fully adequate diving skills.


Which means that the original question here can be deconstructed as follows:

a) Would a follow-on Nitrox course receive benefit from requiring checkout dives if OW's realized training skills were fully adequate?

(Nope)

b) Would a follow-on Nitrox course receive benefit from requiring checkout dives since the reality is that OW's realized training skills aren't fully adequate?

(and therein lies the band aid...er "rub").-hh

Maybe a diver should have 2-300 logged dives to be elligable for a nitrox cert.

 

[Don Burke]

Maybe a diver should have 2-300 logged dives to be elligable for a nitrox cert.

I know too many people who say they have 200 dives of experience when they have actually repeated their first five dives forty times.

If you want to ensure skills, test for the skills before the course.

 

[scubatwinned]

I would imagine so. I am thinking of the person who hits warmer climes for a week or so out of the year and dives his butt off.

hhmmm...really? For one week or so down south a year... I would think getting his butt on a couple of dives and then he'd be more worried about drinks and some bikini clad butts, but I can see your point if he dives at home every so often and uses nitrox there also.

 

[trevinkorea]

Maybe a diver should have 2-300 logged dives to be elligable for a nitrox cert.

I don't know that a minimum number of dives would be useful for the basic nitrox cert but I do think it would be applicable for advanced nitrox or any deco course.

I think that expereince is not given the importance it should be. A diver with 100 dives is not necessarily ready to do more advanced dives especially if they have taken an extended break from diving.

I did some research on Advanced nitrox and decompression courses and was surprised that instructor's were willing to sign me up. Some didn't even ask how many dives I had logged.

I agree we need definate standards,but for basic nitrox even somone with only 20 dives would probably be fine with the course.

 

[scubatwinned]

I know too many people who say they have 200 dives of experience when they have actually repeated their first five dives forty times.

If you want to ensure skills, test for the skills before the course.

LOGGED dives so the instructor can see what they have done.
But they have 200+ times used their bouyancy and other in water skills. Even if they did the same dive site over and over they have to feel better about their in water comfort level to add eanx to their diving.

 

[jagfish]

out of curiosity...

While some in this thread are understandably concerned that inept Nitorx divers will injure themsleves in an Oxtox, I wonder how the evidence pans out.

Nitrox is the single most successful specialty PADI offers. I wonder how often recreatioanl divers suffer from this malady...

Anyone know?

 

[scubatwinned]

I agree we need definate standards,but for basic nitrox even somone with only 20 dives would probably be fine with the course.

A person who only has 20 dives has to - if rental, deal with unfamiliar gear, watch their bouyancy, keeping their MOD in mind - closely watch their depth, follow the DM, is there a current, watch their buddy, watch their gas consumption, do what diving is all about - looking at stuff. Do they know the dive site? Which way back to the boat?

As a novice diver should the words Oxygen toxicity be rattling around in their heads when they have all these other things to think about?

Truthfully now, would you want them as your dive buddy?

 

[jonnythan]

Just because there can be a diver with 20 dives that has no buoyancy control whatsoever doesn't mean that we need to protect divers from nitrox until they have 200 dives. That can take years at a typical pace of a diver.

I think it should be taught in OW class. 200 dives is a ridiculous amount to require for nitrox.

 

[HammerNoMore]

Ok this is post 130. I won't even pretend I've read this thread but the answer is NO. The only "dive" skill needed for nitrox is the ability to maintain depth. If you are OW certified and don't have this skill than you were ripped off...