PADI Nitrox Course

The PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver specialty
The most popular PADI specialty scuba diving course is the PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver course. Nitrox Diving (enriched air nitrox) gives more no decompression dive time, allowing the diver to stay longer underwater, especially on repetitive dives, by having an increased amount of Oxygen and less Nitrogen in the breathing gas of the scuba tank.

Just what is enriched air/nitrox? Enriched air/nitrox is a relatively new to tool to recreational diving, although it has been used by the navy since the 1940's. The intention is to extend your no stop dive time - SAFELY. This gas is particularly effective in the 25m -35m range. Enriched air (as you will learn) depends on the exact mixture of oxygen and nitrogen. It extends dive time by replacing some of the nitrogen in our normal air mixture with a higher percentage of oxygen. You already know that our bottom time is dictated by a depth and time limitation based on nitrogen being absorbed into our system. If we decrease the nitrogen then our NDL's should be longer.

There is a trade off for being able to stay longer at these depths and using higher concentration of oxygen… A higher oxygen percentage brings new concerns and precautions due to the effect oxygen has on our central nervous system. The PADI Enriched Air Course teaches you how to plan dives and to take into consideration both nitrogen and oxygen exposure limits. You learn how to find and log these limits based on PADI's Enriched Air RDP's.

Nitrox Dives - The Benefits:
Some Nitrox divers believe that they feel less tired after the dive, when using enriched air scuba tanks.  However, the primary benefit is the substantially 'longer' bottom time for dives made within the limits of recreational scuba diving. For example: The 'no decompression limit' for a dive made to a depth of 22 meters is 37 minutes. If the diver uses a nitrox tank filled with one of the most popular nitrox mixes of EANx36%, his dive time can be extended up to 70 minutes. This extended 'bottom time' is particularly beneficial when wreck diving, deep diving and taking underwater photographs.

 

During the PADI Enriched Air Course you learn to select the appropriate nitrox mixture for your planned depth, analyse the mix to ensure accuracy and safety, and determine the oxygen exposure limits after each dive. There's much more to this course than just diving! Our experienced instructors will teach you:

  • How to enjoy longer dives by using enriched air nitrox
  • Scuba Diving Equipment for Diving Nitrox
  • Oxygen Exposure Management
  • Enriched air considerations
  • Nitrox Dive Computers
  • Gas Analysis
  • Gas Blending

This course will teach you all that is necessary to enable you to use Nitrox and therefore extend your No Decompression limits. As well as increasing these limits by reducing the amount of Nitrogen absorbed it also shortens your recovery and "off gassing" time between dives. Making it the perfect partner for repetitive diving

You can get more information about this course and meet the staff of Sussex Scuba by following this link to the PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Course

So what are you waiting for…. The big blue Ocean is waiting for you

If you would like more information on Sussex Scuba please follow this link to our main site

Is this course not what you are looking for? Have a look at our other Diving Courses.