Enriched air diver certification

[knotical]

…So I can do the AOW and include say the EAN then I only need 1 more EAN dive outside the AOW for the card…

PADI does not require any dives for Nitrox. Nor do several other agencies.

…How many dives are needed in each specialty…

The minimum number of scuba dives for PADI specialties include:

Zero dives:
Coral Reef Conservation
Digital Photographer (minimum one snorkel dive required)
Emergency Oxygen Provider
Equipment Specialist
Nitrox (2 dives optional)
Project AWARE

Two dives:
Altitude
Boat
Diver Propulsion Vehicle
Drift
Dry Suit
Fish Identification
Multilevel
National Geographic
Naturalist
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Photographer

Three dives:
Ice **
Navigator
Night
Rebreather **
Videographer

Four dives:
Cavern **
Deep *
Search and Recovery **
Wreck *

* Those marked with a single splat have a prerequisite cert of Adventure Diver (part way to Advanced).
** Those marked with a double splat have a prerequisite cert of Advanced Open Water Diver.

EDIT: PADI also has many more specialties. One category is "Standardized Distinctive Specialties". These include:

Zero Dives:
AED for Divers
Marine Life Injuries
Neurological Assessment
Sea Turtle Awareness – 2 snorkel or scuba dives
Whale Shark Awareness – 2 snorkel or scuba dives

2 dives:
Invasive Lionfish Tracker

3 dives:
Self Reliant Diver – prerequisite: Advanced Open water and 100 dives

Another category is "Distinctive Specialties" that an individual instructor prepares and gets approved by PADI. These include:
Touch the Sea®
Full Face mask
Coral Reef Ecology
Underwater Archeology
Vintage Diving
Diving History
and many dozens more. . .

And one more that used to be a standard specialty, but is no longer PC: Hunter

 

[TMHeimer]

I did AOW in FL in '06. One of my Adventure dives was Nitrox. The instructor required me to do the first half of the Nitrox Manual & the knowledge review for it. He said I could do the 2nd dive and the rest of the book back home to complete the cert. (the 2 dives were still required then). Didn't turn out that way. Back home I had to do the whole course over (no big deal) as they said it cost them almost the same to teach me the 2nd half. Maybe if I completed it with the orig. shop I could've just done the 2nd half at a later date.

 

[joel smith]

Good Stuff

 

[CuNanoTube]

I did my EANx through NAUI, which compared to the guy in the class doing it through PADI was much more technical. Well, as technical as basic gas law and pressure conversions get. It is worth your time, because if you calculate how much per minute diving costs the extra time nitrox gives you is valuable. (well, in my area at least)

 

[racerx_]

this is awesome so far.. what i can't figure out is why PADI doesn't explain this stuff more clearly on the site haha.. the whole advanced/adventure/specialty thing is pretty vague as far as what the process is, how they relate to each other and what the implications are after taking the course as far as the PADI materials..

its interesting too, cause i live in singapore. I find over here people are much more strict on the certs and doing everything by the book whereas i hear a lot more from american divers emphasis on the RECOMMENDED limits and stuff ha. i'm american, but just saying lol

 

[USVet96]

Great info everyone, and great post knotical.

So if the AOW course consists of 5 dives (wreck and deep + your choice 3), it doesn't make sense to do the Adventure then add 2 dives.

I'm trying to figure what makes the best and most sense here. I want to do the EAN, and probably wreck, recovery, cavern, nav, and rebreather.

Based on the requisites and course descriptions, which way is the best to accomplish this?

I'm thinking do the AOW (with wreck plus deep then add 1 EAN, 1 nav, and 1 recovery). Then do each of the specialties for those (wreck, deep, nav, search and recovery, then rebreather).

Then Rescue Diver.

Does this make sense, or is there an easier way to accomplish what I'm looking to do. And I don't mean easier as in the quickest and least amount of work, I mean most efficient way. I'm also going to be rec diving along the way to improve my skill set.

Thanks

 

[knotical]

…So if the AOW course consists of 5 dives (wreck and deep + your choice 3)…

Actually, the two required dives are Nav and Deep, not Wreck and Deep. But since you’re planning to do Nav anyway, it's moot.

The choice you mention is usually a mutual choice between you and the instructor. For example, there might be logistical issues of which you are not aware.

…I want to do the EAN, and probably wreck, recovery, cavern, nav, and rebreather…

Just so you know, Cavern and Rebreather (and Ice) cannot be started until after completion of AOW. But again, you weren't planning to include either one in AOW anyway.

…Does this make sense...

Makes sense to me, especially the part about eventually doing the Rescue course. Enjoy!

 

[USVet96]

One other quick question if you don't mind.

Doing a little research into the EAN course, if the 2 check out dives are optional, and the class is theoretically academia, why do they charge $200 for the class materials (without dives)

Thanks again for all your assistance, I really appreciate it.

 

[DevonDiver]

Who charges that?!?

 

[USVet96]

LDS and PADI (ePADI learning) lol. I think it's crazy. Now if you NEEDED the 2 dives and it came WITH them AND the materials for $200, ok.

But ........

LOL