OW and Nitrox Cert at the same time??

[wedivebc]

my friend is enrolling in her 1st OW class and she is trying to figure out if she should just stick with the OW or go ahead and get the Nitrox cert as well? Has anyone heard of this before? Any suggestions??

Thanks, jen

I don't very often see an new open water diver who can make a tank of air last long enough to exceed the air NDL. After a few dives and you friend finds she needs the extended bottom times nitrox provides then it is a better time to approach that extra training.
I also feel OW students have enough to deal with as it is.

cheers,

 

[ShakaZulu]

It's my opinion that it's best to get certed for Nitrox as soon as possible. If you make a mistake and overstay your NDL or shoot to the top, at least you have a better change to avoid DCS. The lower nitrogen levels is not a bad idea at all.

 

[Windwalker]

I don't very often see an new open water diver who can make a tank of air last long enough to exceed the air NDL. After a few dives and you friend finds she needs the extended bottom times nitrox provides then it is a better time to approach that extra training.
I also feel OW students have enough to deal with as it is.

cheers,

I found that in the nice warm water of the Pacific Northwest, that the Nitrox actually helps me perform better. I don't get tired as fast, I don't get the headaches that my buddies get, and I am ready to go into the water faster with less of a surface interval.

As far as OW students and having enough to deal with. IF they were trained properly then they know how to plan their dive, and stick to their plan during the dive. If they can do that, then all they have to do is set a MOD in the dive plan and not go deeper. Any BOW student should be able to manage their depth, boyancy and air. Nitrox would just add a level of comfort to the dive that should make it more enjoyable. This probably differs from warm water significantly, The last warm water dive I did was on the Great Barrier Reef in 1999. Ever since then I have been diving in the PNW.

 

[wedivebc]

I found that in the nice warm water of the Pacific Northwest, that the Nitrox actually helps me perform better. I don't get tired as fast, I don't get the headaches that my buddies get, and I am ready to go into the water faster with less of a surface interval.

As far as OW students and having enough to deal with. IF they were trained properly then they know how to plan their dive, and stick to their plan during the dive. If they can do that, then all they have to do is set a MOD in the dive plan and not go deeper. Any BOW student should be able to manage their depth, boyancy and air. Nitrox would just add a level of comfort to the dive that should make it more enjoyable. This probably differs from warm water significantly, The last warm water dive I did was on the Great Barrier Reef in 1999. Ever since then I have been diving in the PNW.

Yes but don't you think someone would see after the benefit of ntx after diving air for a while? It takes a few dives to realize how much better you feel after ntx. Oh and I'm a cold water guy too.

cheers,

 

[jbd]

It's my opinion that it's best to get certed for Nitrox as soon as possible. If you make a mistake and overstay your NDL or shoot to the top, at least you have a better change to avoid DCS. The lower nitrogen levels is not a bad idea at all.

Are you using an air table or a nitrox table to determine NDL's in this example?

 

[wstein]

I did my Nitrox a month after I did my OW. In between, I managed to log a few dives in preperation for my trip to the Keys later that summer. I don't see any problem with teaching Nitrox immediately after OW training. It gives a diver another tool to use to help them enjoy safe diving. Now understanding the different depths for the different O2 levels, does take a good understanding of the limits of Nitrox. My LDS would always mark the percentage and mod on the labels they put on the tanks. Simply reading those and planning your dive based upon that information and not pushing yourself too soon in your dive career, a new diver can enjoy the benefits of Nitrox.

Safe diving ya'll
Paul

 

[jloving1]

it has been great to read everyones replys so far. The plan with her training is that while larning the basics they throw the nitrox in. during the 2 days of cert dives, the 1st day includes 3 air dives and the 2nd day is 2 nitrox dives. when i first heard about it i was kind of suprised to see the 2 at the sam time but maybe it isnt that outrageous. thanks for all your reply's and i cant wait to direct her to this board and let her read up and make a good decision!!!

jen

 

[MechDiver]

As far as OW students and having enough to deal with. ...snip... Any BOW student should be able to manage their depth, boyancy and air.

Unfortunately this is not the current reality of OW training except in fairly rare cases IME.

My opinion remains the same.

MD

 

[HammerNoMore]

When i first heard about it i was kind of suprised to see the 2 at the sam time but maybe it isnt that outrageous.

I think it's more common to combine AOW with EAN but it is done and specificly covered in the PADI IM:

If you are a PADI Enriched Air Specialty Instructor you may combine Open Water Training Dive 4 with Dive 1 from the PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty course. This allows you to introduce enriched air nitrox diving to student divers as part of their final training dive and credit the dive toward both courses and certifications.

AFIK EAN is the only course PADI allows to be combined with another course. There are no "diving" skills involved, it's simply knowledge. (Some orgs don't require dives at all for the cert.) As long as your SO is doing ok with the knowedge portion of the course and and can handle the extra load it's fine.

James

 

[Windwalker]

Yes but don't you think someone would see after the benefit of ntx after diving air for a while? It takes a few dives to realize how much better you feel after ntx. Oh and I'm a cold water guy too.

cheers,

Point. Yea.. I noticed a big difference when I switched. I guess if I started using Nitrox from the beginning I would not see the benefit. Now I choke air only on special occasions.