Anyone tried the PADI online courses yet?

[Swan1172]

Just got an e-mail from PADI that they are offering two classes online-- Scuba Review and NITROX. I am particularly interested in the NITROX class. Not that I don't like my LDS, but their classroom leaves a little to be desired. It is in the basement of the converted house they use for their retail shop, and they have a couple of cats that live in the shop that drive my allergies crazy. I thought I was going to die during my Open Water classroom with my watering eyes and sneezing.

I checked out a couple of different alternatives in my area, one of which was SSI's NITROX course which was classroom only. I understand that breathing underwater is breathing underwater, and that the change in the compostion of the gases has little to do with technique, but I would rather have a few more dives with an instructor when I am learning NITROX.

To that end, have any of you tried the new PADI class? I am very interested, but wanted to hear some opinions.

Thanks!

 

[MoonWrasse]

How does one do either online? For a Scuba Review, there's a short written part, but I've done that on the boat enroute to the dive site.

Link?

 

[RICHinNC]

Interesting. When I did my PADI nitrox course there were TWO dives required. How do you do that on line?? If they have that figured out....then maybe we can get air on line too and the heck with LDSs !!!!
(that might explain this weird thing sticking out the side of my new pc and hissing all the time)

 

[DIVER_11]

one of the lds here does that for there ow cert all the classwork is done at home then you get a review to see if you learned it all then you go to the water. guess thats just one more way of speeding things along for the people that don't want to take time to do things right.

just my 2

i think you should'nt cut out any class time learn it right so everyone is safe. have a good day

 

[Marek K]

Checking out the PADI web site (http://www.padi.com/english/common/courses/rec/continue/), it looks like both on-line offerings are just the theory portions of their respective courses. Both then require in-water application with a local instructor.

The Nitrox seems to be the equivalent of their Nitrox I theory course; it still requires the two open-water dives for full certification, which you arrange for locally. The price of $30 for the on-line portion doesn't seem bad at all, compared with what I've seen offered -- especially here in Europe (like 35 Euros for the Part I).

And the OW refresher also requires a confined water skills review locally. I'm not sure the $30 that PADI wants for that on-line course would be worth it; if you've got your OWD course materials, I think you could do a review independently, prior to a confined water session. Assuming of course your materials are current.

--Marek

 

[616fun]

Note that this is a DISCOVER Enriched Air course. This means it's an 'adventure' dive and does not get you a certification card, so you won't be able to get EANx fills after completion of the course. You'll have to get an instructor to transfer credit the on-line course gives and pay that instructor for his/her time to obtain certification. I guess I don't see that it's going to save you much in the long run, since in essense you have to complete the full enriched class anyway.

 

[Marek K]

Note that this is a DISCOVER Enriched Air course. This means it's an 'adventure' dive and does not get you a certification card, so you won't be able to get EANx fills after completion of the course. You'll have to get an instructor to transfer credit the on-line course gives and pay that instructor for his/her time to obtain certification. I guess I don't see that it's going to save you much in the long run, since in essense you have to complete the full enriched class anyway.

Brian--

From what I'm reading, it's not a dive at all. You're right; doesn't look like it gives you a Nitrox certification, and it shouldn't without the dives. But that's not the point.

As I understand it (not having taken it yet), the PADI Nitrox course is a two-part course. Part One is theory, and Part Two is basically open-water application. And from what I've seen, you're often charged separately for each of the two parts. Unless I'm mistaken?

From what I see on PADI's web site, the new on-line course gives you credit for the theory part; all you have to do then is do the second in-water part locally. I quote:

DISCOVER Enriched Air NITROX is the first part of a two part certification, allowing you to discover the benefits of enriched air diving without going through the complete PADI Enriched Air Diver course. Once you decide that enriched air diving is for you, you can get your PADI Enriched Air Diver certification by simply completing the second part of the course through your PADI Dive Center or Resort.

--Marek

 

[616fun]

Brian--

From what I'm reading, it's not a dive at all. You're right; doesn't look like it gives you a Nitrox certification, and it shouldn't without the dives. But that's not the point.

As I understand it (not having taken it yet), the PADI Nitrox course is a two-part course. Part One is theory, and Part Two is basically open-water application. And from what I've seen, you're often charged separately for each of the two parts. Unless I'm mistaken?

From what I see on PADI's web site, the new on-line course gives you credit for the theory part; all you have to do then is do the second in-water part locally. I quote:

DISCOVER Enriched Air NITROX is the first part of a two part certification, allowing you to discover the benefits of enriched air diving without going through the complete PADI Enriched Air Diver course. Once you decide that enriched air diving is for you, you can get your PADI Enriched Air Diver certification by simply completing the second part of the course through your PADI Dive Center or Resort.

--Marek

I just did the PADI EANx course. I'll do the checkout dives on Sunday. Here in town it's one price for the course (both classroom and OW). The other expenses you incur is renting the EANx tanks (you can't fill your personal air tanks with enriched air unless you dedicate the tank(s) to EANx and have them cleaned to specs for it- covered in the class) and admission into the dive site.

It's the same cost for the course even if you don't do the checkouts with the instructor you take the classroom portion with (i.e., you do the classroom work in your home town and then do the OW dives on a referral in the Keys), but you will have to pay the referral instructor for the OW dives. So, I would guess going this route would cost more.

The other part I don't see on the PADI site is that most of the time transferring credits are at the instructors discretion.

I'm not sure the OW dives are a must for the course, but I like the idea. Other certifying agengies do not require OW for the cert. EANx is essentially a basic algebra course and a review and building on using the tables. It also covers the risks and benefits of EANx and how to calculate your MOD for a specific blend The OW dives will do nothing more than have you analyse tanks a couple more times (which you couldn't do in the on-line version of the course and is part of the requirements for the cert) and show that you know how to setup your computer (if you own one) for Nitrox. I don't mind doing the OW for the certification, as it gets me wet. Besides - any dive supervised by an instructor is a chance for me to get feedback and be a better diver.