I am taking the NAUI nitrox with my daughter now from a local instructor and what @Jcp2 describes pretty closely matches my experience.
Nitrox certification...
- Thread starter Eyegore
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If you're not terribly interested in theory, and really want to know what you need to know about Nitrox, here is the video:
I'm in California... last shop I worked for charged $150 for the PADI nitrox course. That was for traditional classroom instruction, but did not include any dives.
It's possible that the $280 price includes a boat trip... not essential for the nitrox class, but makes for a clever way for the shop to sell another spot on the boat.
PADI minimum requirements for the nitrox class are really designed for the "vacation diver", i.e. the bare minimum amount of knowledge to get the dive in the water with a nitrox tank. So the actual class you get will vary not just with instructor, but also with location. If you take the class in a vacation setting, you are likely to get that "vacation" class: one or two hours, whip through a quiz, analyze a tank and you're done.
Most of my students, in southern California, are locals that are planning to dive locally. So my nitrox class takes that into account and provides the knowledge that they will need to be regular, competent, nitrox-breathing divers here.
1967Goat
Contributor
For a frame of reference I took a SSI Nitrox course this past November in Playa del Carmen. Probably a "vacation course" as mentioned by yle above. For some history, we've gone to an all inclusive resort the past 3 years...diving is not included in the "all inclusive", but they have a dive shop on site at the resort. I get up from my spot at the pool and walk 50 feet to the shop. They don't sell anything at the shop (no masks, BCD's, fins, etc...), just diving. They do have fins, BCDs, etc... for rental. They are, I guess, what most here would call a "valet service" dive shop. Playa dives are $80 for a 2 tank dive if charged to your room. If we take the boat over to Cozumel it's about $150 (45 min boat ride). He gives a discount if you pay cash (USD).
I have about 30 air dives or so under my belt. All warm water vacation dives. The divemaster/owner asked if I was interested in diving Nitrox this year, again my third year at this dive shop. I said sure, but I didn't really know anything about it. There was me and another guy, who I didn't know, he was from California.
Our instruction was about 45 mins - 1 hour going over what Nitrox is, and what it isn't, history, etc... Then, on our own time we completed the SSI online course work. Probably about 2-3 hours or so if I had to guess. Once we finished that on our own time, we went over analyzing the mixtures with his meters and more theory. Probably about another hour to an hour and a half.
The total charge... $50, which he said all went to SSI. He said he made zero dollars from it. It was an extra $6 per tank for Nitrox on our 2 tank dives...I did three two tank dives that week.
I have about 30 air dives or so under my belt. All warm water vacation dives. The divemaster/owner asked if I was interested in diving Nitrox this year, again my third year at this dive shop. I said sure, but I didn't really know anything about it. There was me and another guy, who I didn't know, he was from California.
Our instruction was about 45 mins - 1 hour going over what Nitrox is, and what it isn't, history, etc... Then, on our own time we completed the SSI online course work. Probably about 2-3 hours or so if I had to guess. Once we finished that on our own time, we went over analyzing the mixtures with his meters and more theory. Probably about another hour to an hour and a half.
The total charge... $50, which he said all went to SSI. He said he made zero dollars from it. It was an extra $6 per tank for Nitrox on our 2 tank dives...I did three two tank dives that week.
Not really. The TDI online course is pretty thorough. I know because when I became a TDI instructor I had to do it.
I found a couple of errors in it when I did it that I reported and they fixed. I was a YMCA Instructor before crossing over to TDI.
You'll still have to contact a shop to do the practical part where you analyze actual cylinders.
I charge $50 for the practical if a student does the online class. Basically covers the cost of the gas used and the card processing fee.
If someone does the whole class I charge 145 bucks and that includes the manual and exposure table. If your math skills are reasonable, the TDI class in person takes 3-4 hours.
I did it through a PADI instructor, somewhere around $150. We did the normal PADI stuff, but there was a lot of math to go over. She pulled out all the tables and we went over the EAD tables as well and there was some math on converting back and forth. Definitely above and beyond, which I liked.
My wife got it from a different instructor (SSI) more local and privately for $140.
Personally, I think it's a waste of time and money unless you WANT to learn more. I'll take my wife and I as examples; she could care less about all the math. She'll take the analyzer, right down her MOD, enter it in her dc, and away she goes. I think that's a lot of the divers out there (nothing at all wrong with that). Analyze, MOD, enter in dc, go see fish, stay above MOD....pretty simple. She could have learned that for $50 in a 5 minute class.
I, and I believe most of us nerds* on SB, want more so we read and retain as much as we can. I get that all the stuff is thrown into the class to prevent being sued for "devil gas", but for most people it's in one ear and out the other.
I'd say get the card from the cheapest place you can....if you want more, go read more.
*not meant in offense, I'm a member and fellow nerd
My wife got it from a different instructor (SSI) more local and privately for $140.
Personally, I think it's a waste of time and money unless you WANT to learn more. I'll take my wife and I as examples; she could care less about all the math. She'll take the analyzer, right down her MOD, enter it in her dc, and away she goes. I think that's a lot of the divers out there (nothing at all wrong with that). Analyze, MOD, enter in dc, go see fish, stay above MOD....pretty simple. She could have learned that for $50 in a 5 minute class.
I, and I believe most of us nerds* on SB, want more so we read and retain as much as we can. I get that all the stuff is thrown into the class to prevent being sued for "devil gas", but for most people it's in one ear and out the other.
I'd say get the card from the cheapest place you can....if you want more, go read more.
*not meant in offense, I'm a member and fellow nerd
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