Nitrox Question

[iamjblevine]

I just paid 85.00 plus 36.00 for books.

 

[uncfnp]

90 plus book

 

[wedivebc]

did i ask a dumb question?

Not at all. A nitrox cert these days is little more than watching a video, doing and online class or basically getting a lecture on your way to the dive site. If someone is charging 170 for a nitrox course they are either giving you a real good course (doubtful) or they are ripping you off (likely)
Find out what you are getting for your money and if a full day of instruction and 2 dives are involved it will be worth it, otherwise find another dive shop,

---------- Post added February 6th, 2013 at 05:26 PM ----------

^He is just grumpy about who knows what. Nothing you did.

What's your problem????

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I charge $200.00, but there are only 3 students in class and we make at least two required dives in which we will work on teamwork, communication, trim, buoyancy, frog kicks, mod frog kicks, mod flutter kicks, shuffle kicks, helo trurns, backward kicks, DSMB deployment, navigating with a primary reel while running line at a pretend MOD, navigating with a compass in blue water while maintaining safety stop, S-drills and valve drills for either single or double tanks and toxing diver rescue. If possible I'll throw in a night dive. You'll learn battlefield math. Like Robert said, you get what you pay for. And, like Dave said, higher priced classes are either good ones or rip-off's with good classes not being the norm in the industry.

 

[rhwestfall]

I'd take Trace's class in a heartbeat..... outside that scope, I think you might ask if Vaseline is included....:buggy:

 

[rhodges]

Okay thanks for all the info. I didn't think to ask what their price included, I just assumed the bare min requirements. I did notice however that the elearning class that padi has for this is over $200 and you still have to use the analyzer at a shop before you're done.

 

[rhwestfall]

e-learning, like OW Referrals in just another opportunity to get fleeced..... not that it is an absolute, but it does shift the odds...

 

[theduckguru]

Are you teaching an advanced scuba kick,, rescue diver, navigation, or Nitrox. Getting what you pay for includes remaining on topic.

I charge $200.00, but there are only 3 students in class and we make at least two required dives in which we will work on teamwork, communication, trim, buoyancy, frog kicks, mod frog kicks, mod flutter kicks, shuffle kicks, helo trurns, backward kicks, DSMB deployment, navigating with a primary reel while running line at a pretend MOD, navigating with a compass in blue water while maintaining safety stop, S-drills and valve drills for either single or double tanks and toxing diver rescue. If possible I'll throw in a night dive. You'll learn battlefield math. Like Robert said, you get what you pay for. And, like Dave said, higher priced classes are either good ones or rip-off's with good classes not being the norm in the industry.

 

[Quero]

I charge about $200, but that includes two boat dives, materials, equipment rental including dive computer, nitrox fills, certification fees and one-on-one instruction.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Are you teaching an advanced scuba kick class, rescue diver, navigation, or Nitrox. Getting what you pay for includes remaining on topic.

The "topic" of the dives is the ability to maintain one's position and have awareness of MOD. Nothing helps one maintain position like finely tuned trim, buoyancy and propulsion skills.

At PSAI we introduce what many recreational agencies and instructors consider to be "tech" and cave techniques to our sport divers. When I have nitrox students from other agencies the nitrox course becomes their first bite of a better tasting apple. Most instructors review fundamental diving skills (or should) when they have students whose abilities are unfamiliar to them. PSAI was a tech agency that went recreational. Since every PSAI advanced/specialty diver is expected to pass or be able to perform the skills found in the PSAI ABC course (similar to GUE-F, UTD-E, TDI Intro to Tech) introducing and coaching these skills makes sense since nitrox is a specialty course. The dives are valuable to the student because they learn something new and valuable to me because it allows me to hook them into further training either with me or with quality instructors from other agencies. I don't have to "sell" further training. I just need to show them what's out there and the skills sell themselves.

I cover these skills on a platform on the first dive. On the second dive, using a primary reel task loads the students as they attempt to run line properly at a fixed depth. I normally have them run the line along a wall and ask them to maintain a depth of 30 feet exactly (warm water above thermocline for better learning) while videoing their propulsion, trim, buoyancy control and teamwork. We also cover some gentle failures. Then, we ascend to 15 feet and run a series of compass headings I give them for blue water swimming and navigation review while slipping in the occasional failure. This tests their blue water awareness of depth, MOD and safety stops. We shoot DSMB's and surface. Then we descend and do a toxing diver rescue in shallow water. If we do a night dive we go as deep as the divers wish and run line or go for a long navigation dive (whatever they want) focusing on light communication and mild failures.

Remaining on topic means covering the basics in every class. For some agencies or instructors these or similar skills are the basics. They don't leave the class with excellent skills, but they leave with the knowledge of how to use nitrox tables, program nitrox dives into computers, how to do "on the fly" math, and they know how to do these skills so they can work on them while diving for fun or immerse themselves in a class completely focused on these skills.