Should I get a Nitrox certification?

[flyboy08]

If a DS tosses in two dives for $175.00, I’d jump on that...while a dive isn’t required, two free is well, two free dives to learn from.

 

[tursiops]

My biggest concern is that for all the people tell me to take thr course online - the PADI websitr offers it for nearlu 300$ which is absurd.

Which website are you looking at? PADI's MSRP for EANx eLearning is USD 175, bought directly from them. You might be able to get a better price by working through a shop and bundling it with other classes or dives.

 

[Watson G]

I've found a ton of variation in the price in my area, so it pays to shop around. It doesn't matter which agency you go through as long as it's a recognized one. At least out this way, all the PADI options start at $199. I did mine through SDI and paid way less.

PADI is somewhere around 245$. The dive op I'm looking at is around 175$ but includes 2 nitrox dives - I'm going to do some research of my own now but do you think this is reasonable?

 

[Sean Walberg]

PADI is somewhere around 245$. The dive op I'm looking at is around 175$ but includes 2 nitrox dives - I'm going to do some research of my own now but do you think this is reasonable?

Are the two dives somewhere you would have dove anyway? If so, sounds like a great deal. Figure $75 for 2 nitrox tanks and a guided dive that you were going to do on your trip anyway, so you're effectively paying $100 for the cert.

 

[BoltSnap]

Do it. And run far away if a shop insists you have to do dives for your nitrox cert.

Why run away? I don't get it, you are telling people to run away from instructors who insist on more and proper training? What experience do you have on your belt for you to make such recommendations?

My Nitrox course is about 10 in-class hours and we cover the entire NAUI textbook, cover to cover, in addition to the 2 - 4 dives. The students do dive planning using the dive tables and practice all concepts and terminology covered in class in addition to using dive computers in nitrox setting making sure that they understand all terminology and features of the dive computers.

I have had many students take my Nitrox after they have taken nitrox courses somewhere else because their original courses were so short and superficial these divers almost killed themselves because they didn't actually "comprehend" what they were taught and didn't know how to apply the little they knew in practice. I'd recommend the opposite, do NOT take a nitrox course with anyone who doesn't require dives and doesn't require in-class instructions with a live instructor.

 

[tursiops]

I did the arithmetic on the Blue Hole, as I'd like to do a research dive there. At 130 feet you could do a 28% mix and hit 1.4. Assuming you could get such a mix.

You won't see much at 130 ft. You really need to go to 140-145....
28% is common in North Carolina, but not in Belize.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Outside of medical incidents, buddy separation is the leading cause of death according to DAN.

While it may factor into some divers panicking, it is not a cause of death. Running out of air is a cause of death. Buddy separation does not cause you to suddenly go out of air.
From DAN's latest report;
able 1.7-2Mechanisms of injury for U.S. and Canadian scuba fatalities, 2015 (n=34)
Mechanism Total
Ethanol intoxication 1
Health problem 8
Insufficient breathing gas 6
Not applicable 7
Other 1
Panic 1
Rapid ascent 5
Unknown 5
Total 34

 

[uncfnp]

What about the nitrogen buildup on 4 dives a day? Wouldnt it be safer to dive nitrox for that reason alone?

It depends on how you dive it. Nitrox in itself is no safer than air. Both result in nitrogen absorption and require off gassing. The advantage is that it takes you longer to reach NDL limits so you can dive longer. But if you reach NDL then you are at the same point in nitrogen loading as you would be with air at NDL.

So yes, nitrox is safer if dove to a lesser nitrogen load. The converse is that he can dive longer with the same risk. And of course there is the gray area in between where a diver will do a longer dive on nitrox but ascent worth more NDL time giving him both some longer and some safer.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

It depends on how you dive it. Nitrox in itself is no safer than air. Both result in nitrogen absorption and require off gassing. The advantage is that it takes you longer to reach NDL limits so you can dive longer. But if you reach NDL then you are at the same point in nitrogen loading as you would be with air at NDL.

So yes, nitrox is safer if dove to a lesser nitrogen load. The converse is that he can dive longer with the same risk. And of course there is the gray area in between where a diver will do a longer dive on nitrox but ascent worth more NDL time giving him both some longer and some safer.

gotcha cool and I would be in the set that runs out quicker than most divers so it wouldnt help my bottom time but would shortern my time between dives which if on a liveaboard is kind of cool.

 

[60plus]

In Europe you can get nitrox cert for under €100. I got my nitrox cert for €70 because I did it as part of a deep diver course and dive package. I had no real option but to get nitrox cert, without it you cannot take part in many dives because everyone else is on nitrox and would not want the short bottom time and longer surface interval that air would give. I could have got nitrox cert free with my club but would have had to wait as they do it over the winter and I found not having it was too inconvenient. Madeira divepoint where I will be diving next autumn offers free nitrox and Safari Diving (Lanzarote) where I am diving in 3 weeks time charges €5 per tank for nitrox 32 or 36.
I feel less tired after dives using nitrox than dives using air.