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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.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.
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?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?
Do it. And run far away if a shop insists you have to do dives for your nitrox cert.
You won't see much at 130 ft. You really need to go to 140-145....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.
Outside of medical incidents, buddy separation is the leading cause of death according to DAN.
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.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.