Wrote the PADI Nitrox exam today ...

[yle]

I can't put the fault onto the instructor in this case because I dove with the operator before and there was an understanding that we are going through the motions.
That said, for complete beginners without any external knowledge, there is a massive difference between dive schools and instructors and I would urge anyone to find those that go the 'extra mile', which means as much as the extra mile that should be prescribed but is sadly the domain of those few that really care.

Yep. I've found that instructors tend to fall into one of two camps. There are those that are under pressure from their boss to get students through as quickly as possible; these instructors, of course, tend to do the bare minimum. And then there are instructors that are not under pressure and are given the freedom to teach their courses as they see fit. Naturally, this latter group will tend to take more time to go above and beyond, typically sharing their experience with the students. Which, of course, is why they became instructors in the first place.

 

[NAM001]

I'll agree that Jack has a valid point: most people using nitrox these days are "casual" divers that really just need to know how to analyze their tanks and set their computers to the correct mix. However, there is real value in understanding how to use tables for nitrox. The value is in dive planning, and it can have real consequences. I recently spent a week in Cozumel doing two-tank trips and chose to do one air, one nitrox. Which one should I use first?

Knowing how to use the tables, and having the tables available, meant I could answer that question very quickly and decisively. Personally, I think people that are run through a nitrox course that ignores tables are being short-changed. I always go through the tables and computers when I teach nitrox, because I understand the value to my students.

I could not agree more. It is one thing to do a trust me dive on a computer it is another thing to be able to verify your computer is giving you good info. The other thing is that when you did not learn tables in ow or aow yo then don't have to in nitrox you cant get an appreciation of how to use nitrox for either longer down times or shorter SI's. Then when you go on to the dark side and they start talking END and those other vodoo things you have no clue what it is. When I took the Nitrox class we also had to use EAD tables. They were good for any mix. and now they mostly say it will be 32 or 36 mix, or really just 32. They really should teach to check your gas in OW. there is no less threat of getting a wrong mix when an OW as compared with any other level when ordering air than any other blend.

 

[Storker]

But the tables version is still available. I in fact have a couple of those older PADI crew packs gathering dust, waiting for someone geeky enough, or masochistic enough, to want to learn that version.

When I took my nitrox, the computer version was the current one. I still asked for - and paid for - the tables, since I had good experiences in getting a "feel" for the depth/time/saturation relationship when I was doing tables during my OWD.

What's funny is that due to some miscommunication, my son and I showed up for class without having received and read the book. We still didn't have any issues keeping up with the rest of the class, and we passed the exam with flying colors.

But then I'm a certified geek...

 

[Storker]

how to use nitrox for either longer down times or shorter SI's

...or both

 

[Alan Browne]

Thanks for all of your replies. I learn a lot about diving here that I never expected.

 

[TMHeimer]

I could not agree more. It is one thing to do a trust me dive on a computer it is another thing to be able to verify your computer is giving you good info. The other thing is that when you did not learn tables in ow or aow yo then don't have to in nitrox you cant get an appreciation of how to use nitrox for either longer down times or shorter SI's. Then when you go on to the dark side and they start talking END and those other vodoo things you have no clue what it is. When I took the Nitrox class we also had to use EAD tables. They were good for any mix. and now they mostly say it will be 32 or 36 mix, or really just 32. They really should teach to check your gas in OW. there is no less threat of getting a wrong mix when an OW as compared with any other level when ordering air than any other blend.

The PADI tables I got in 2006 only go to 30% 02. On the Deep Course to 130' we used Nitrox 28, meaning having to use a complicated (well, for me) formula we were taught in the class.

 

[BlueTrin]

I found the PADI Nitrox e-learning a bit painful because they repeat everything twice. I am not kidding: almost every point is put in a slide then repeated in either a short video or a slide with a voice over.

It takes definitely more than a hour to read the material if you let the video/slides play itself rather than skipping them.

The questions are very easy and straightforward (I always like this in the PADI materials, no ridiculous trick questions, only checking that you understood the material correctly)

About the dives tables, I wonder if they should start teaching using a dive planner instead ? Maybe it is too complicated, because every dive computer and software would have a different GUI

 

[Divectionist]

The questions are very easy and straightforward (I always like this in the PADI materials, no ridiculous trick questions, only checking that you understood the material correctly)

See I think they should be trickier and promote a bit of cog turning instead of straight basic fact retention. Facts can live in short term memory, thought process is what leaves a mark. And in a world where most people dive infrequently or with very long breaks, that's the kind of thing that should be taught. At least know what kind of problem there is to solve instead of just remembering answers.

Anyway.

To your other point with the duplication - yes - it is basically 'read or have someone read it out to you while looking at footage of some divers'. Same content.

I wonder what PADI does with all their licensing money (I should go off and find out now), but investing in state of the art elearning platforms, high quality content production and a touch of pedagogy they do not.

 

[Storker]

I found the PADI Nitrox e-learning a bit painful because they repeat everything twice.

That's because, as a general rule, if you say something only once, only a minority of the audience will actually remember what was said.

So,
is a recipe for failure

 

[Graeme Fraser]

That's because, as a general rule, if you say something only once, only a minority of the audience will actually remember what was said.

So,
is a recipe for failure

Classic. I have p!ssed on your message