PADI Nitrox Diving Certification Course

WHAT IS NITROX? 

In recreational diving terms, enriched air nitrox (EAN) refers to any nitrogen/oxygen gas mixture with an oxygen concentration higher than the 21 percent found in normal air (32 percent oxygen is the most common) and tanks filled with EAN are often clearly marked with a nitrox tank band and have the mix percentage written somewhere near the tank valve. It is this higher percentage of oxygen, and the lower percentage of nitrogen, that allows divers to lengthen their no-decompression limits, shorten surface intervals and get an added safety buffer for decompression sickness in certain diving circumstances.

WHY USE NITROX?

The best application of nitrox is in the 50 to 100 foot range because no-decompression times for dives shallower than 50 feet are often so long that most recreational divers will empty their tank before they run out of dive time. In this deeper depth range, nitrox can have a huge effect on allowed bottom time, even doubling it under the right circumstances. For example, take EAN 36 to 100 feet and you can add 20 minutes to your 20 minute dive which I think you'll agree is a substantial benefit. Take that same mix to 60 feet, where the normal bottom time is 50 minutes, and your no-decompression limit extends to 130 minutes. 

DO I NEED TRAINING?

Simply the answer is yes. We at turtle divers offer a full Nitrox training program which follows the standards set out by PADI. The course does require you too complete a small booklet which runs through how Nitrox works exactly. Once completed, we can take you diving from shore or from one of our two dive boats, and our instructors will take you through the dive applications on a one on one basis. The whole course takes a single dive trip.