PADI Enriched Air Diver (NITROX)
1 Day (2 boat dives)
$280 USD
During the Enriched Air (Nitrox) course, you will learn how to properly select the best mix for your dive through some simple calculations, and how to use your enriched air, equivalent air depth and oxygen exposure tables to plan your dive.
You will learn how to properly label your tank and calibrate and use an oxygen analyzer to verify your mix.
Finally, you will go on a 2 tank dive trip to practice your new skills!
What is Nitrox?
Humans are accustomed to breathing air that’s approximately 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Technically, any mixture of nitrogen and oxygen is nitrox – that includes the air you’re breathing right now.
In the recreational scuba realm, “nitrox” (also known as Enriched Air and EANx) typically describes breathing gas that is 32% (EANx32) or 36% (EANx36) oxygen. More oxygen means less nitrogen, and that has some nice benefits.
Can you dive longer with Nitrox?
As you learned in the PADI Open Water Diver course, nitrogen absorption is one of the things that limits our ability to explore underwater by determining how long we can stay at depth as well as how deep we can go. On the other hand, enriched air (nitrox) diving allows you to:
Extend your bottom time (which might mean longer dive times)
Shorten surface intervals
Dive deeper on repetitive dives
Increase your safety levels when diving with Nitrox and using an air dive profile
Alternatively, many divers use enriched air to reduce the amount of nitrogen they absorb while sticking to the no-stop limits for air. This is a great way to be extra conservative during a dive and increase your personal safety margins.