PREREQUISITES:

 Student be a minimum of 15 years old.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The Nitrox Diver Course is a comprehensive course that teaches the student practical information needed to use oxygen enriched air. The course reviews gas, explains the concept of partial pressure , covers oxygen physiology plus oxygen limits and tolerance techniques, explains how to select the right mix, and importance of the right amount of gas.

It includes both procedures and tables to manage no-stop dives, incorporates dive computers and dive planning software, reviews mixing and how to obtain enriched air fills, and covers contingency procedures, as well as presenting an introduction to technical diving.

Students are trained to accurately analyze the gas they will be using and to plan open water dives using the Nitrox dive tables .

Using nitrox  lengthens the amount of bottomtime  while minimizing your nitrogen saturation. 

In order to use nitrox a diver must be trained in its proper uses to insure safety ! 

MYTH # 1 : “Nitrox is safer than air.”

 “SAFE” to most people means without risk, but all diving contains a level of risk. Nitrox has significant decompression advantages over air;  but to take advantage of those benefits other risks, (oxygen toxicity, time and depth limits)  must be weighed. When all are managed properly, the risks are minimal.

MYTH # 2 : “Nitrox is for deep diving.”

 Nitrox has very stringent depth limits due to the higher concentration of oxygen in the mixture.

The two standard mixtures EAN 32 and EAN 36 have maximum depths of 110 ft and 90 ft respectively.

MYTH # 3 : “You can’t get decompression sickness.”

No computer or  following the dive tables can absolutely ensure that a diver will not get decompression sickness. Using nitrox provides significant decompression advantages over air, but with all diving there is a risk of developing DCS. By using nitrox a diver is minimizing the risks while maximizing diving enjoyment.

MYTH # 4 : “Narcosis is eliminated.”

It might seem logical that with reduced nitrogen in the breathing mix there would be reduced nitrogen narcosis at depth. The fact is, oxygen can also be a narcotic gas when under pressure. The result is that there is NO significant change in narcosis when diving nitrox compared to air.

MYTH # 5 : “Using Nitrox is difficult.”

Some of the procedures in the planning and preparation process are a bit more involved than for air diving, but they are designed to help you have a relatively low-risk and enjoyable dive.