PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver Specialty Course        Invicta Divers Price: £85

What is Nitrox ?   Nitrox is a special mixture of Nitrogen-Oxygen.   The proportion of Oxygen in the mix is increased from the 20.9% in the normal air which surrounds us, up to a recreational diving limit of up to 40%.

There are several reasons why you might be interested in Nitrox diving.

Apart from the curiosity about breathing a special mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, you'll have noticed that as your diving experience grows, your air consumption is improving to the extent that you are reaching your no-decompression limits while you still have a substantial reserve of air in your cylinders.

Once you've appreciated SCUBA Diving, you'll have a burning desire to stay down longer.   The more you dive, the better your air consumption will be, but diving on Nitrox can also extend your no-decompression limits, lengthening the amount of time you're allowed to dive - just as long as you still have a safe reserve of enriched air left in your cylinder.
Or you may want to enjoy a more conservative dive plan to further reduce any theoretical risk of decompression sickness (known as "the bends"), by reducing the amount of Nitrogen you are exposed to underwater.
Or you may be intent on going further to become a deep technical diver and use special blends of gas mixes, or to use rebreather equipment.   The Enriched Air (Nitrox) Specialty is a prerequisite for rebreather training.

You'll learn how to use special RDP tables to plan your exposure to oxygen and your no-decompression limits.
You'll learn how to use formulae to calculate more precise limits, and how these differ from standard air limits.
You'll learn more about nitrogen narcosis, decompression-sickness, and oxygen toxicty.
Y ou'll learn how to analyse the contents of Nitrox cylinders, to determine and confirm the contents of your enriched air mix.
You'll understand the limits on depth imposed by diving on Nitrox, and you'll pass a short exam to demonstrate you've mastered the theory side and disciplines.

 

Pre-requisite qualifications
You'll need to be a PADI Open Water Diver , or Junior Open Water Diver, or above.
The minimum age is 15.