Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty Diver Course

Enriched Air EANx or as it is so often called NITROX, is simply normal air enriched with additional Oxygen. Using a mixture of enriched air replaces some of the nitrogen that you breathe underwater with oxygen, so that during your dive you absorb less nitrogen than you would breathing normal air. This means that you can have longer no decompression limits for each depth than you would using air. How Much longer depends upon the enriched air blend you are using. The two most commonly used mixtures are EANx 32 and EANx 36 with 32% and 36% oxygen concentration, compared to 21% in normal air.

The following table illustrates the Longer No Decompression Limits using EANX.

So as you can see as you increase your skills in the PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Course you will also be increasing your bottom time.

During The PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Course you will learn how to use the PADI EANX Tables, monitoring your oxygen exposure, setting depth limits, analyzing your tank, the benefits of diving with Enriched Air Nitrox and be prepared for future Rebreather Courses. The Knowledge Development and practical application section will be followed by 2 NITROX Dives at Fantastic Sail Rock or Koh Tao. The course can be completed in 2 days or in as little as 1 day if you have completed the knowledge development portion by reading the PADI Enriched Air Diver Manual at home.

The 2 Nitrox Dives which are included in the course can be combined with your Adventure Dives or other Specialty Courses, please contact us for details.

SEMI-CLOSED CIRCUIT
REBREATHER SPECIALTY

Rebreather Diving has been around for many years but Semi -Closed Circuit systems have only just recently been introduced to the recreational diving market, with the Draeger Dolphin being the first readily available unit on the market.

What is a Rebreather?

Rebreathers are simple devices that reclaim some or all of your exhaled breath, then scrub out the carbon dioxide produced by your body , and add oxygen to replenish what you have consumed. Whereas when you dive on standard scuba, every time you take a breath you exhale most of the gas you have just inhaled into the surrounding water. This is obviously quite wasteful since we only used a small percentage of the oxygen. Semi Closed Circuit Rebreathers have an excellent and long safety record. They operate on a premixed Nitrox Gas, enough nitrox is added to the system to replace the oxygen used in the body and an equal amount of exhaled gas is exhausted to compensate volume.

What are the Benefits of Using a Rebreather ?

• Extended Bottom Time
• No annoying Bubbles
• Come Face to Face with Timid Marine Life
• Experience the silence
• A new Challenge

As you have seen Rebreather Diving provides many advantages compared to diving with air. Used properly, it is considered as safe as diving with normal compressed air. But it requires specialized training to accommodate for safety considerations not normally assosciated with recreational air diving.

During the PADI Rebreather Specialty Diver Course you will cover the benefits, associated hazards and diving procedures in the class. Then move onto a skills practice session in the pool before progressing into open water, where you will get a chance to experience the silence and magic of Rebreather Diving.

The prerequisites for the PADI Rebreather Specialty Diver Course, are :

• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or equivalent)
• PADI Open Water Diver (or equivalent)with 10 dives beyond training
• PADI Enriched Air Diver (or equivalent)
• Be at least 15 years old