The PADI Nitrox course, also known as Enriched Air Diver, is one of the most popular specializations in recreational diving. It focuses on the use of enriched air (Nitrox), which contains a higher percentage of oxygen (typically between 32% and 40%) than standard air (21% oxygen). This allows divers to safely extend their bottom time at depths while reducing the risk of decompression sickness.
What can you learn in the PADI Nitrox course?
1. PADI Nitrox course MallorcaTheory: Understanding how enriched air affects the body, particularly how it reduces the amount of nitrogen absorbed during diving.
2. Nitrox Dive Planning: How to calculate safe dive times using enriched air, including using dive tables and dive computers tailored for Nitrox.
3. Diving Equipment Use: How to properly configure and handle equipment when using Nitrox, including checking the gas mixture in the tank and setting up dive computers.
4. Nitrox Diving Safety: Understanding the limitations associated with higher oxygen levels, including maximum dive depths to avoid oxygen toxicity.
Nitrox Enriched Air Diver course structure:
1. Theoretical Part: Most of the course involves learning the theory related to Nitrox. Students learn how to plan dives, what the no-decompression limits are with different gas mixtures, and the hazards associated with oxygen toxicity.
2. Practical Session: In some courses, one or two dives using Nitrox are required, although not all diving organizations mandate this. Instead, the course may conclude with practical exercises measuring and analyzing oxygen content in tanks.
Benefits of completing the PADI Nitrox course Mallorca:
1. Longer Bottom Time:
Diving with Oxygen enriched gas scuba diving (an air mixture enriched with oxygen, such as EAN32 or EAN36) allows for longer stays at greater depths, reducing nitrogen saturation in the body. This means divers can enjoy extended time at depths where diving with regular air would be shorter.
2. Reduced Decompression Time:
Due to the decreased nitrogen content in the mixture, Nitrox allows for shorter decompression stops or even eliminates them completely at certain depth ranges, which is a significant advantage for recreational divers.
3. Increased Safety in PADI Nitrox course:
Lower nitrogen saturation reduces the risk of decompression sickness, which is especially crucial during multiple or deeper dives.
4. Less Fatigue After Diving:
Many divers report feeling less fatigued after Nitrox dives compared to diving with regular air, which may be linked to lower nitrogen saturation in the body.
5. Opportunity for More Advanced Diving:
The PADI Nitrox course Mallorca is often the first step toward more advanced diving, including technical dives, where Nitrox is a standard mixture.
6. Greater Flexibility:
With a Nitrox Enriched Air Diver certification, divers can use any oxygen-enriched mixture (up to a maximum of 40% O₂), allowing for greater flexibility in planning dives in various conditions.
7. Optimization of Multiple Dives:
Oxygen enriched gas scuba diving is particularly effective for multiple dives in the same day. Reduced nitrogen saturation allows for shorter surface intervals between dives.
8. Better Preparation for Longer Dive Trips:
On dive trips where daily dives are conducted, Oxygen enriched gas scuba diving can help mitigate the risks associated with prolonged exposure to nitrogen.
The Nitrox Enriched Air Diver course opens new possibilities for divers who want to dive longer, safer, and more comfortably, while also preparing them for more advanced challenges in the future.
