Enriched Air Diver
Course Outline and Benefits
There is always a reason to end a dive. Sometimes you have seen enough, but often you're having a great time when the submersible pressure gauge starts to approach the red zone, you get cold, or you just run out of bottom time. Well, you can get a bigger tank and you can put another layer on under your drysuit, but what can you do about running out of bottom time? You need Enriched Air Nitrox.
Due to UK's history and geography, divers are often introduced to wrecks early on in their diving careers. Many of these wrecks lie in relatively deep water offshore and can only be reached by boat. It can be a long boat ride out for what may amount to a relatively short dive. These days more and  more divers are choosing to dive with Enriched Air Nitrox in order to extend their bottom time.
The PADI Enriched Air Diver course teaches the diver how to plan and make no-decompression dives using enriched air blends containing anything from 22 to 40 per cent oxygen. Oxygen, its hazards, advantages and disadvantages, are focused on, as well as specifications and care for equipment being used with enriched air blends.
The benefits of Enriched Air Nitrox are gained from the reduction of absorbed nitrogen in the diver's body. The main reason why it is so popular is that divers can use this gas in two ways. Many divers use Enriched Air Nitrox with air tables and air computers to increase the conservatism of their dive profiles. Others use the benefit of reduced nitrogen in the body to extend bottom times, particularly when exploring the 20-30metres depth zones.
Upon completion of the course, you will be awarded the PADI Enriched Air Diver certification. You may also apply for the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating if you are a PADI Rescue Diver or has a qualifying certification from another organisation with certification in four other PADI Specialty ratings.
Course Requirements
- Aged over 15 years.
- Be a certified PADI Open Water Diver or have a qualifying certification from another training
 organisation.
- Be a PADI Open Water Diver course student taking the PADI Enriched Air Diver course concurrently.
Course Itinerary
The course consists of some knowledge development sessions led by a DVD and course manual in conjunction with the instructor's explanations.
There are two open water enriched air dives during this course. However, when logistics don't allow, you can have the option of predive simulation exercises instead.
 | 
