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PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver

The PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver Course is rated as one of the most popular specialties. Diving with nitrox mixes (EANx) gives you more no-decompression dive time - all other factors being equal.

Breathing a gas mixture with an increased amount of oxygen in the tank (and less nitrogen) typically allows you to stay down longer underwater and especially on repetitive dives.

PADI Nitrox Diver Course | List of Contents

Age Limits and Depth Restrictions for Nitrox Diving Specialty
Benefits of Getting the PADI Nitrox Diver Specialty Certification
Completing the Independent Study Lessons with eLearning™
Course Requirements for PADI Enriched Air Diver Certification
Diving Gear and other Specialised Equipment You Can Use
FAQ Section (including Diving Medical Questionnaire)
Price for PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver Course in Thailand
Video and Related Help Guides for Diving with Nitrox Gas Mixes
What Comes after the Enriched Air Diver Specialty Course?

Important: The Nitrox Diver Specialty certification may count towards the PADI Master Scuba Diver Rating. Check our PADI® Specialty Courses List for further details on more than thirty other specialties (listed from A to Z).

What is the Meaning of Specialty Diver?

In simple terms, a Specialty Diver is someone with enhanced scuba diving abilities beyond entry level certifications (e.g. Discover Programs, Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver).

Signing up for specialist scuba courses is the ideal path to take if you want to learn new techniques and experience different kinds of underwater exploration.

Furthermore, you will get the best opportunity to acquire superior knowledge and skills in the diving activities that interest you the most because a 'Specialty Instructor' will be supervising the training.

Scuba Diving with Enriched Air (Nitrox)

You can sign up for the nitrox course online (see below). Then, if you complete the short practical session with an instructor, you can get the enriched air (nitrox) certification on the same day.

Furthermore, you can also earn the certification while you complete another course. Hence, you can choose to dive with nitrox while completing the scuba training dives for the (any):

Important: The PADI® Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver course contains two (2) optional scuba dives. Even so, it is a good way to try nitrox diving under the guidance of an instructor.

Age, Depth, and Prerequisite Certification

There are minimum age requirements and maximum depth limits for all the specialties that require scuba training dives in open water.

As a result, before you can enrol in the PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver Specialty course you will need to be (all):

At least twelve (12) years old.
Already enrolled in:
- PADI Open Water Diver course or have an equivalent certification (e.g. dive agency crossovers)

Number of Days: One (1) (minimum)

Scuba Training Dives: Two (Optional)

Maximum Depth: Depends on age and certification level

Important: PADI scuba certifications do not expire. Even so, we suggest that you take part in a refresher diving course if you've been away from the water for a while (e.g. longer than six months).

Benefits of Becoming a Nitrox Diver Specialist

Some nitrox divers say they feel less tired after using a scuba tank filled with enriched air. Nonetheless, the primary benefit is having substantially 'longer' bottom times for dives made within the limits of recreational scuba.

An Example:

The no-decompression limit for a dive made to a depth of 22 metres is 37 minutes. But, using a nitrox tank filled with one of the most popular mixes of EANx36% can extend the bottom time to 70 minutes.

Being able to extend the periods spent underwater is potentially beneficial when diving on sunken wrecks or when taking digital photographs.

How to Get the PADI Nitrox Diver Specialty Certification in Thailand. The nitrox specialty course prepares scuba divers for diving with extended bottom times.

Some of the popular sites for nitrox diving in Thailand include:

It's important to understand that the techniques and procedures used when entering and exiting the water for enriched air diving may vary at different locations around the world.

Digital Learning Programs for Self-Study

In general, it is much easier for divers with a busy schedule to choose the online learning option to start scuba lessons.

Being able to complete the independent study portion of a multiple day course offers you some flexibility and convenience.

As long as you have a computer or a mobile device, you will be able to study the knowledge development portion at your own pace (online or offline).

Nitrox Diver eLearning: Up to Four (4) Hours

Sign up for PADI eLearning® and you can complete the Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver self-study assignments online for around 5,900 THB.

Then, you can contact the dive shop to perform the required practical exercises with a Nitrox Instructor to get the certification.

Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver: What Will You Learn?

You need to participate in the instructor-led knowledge development sessions by completing all knowledge reviews from the student manual.

Besides that, you will also learn about:

Advantages of multilevel diving routines (staying at different depths on the same dive to extend the time underwater).
How to get nitrox air fills and then plan, organise, and execute multi tiered diving profiles.
The benefits of enjoying longer dives and having shorter surface intervals when using enriched air nitrox (EANx).
How to use an oxygen air analyzer and then set a dive computer based on the results.
Enriched Air Nitrox (EANx) safety procedures and oxygen exposure management.
Nitrox dive computers and mixed gas analysis.
DSAT oxygen exposure tables and using enriched air gas mixes (up to 40% oxygen).
DAN flying after diving rules and what activities you should avoid after scuba diving or free-diving.

Important: In most cases, modern scuba equipment is compatible for use with nitrox. You can check in the manuals or with the PADI Dive Shop.

Dive Gear and Specialist Equipment

You will need to wear standard scuba gear for any training dives conducted in open water. Other specialist equipment for nitrox dives that you'll use, may also include:

Note: Using different underwater torches will be useful as the surroundings become darker and if you will be navigating your way through any dangerous structures (e.g. top 10 wreck dives in the world).

FAQ Section and Medical Questionnaire Form

Can I Survive Below 40 Metres Underwater?

We refer to the US Navy decompression dive tables to answer this question. Divers can only stay at forty seven metres (160 feet) for around five minutes before they need to decompress during the ascent.

What's the Deepest Diving Certification?

The term 'deep dives' has a different meaning in recreational scuba diving than it does in technical diving.

The deepest dive made for recreational purposes should not be below forty metres (130 feet). Whereas, a professional technical diver can go down to sixty (60) metres (200 feet).

Is it Possible to Scuba Dive the Titanic?

The Titanic is resting at a depth of 2,100 fathoms (12,500 feet). Because normal air consumption through a standard tank only lasts about fifteen minutes at 40 metres, scuba diving to the Titanic is impossible.

Fun Fact: The deepest scuba dive ever made is 332.35 metres (1,090 feet) undertaken by Ahmed Gabr in September 2014 in Dahab, the Red Sea. Using open circuit scuba, it took only fifteen (15) minutes to make the descent, but the ascent took thirteen (13) hours and thirty five (35) minutes.

Can a Certified Nitrox Diver Dive Alone?

The diving buddy system is a safety procedure pairing two or more divers together. Also, the group should perform pre-dive safety checks (Begin With Review And Friend) before entering the water.

Nonetheless, PADI does consent to 'diving alone' through the Self-Reliant Diver certification course, which is available in Pattaya, Thailand.

Can I Touch the Underwater Organisms?

Divers share a common responsibility to protect and conserve nature. As a result, interacting passively with aquatic animals helps to safeguard the habitats of delicate and sensitive sea life.

What Shouldn't You Do Immediately after Scuba Diving?

After cleaning the gear, there are several kinds of activities that divers should avoid doing. They include:

Physical exercise
Flying in a plane, including traveling to altitude (e.g. mountain hiking).
Drinking alcohol
Having a full body massage, hot bath, or hot shower
Forgetting to log the dives

When Should You Do a Scuba Refresher?

Suppose you don't go diving for more than six months. There is a simple way to refresh the knowledge and skills that you already learned.

After a long period of inactivity, taking the PADI ReActivate® program will help you brush up on the safety procedures and scuba diving fundamentals.

Medical Requirements: Free Download

You must be in good physical and mental health and be medically fit for recreational scuba diving. You can review the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire Online to check whether you need to be evaluated by a physician.

It is not appropriate to ask dive staff (e.g. divemasters, instructors) for medical advice or clearance to go diving. Instead, you can contact the Divers Alert Network (DAN) if you have questions about your medical fitness to dive.

Price for PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver Specialty Course in Thailand 8,000 THB*

We have qualified instructors and expert dive guides who can teach in several languages, including English, Thai, and Chinese.

The price may include (all):

Boat trips (with free soft drinks served on board)

Professional tuition from a "Private Scuba" Instructor

Free rental of required diving equipment (including a dive computer)

PADI Nitrox Diving Specialty Manual and Certification Card

Hotel transfers within Pattaya City limits

Important: You will usually be making two (2) scuba training dives in the same day. The PADI flying after diving guidelines say you need to wait a minimum of eighteen (18) hours after the second dive before you go to altitude. Please send an email to our team if you need further information.

YouTube Video and Knowledge Base for Nitrox Divers

Most of the information and advice in this section focuses on deep scuba diving activities which we usually conduct from a boat in Thailand.

We also have a list of blog articles about snorkeling and a freediving guide for beginners - with other popular watersport tourist attractions at the beach resort of Pattaya.

Scuba Diving Help Guides

Discover Technical Diving
Diving Emergency Action Plan (EAP Flowchart)
PADI Discover Rebreather Program

Note: The short video presented by PADI highlights what to expect when taking the Nitrox Diver Specialty course and how protocols and procedures may vary at some dive sites around the world.

What Comes after the Enriched Air Diver Specialty?

Diving with nitrox is very popular with almost all scuba divers because you can usually make longer dives and your surface intervals will be shorter.

So what comes next?

The enriched air rating links to almost all other scuba certifications, including most popular PADI Specialty Courses.

Even so, PADI® Nitrox Diver course combines really well with several other specialties, such as Boat Diver, Multilevel Diver, and Wreck Diver.

Note: All course prices for diving are subject to change and assume that all prerequisites have been met to start the training. Click here to contact the team at Private Scuba in Thailand to make a booking or send an enquiry.