Nitrox Diving Course & Certification

Due to the reduced nitrogen content, less nitrogen saturation occurs during the dive when using air profiles, resulting in a lower risk of decompression sickness.

This is particularly interesting on vacation, especially when several dive days with many repetitive dives are planned. But Nitrox is also advantageous in local cold waters.

A dive is best enjoyed when diving relaxed and not feeling “foggy.”
Enriched Air offers this advantage.

Many divers also report that they don’t feel as “tired” after a dive with Enriched Air. Due to the lower nitrogen content, bottom times are extended when using Enriched Air compared to compressed air.

With enriched air nitrox (EANx), you breathe more oxygen and less nitrogen than with regular compressed air. When diving in Playa del Carmen, that gives you real advantages:

• Longer no-decompression time: at 30 m (100 ft), EANx32 gives you about 30 instead of 20 minutes according to the dive tables.
• More margin on your second dive: every boat trip with us includes two dives. With nitrox, you carry less nitrogen into the second dive.
• Ideal for multi-day diving: if you dive every day for a week, you build up less nitrogen over the days.
• Less tired: many divers say they feel fresher after nitrox dives. Science has not clearly confirmed this, but it is reported often.

Important: nitrox has a maximum operating depth. With 32 % oxygen it is about 34 m (111 ft), with 36 % about 29 m (95 ft), based on an oxygen partial pressure of 1.4 bar. That is exactly what you learn in the course.

Nitrox pays off most on dive days with two dives in a row: on our reef trips off Playa del Carmen, when diving with bull sharks and on day trips for diving in Cozumel. Along the Cozumel walls and drifts you often spend a long time at medium depths, which is where the extra no-deco time matters most. On our bull shark dives, certified nitrox divers even get nitrox for free if they order it from us in advance.

If you later want to dive deeper or use higher oxygen mixes, the next step is the TDI Advanced Nitrox course.

Requirements: you need at least an Open Water Diver certification or equivalent and must be at least 12 years old.

Course steps: first you complete the PADI or SDI eLearning. With us, you then spend about 3 hours on theory and hands-on practice: analyzing the oxygen content of your tank, labeling the tank and filling in the fill log, calculating your maximum operating depth and setting your dive computer to nitrox. There are no required dives, and you can use nitrox right away on your next dives.

Price: 125 € including theory, nitrox for your dives, fill logs and certification. The eLearning costs extra: PADI 228 €, SDI 75 €. Not sure which agency to choose? Read PADI or SDI?. All prices are in our price list.