PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver

Minimum age: 12

Course prerequisite: enrollment in Open Water Diver

Divers 12 or older can earn a PADI Enriched Air Diver certification as part of their PADI Open Water Diver course. Ask your instructor for more information.

PADI eLearning: 2-4 hours

Entire course: 1-2 days

It's possible to earn your nitrox certification in just one day. Complete the online course and schedule a short practical session with your instructor. The two dives are optional. You can also earn a nitrox certification simultaneously with another course. After completing Enriched Air eLearning and the practical session with your instructor, you can use nitrox while completing dives for your Advanced Open Water Diver certification, Peak Performance Buoyancy certification, etc.

Scuba diving requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a physician before diving.

Avoid disappointment, download and review the Diver Medical form to ensure you won’t need a physician’s approval to dive before enrolling in a scuba course. Instructors, divemasters and dive shop staff are not physicians and should not be asked for medical advice; only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive.

If you (or your physician) have questions about medical fitness to dive, contact the experts at Divers Alert Network (DAN).

• Looking for a detailed explanation of what's involved with learning to scuba dive? This comprehensive article covers everything you need to know about scuba certification.

The first dive of the Search and Recovery Specialty course may count toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.

Every specialty certification you complete brings you one step closer to becoming a PADI Master Scuba Diver™. Fewer than two percent of divers ever achieve this elite rating.

If you're interested in staying underwater for an extended period, experiencing close-up animal encounters, or exploring places few divers ever see, ask your instructor about technical or rebreather diving.

• Technical diving allows you to dive beyond recreational "no stop" limits. Stay at a shallow depth for hours, or plan dives beyond recreational dive limits.
• Rebreathers, simply put, save and recycle your breathing gas. This allows you to stay much longer underwater. Rebreathers emit little to no bubbles, so you can get closer to wildlife that might run away from the noisy bubbles of an open circuit system.