Dive for longer and be back in the water sooner with enriched air, also known as Nitrox. This popular PADI specialty course will teach you how to use Nitrox safely and enjoy its many benefits.
You can complete your PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) course on board our Cairns-based overnight vessel OceanQuest.
Nitrox is a mixed gas of Oxygen Enriched Air between 23% oxygen and 40% oxygen. The air we breathe is approximately 20% oxygen and 80% nitrogen.
During diving, water pressure causes the nitrogen we breathe to be absorbed into the bloodstream. The higher the pressure, the more nitrogen is absorbed, and the greater the risk of decompression illness. The higher the oxygen percentage in your air tanks, the less nitrogen we absorb, leading to a longer no-decompression limit and a longer dive time.
There are two sections to this course. You can complete the academic portion via PADI eLearning before your trip. This online learning covers all the enriched air diver course content and allows you to study at your own pace through an easy-to-use, interactive program. You’ll also have access to an online version of the Enriched Air Diver Manual.
Alternatively, take the whole course on board OceanQuest on your Great Barrier Reef liveaboard trip and complete the learning, knowledge review and exam while you’re on board.
You’ll learn how to manage your oxygen exposure, set your dive computer for Nitrox diving and analyse the gas contents of your tank.
​Includes all equipment and tuition. Prices valid to 31 March 2024. Price is per person and includes all applicable fees, taxes and levies. Locals discount not valid for optional extras.
All scuba participants must meet medical questionnaire requirements. Some conditions or medications may prevent you from diving.
Currently the rules state that for a single no decompression dive, you should not fly/go to altitude for at least 12 hours, or 18 hours after multiple dives. Divers Den recommends waiting a minimum 24 hours whenever possible. These are guidelines only, there is no guarantee that these recommendations will prevent decompression sickness. There are no current guidelines regarding diving after flying.
Altitude is defined as 300m/1000ft above sea level. Certain other tourist attractions around Cairns and Tropical North Queensland involve travelling to altitude. These include the Atherton Tablelands and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, so we recommend a gap between booking these experiences and any dive course or trip. Under normal circumstances, you should be out of the water on your last dive by 2pm.
