Enriched Air Nitrox Course
PADI's most popular specialty course for good reason — Nitrox extends your no-decompression limits, giving you more time on the reef and shorter surface intervals between dives.
About this Course
PADI Enriched Air Diver
Enriched Air Nitrox is PADI's most popular specialty certification — and once you understand what it does, that's not surprising.
What Nitrox Does
Standard scuba tanks contain the same air we breathe at the surface — approximately 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. Enriched air (nitrox) increases the oxygen percentage, which reduces the amount of nitrogen your body absorbs during a dive. Less nitrogen absorption means longer no-decompression limits, more time on the reef before you need to surface, and shorter surface intervals before your next dive.
For divers doing multiple dives per day — which describes most people diving in Islamorada — the difference is tangible. You get more bottom time on every dive, and you can get back in the water sooner.
A valid scuba certification is required to enroll. Minimum age is 12.
After purchase, we'll send a confirmation email with instructions for scheduling your course.
How the Course Works
The PADI Enriched Air course is primarily knowledge-based — no additional open water dives required. The course covers how nitrox works, how to analyze your tank's oxygen content before a dive, and how to set your dive computer correctly for enriched air diving. It can be completed through PADI eLearning before your trip or on-site at IDC.
Course Schedule
What's Covered
What's Next
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is nitrox and why do divers use it?
A: Nitrox — enriched air — raises the oxygen in your tank above the usual 21%. You breathe less nitrogen on every dive as a result, which stretches your no-decompression limits, adds bottom time on the reef, and shortens the surface interval before your next dive. More reef, less waiting. On two or three dives a day, that adds up fast.
Q: Do I need open water dives to get Nitrox certified?
A: No. The PADI Enriched Air course is knowledge-based, with no extra checkout dives required. You learn how nitrox works, how to check your tank’s oxygen content before a dive, and how to set your dive computer for enriched air. Finish it on eLearning before your trip or on-site with us.
Q: How much is the Nitrox certification course?
A: It starts at $150. The price covers eLearning access, instruction, and your PADI Enriched Air Diver card — one of the cheapest specialties on the board — and on multi-dive days in Islamorada it earns back its cost in bottom time within a trip or two.
Q: Who should get a Nitrox certification?
A: Divers who want more time underwater, especially on repetitive-dive days, which describes most trips to the Keys. You need a valid scuba certification and must be at least 12. It’s PADI’s most popular specialty for a reason. Pair it with the Advanced Open Water course, and you unlock deeper sites and longer bottom times at once.
Q: How long does it take to get Nitrox certified?
A: Roughly a day, and less if you finish the eLearning at home first. There are no required open water dives, so most divers knock it out around their charters rather than losing a separate day to it. Done before lunch, diving nitrox by the afternoon.
Book Your Course Online
Morning and afternoon charters run year-round from Three Waters Marina. Whether you're booking a charter, a course, or just have questions — we're here.