How to Guide Divers Diving on Enriched Air

As a PADI Divemaster or Instructor it is not uncommon to guide divers diving on Enriched Air (also commonly known as Nitrox).

You might or might not be diving on Enriched Air yourself during that same dive, but in any case there are a few things you need to look out for when guiding divers on Nitrox.

Here are a few tips:

• Remember this is specific paperwork for diving on Enriched Air. Your dive shop might have a specific log for those tanks, for the diver to acknlowedge and sign what they receive. Make sure you check the divers are certified to dive on Enriched Air and that relevant paperwork is filled.
• Get divers to analyse their own tank. They should be able to do that themselves with little or no assistance, since this is one of the key skill you learn during the PADI Enriched Air specialty course. They should also mark the tanks and work out the maximum depth they are allowed to on that specific Enriched Air mix (with a limit of 1.4 for O2 partial pressure).
• If your divers are using a dive computer, help them set it up properly or make sure that they know how to do that. One of the key things of dive planning on a computer is having the proper parameters set up. If you are unfamiliar with their computers you might want to do a quick internet search to double check the settings.
• If they are diving on Enriched Air table, then make sure they know what maximum depth and time are, according to their Enriched Air mix.
• Plan the dive accordingly: some of your divers might be diving on Enriched Air while some others might not, so you need to have a dive plan (time, maximum depth) that will work out for all.

PADI Enriched Air specialty is one of the most popular recreational courses, as diving on Nitrox has some clear benefits when it comes to dive time and nitrogen exposure. If you are not familiar with Enriched Air diving, consider getting trained so you can guide those divers like a pro!