Posted by Wayne on November 21, 2001 at 20:33:42:
I bumped into this web page tonight and was a bit upset. I am a Nitrox certified diver and believe that Nitrox is a very simple course and the subject matter is easy to understand. Bt I also think that it is important to have an instructor -- as opposed to just a book and a quiz.
But there is a web page for Nitrox instruction. They email you the 3 chapters and quiz. You send it back with your credit card number and you are certified. Do three more chapters and you are ADVANCED.
Some in the industry say that basic scuba classes are watered down (I am one that thinks this), but the mail order C-card is far worse. For example, my wife is not nitrox certified and has no interest. She would dive it with me and expect me to deal with the details of mix and MOD and such. But since she will not take the class she cannot dive nitrox on vacations. So what to do? I could take the class for her and get her a card. No problem as I remember how to calculate EAD MOD and all that stuff. If this was a real class, the instructor would see me taking her test for her and refuse to certify her. But the mail order cards do not do this.
For those who think I surely must be making this up, here is the link:
http://techst02.technion.ac.il/~sval/index.html
Some will knock my PADI and NAUI cards - or even my old LA County card, but they came from taking classes and working with experienced instructors who taught me and guided me rather than handing out cards.
Wayne