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This adaptation of PSAI’s Advanced Nitrox Diver course is tailored for experienced SUP athletes looking to enhance their physiological literacy, safety awareness, and performance planning. Here’s what a typical course covers:
Expect a supportive, expert-led environment with a strong focus on personal progression and safety literacy. Some centres may offer supplemental modules or combine this course with overnight SUP expeditions.
While this certification is not required for recreational SUP, it offers serious paddlers a structured path to elevate their performance, safety, and physiological understanding. You'll gain the tools to better plan for long-distance paddles, understand the body's response to prolonged exertion, and apply breathing and recovery techniques used in technical diving to enhance your endurance and efficiency on the water.
Graduates will be better equipped for SUP adventures involving cold water, variable weather, or remote locations. You'll also be introduced to data-driven decision-making, allowing you to factor in variables like oxygen use, hydration, and environmental stressors. This can be especially useful if you're training for races, multi-day journeys, or simply want to deepen your knowledge for personal progression.
As part of adventuro, you can find hundreds of other SUP courses, tours, and rentals to continue your journey with expert guidance.
This course typically runs over two full days, with a mix of classroom theory, onshore practical skills, and water-based endurance sessions. Expect around 16–18 hours total, including assessment and debriefing.
The PSAI Advanced Nitrox Diver certification is not directly assessed in relation to paddleboarding (SUP), as it is a technical diving qualification. However, if you're a paddler looking to cross-train or build water confidence, it's worth understanding what the certification involves. Assessment typically includes both written exams and in-water skill evaluations. Divers must demonstrate proficiency in advanced decompression planning, gas analysis, and executing dives using enriched air nitrox mixtures up to 100% oxygen. The course also covers emergency procedures and dive planning for depths up to 40 metres (130 feet). If you're pursuing this alongside paddleboarding, ensure you're physically fit and accustomed to managing equipment-heavy, mentally demanding aquatic scenarios. Check adventuro’s listings to find PSAI-certified centres offering this course.
Quick answers about this qualification. For anything else, use live chat or browse bookable activities below.
Find activitiesYes, but it’s important to understand that paddleboarding and technical diving are very different disciplines. If you're comfortable in open water, have prior scuba diving experience (at least an Advanced Open Water certification), and want to build water-based skills or confidence, this course could be a great complement. It won’t directly improve your SUP abilities but will deepen your understanding of aquatic environments and safety procedures.
You’ll need to be a certified Nitrox diver and typically have logged a minimum number of dives—usually around 25. A PSAI or equivalent Advanced Open Water certification is also required. This course builds on foundational scuba skills and introduces more complex gas planning and decompression techniques. It's not suitable for beginner-level divers or those without prior technical diving training.
Yes. The PSAI Advanced Nitrox Diver course involves multiple deep dives, managing extra gear (like stage cylinders), and precise underwater navigation. It requires strong situational awareness and stamina. If you’re already paddleboarding regularly, you likely have good balance and core strength, which helps, but technical diving adds mental workload and environmental stressors. Always consult with your instructor to gauge fitness requirements before enrolling.
Typically, the PSAI Advanced Nitrox Diver course spans 3 to 4 days, combining classroom sessions with open water dives. Some centres may extend this based on student progress or conditions. Expect to complete multiple dives, both simulated and real decompression scenarios, and pass a written exam. Adventuro partners with centres that clearly outline schedules and requirements during booking.
Not necessarily. Most centres provide rental or loan equipment, including stage bottles, dive computers capable of handling multiple gas mixes, and redundant systems. However, owning your own gear is beneficial for comfort and familiarity. Paddleboarders used to packing light may find the gear-intensive nature of tech diving a big shift—be prepared for detailed briefings and gear checks.
While not directly applicable to SUP, the PSAI Advanced Nitrox Diver course significantly boosts your understanding of risk management, breathing gas physiology, and emergency protocols in aquatic environments. This awareness can enhance your confidence and decision-making in challenging open water conditions—skills that benefit all water-based activities, including paddleboarding in remote or tidal areas.
Yes. PSAI (Professional Scuba Association International) is a globally respected technical diving agency. Their Advanced Nitrox Diver certification is recognised by dive operators and training centres worldwide. If you're combining travel, paddleboarding, and scuba diving, this credential can open doors to advanced dive sites and further training, such as PSAI Decompression Diver or Extended Range courses.
Absolutely. Adventuro partners with accredited PSAI training centres across the UK and internationally. You can browse course listings, compare instructors, and book directly through our platform. Each listing includes prerequisites, kit information, and location details to make planning easy—especially helpful if you're coordinating with SUP adventures.
You’ll receive PSAI course materials, which cover gas theory, oxygen toxicity, planning decompression dives, and equipment configurations. It’s helpful to review nitrox basics and dive physics beforehand. Familiarity with dive computers that support multiple gas mixes is also useful. Many adventuro centres offer pre-course study support or digital materials you can review at your own pace.
The PSAI Advanced Nitrox Diver course is a technical diving qualification—it goes beyond recreational scuba limits of 30 metres and no-decompression dives. You'll learn to use up to 100% oxygen and plan staged decompression dives. It’s suited for divers looking to explore deeper, longer dives with more complex safety planning. It’s a leap from PADI Advanced Open Water or similar recreational levels.