Why Should I Become a Gas Blender?
Are you looking to enhance your CV as a dive professional? Or simply increase your knowledge and skills as a diver Then taking the Gas Blender course may just be the right next step for you!
If you’ve been wondering about the benefits of learning to blend gas (or have never even considered it!) then stick around as we go through the ins and outs.
What is a Gas Blender Course?
A blender course teaches you the correct techniques to safely handle, mix and fill tanks to be used for scuba diving.
There are two levels in gas blending courses:
- Nitrox Gas Blender
- Trimix Gas Blender
Here’s a quick breakdown of these two courses.
SSI Nitrox Gas Blender Course
The SSI Nitrox Gas Blender course teaches you how to blend mixtures of up to 21 to 100% oxygen.To enrol in the SSI Nitrox Gas Blender course, all you need is to:
- Be 18 years old
SSI Trimix Gas Blender Course
If you’re already a certified Nitrox Blender, with a little bit of experience under your belt, then you can expand your skill set and enrol in the SSI Trimix Blender course.
During the course, you’ll learn about the properties of Helium, how to safely blend Trimix, and – depending on your filling station – how to use a booster pump.
To partake in the SSI Trimix Blender course, you need to:
- Be 18 years old
- Be a certified SSI Nitrox Gas Blender, or equivalent
What do you Learn in a Gas Blender Course?
The art of gas blending requires good theoretical knowledge as well as practical skills.
You’ll begin your gas blending course by getting to grips with the theory.
You’ll learn about the properties of oxygen, its dangers, as well as what the oxygen cleaning process involves. You’ll extend and consolidate your knowledge of pressure, volume and the behaviour of gases, so you can safely blend gases. On top of this, you’ll also learn some useful calculations that are necessary and handy to have as a gas blender.
Your instructor will then show you the ins and outs of their specific gas filling station – after this, you’ll be able to jump into blending your first gas!
During your course, you’ll also need to sit an exam, demonstrating that you’ve understood all the theory you’ve been taught.
Why Should I do a Gas Blender Course?
As a dive professional, a blender qualification can give you an edge over other candidates when applying for jobs.
Being a gas blender demonstrates that you have strong theoretical as well as practical knowledge about filling stations and the safety procedures involved. This gives employers the impression that you’re a competent, safety-minded individual – as well as someone who can help out around the dive centre!
On top of this, a gas blender qualification is not something that every dive professional has. While the majority of instructors can offer their employers speciality instructor ratings, gas blending experience can really make you stand out among the crowd.
That said, even if you’re not a dive professional, a gas blender course could still be of value to you.
For recreational and technical divers alike, gas blending advances your knowledge of equipment, physics and safety, making you an overall better and more-rounded diver.
There’s also a great satisfaction to diving with the gases that you blend – it’s like brewing your own beer, or building your own house!
So if you’re set on enrolling in a blender course, Lagona Divers Technical can make that happen. Drop us a message and start blending gases in the place where the sun always shines – Dahab, Egypt!
