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That’s a good question. I’m wondering how they can provide the "Discover Nitrox" portion as possibly being the actual dive but still state "NITROX REQUIRED". I’m not Nitrox certified yet either but I’m guessing that they will limit your dives because of the lack of certification and the extra dive-time limitations of diving with regular air. Be sure to have them spell out the details before paying for and committing yourself and ending up disappointed. Good luck!
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The difference between an air dive and nitrox is..... nothing that you would notice other than Maximum Operating Depth and longer NDLs - which is what you will learn in a class.
Nitrox is not a mystery anymore - that said if you are still fairly new to diving - I would take a nitrox class and I would wait on the shark dive until you think you are comfortable diving and have your skills squared away.
But if you want to do the dive and you are confident you are ready - then by all means jump in with both feet and don’t worry. Nitrox is the least of your issue with a shark dive... :-)
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I agree with basking. nitrox is not that big of a deal anymore. go ahead and take the class. you may even could do it online before hand.
diving with sharks is a totally different deal. Whether you love sharks or not, you are still a newbie. Get some more dives under your belt before you are put into a situation that is more than unpredictable, with wild animals, that can severely harm you even by accident. I personally do not care for "baiting" the sharks to come in. It starts them to associate humans with food (just my opinion). New divers get "antsy" all the time and when they do, they bolt for the surface. bolting for the surface is bad enough, but to do it during a shark feed is down right dangerous. Log some dives, hone your skills and get super comfortable underwater before hanging out with those multi-toothed goldfish.
All that being said, this is a VERY safe sport when you respect it and dive within your training. Welcome to this wonderful cult, lol.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask.
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Thank you so much for the responses, gentlemen, all super helpful and all very valid. You’ve all reminded me that it’s not like I live in Utah and I’m planning to make the most out of a quick trip to FL. Living here, I can do these dives anytime and for now I should just get comfortable before I get adventurous. The sharks will have to wait, the "cult" on the other hand, I am all in! LOL
Thank you again for your insights and input!
Have a great day!
Chris
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Chris, as an introduction to diving with sharks, I did the DiveQuest tour over at Epcot. That was a great and fun dive. There were Tiger sharks, Sand sharks, etc., several different manta and stingrays along with several thousand fish. Plus, you are putting on a nice little show when you interact with the restaurant and viewing station audiences.
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Ohhhhhhh yes, ram04769, several people have mentioned that dive to me. Actually in the planning process with a local buddy to put that on the calendar some time very soon. Thank you for the inside scoop. It sounds like a blast!!!!
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Come dive the Georgia aquarium with all of our whale sharks (and then some). I’m on their dive staff there !!!
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LOVE your aquarium, tardmaster! One of my favorites in the country. And I do so love those gentle giants...Diving with them sounds like a BLAST!!!! I just might take a road trip one day soon. :0)
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Viron - 7/14/2016 7:07 PM 
This is from a three tank dive with Emerald Charters, obviously condensed. They require Advanced Open Water, NITROX, and a recent dive (6 months or less). The recent dive is pretty standard.
I’ve been twice with Emerald Charters. The first dive both times was following the chum basket at about 80ft in 100ft of water. The second two tanks were on the same wreck.
Wherever you dive, pick a good day for viz at least 20-30ft, and what has been showing up. My first outing was Lemons. The next outing had a few Duskeys, and a Hammerhead. Bulls, Tigers, Silkies also show up.
Enjoy
m.youtube.com/watch?v=QkuCyf6APzw
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Thanks, Viron! I’m getting Nitrox certified next week and will take a look at Emerald (and your video) and report back. Thanks again!
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Diving with nitrox, completely fine and not that difficult. (Just don’t go below a certain depth or you’ll likely get oxygen toxicity.)
Diving with sharks? Fine, if you’re in a group and as long as they’re not great whites. Some other sharks can be aggressive sometimes but usually not to groups.
Baiting sharks? That’s playing with fire... totally stupid. Sharks see movement along with smelling blood so they’re as likely to eat you as the bait
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