PADI Tec Gas Blender / BSAC Compressor Operator

Technical operations are the back bone behind the diving industry; increase your employment opportunities, gain more knowledge and have fun in the process! These two hands on courses are being offered as a package for the first time at Bans. Not only will this program enable you to mix Enriched Air Nitrox but it will give you the necessary understanding of gas compression that employers are looking for in a skilled blender.

BSAC Compressor Operator

The BSAC Compressor Operator skill development course will enable the successful candidate to operate and maintain breathing air compression systems for scuba diving. The student will learn to pack filters, maintenance procedures and operation of the various compressors used in the diving industry.

What you will learn

The theory of gas compression
The design of gas compressors
Air quality requirements
A strong understanding of cylinder regulations and filling methods.
Practical application on land and on the dive boat
Integration of the largest air bank system on Koh Tao with multiple compressors

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone. It is therefore not necessary to have any diving background or experience. This course is ideal for divers, dive centre's air filling stations and Liveaboard operators or to anyone who is expected to operate a compressor.

PADI Tec Gas Blender

The PADI Tec Gas Blender course will train you as a qualified gas blender, allowing you to provide nitrox gas mixes to Enriched Air certified customers. Practical Application will progress until the student is able to achieve a desired gas mix to within one percent of target.

What you will learn

Physical properties of oxygen, its associated hazards, handling requirements and what cleaning equipment is necessary.
How to manually perform calculations or use software required to fill Nitrox tanks.

Prerequisites

Be a PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver or hold a qualifying certification from another training organization
At least 18 years old

Course Duration: 3 Days
Price: 12,900 Baht

PADI Tec Gas Blender Instructor

Learn the best ways to teach this course, both theoretically and practically.

Prerequisites

Be a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor or higher
Be a PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Instructor or hold a qualifying certification from another training organization
At least 18 years old

Course Duration: 1 Day
Price: Free!! (When taken with PADI Tec Gas Blender Course)
Normal Price: 4,000 Baht

Testimonials:

Quote start David (Compressor Operator/Gas Blender Testimonial) As a kid I always liked taking things apart to see how they worked on the inside. Funny how they never quite needed so many screws when being re-assembled! - Moving on from toy cars and into my passion for diving this combined Compressor Operator/Gas Blender Course appealed to me straight away.

The Compressor Operator course not only teaches you the operating fundamentals - allowing you to operate many different compressors not just a single model, but also the theory behind the compression which was highly interesting and answered many of the "Why do I do it this way?" type of questions during the practical sessions.

Having the background knowledge and operating skills of compressors complements the theory and filling exercises perfectly in the Gas Blender Course. I think most people would agree that being able to fill both air and nitrox tanks would open up employment opportunities at any local dive centre.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the few days spent on this course - even if it was out of the water! - and would recommend it to anybody looking into this area of technical operations.