The 5 Main Benefits
- Extended Bottom Time. This is the number one benefit of diving on nitrox. ...
- Reduced Risk of The Decompression Sickness. The reduced percentage of nitrogen is also advantageous in reducing nitrogen uptake in the body’s tissues and so reducing the risk of decompression ...
- Shorter Surface Intervals. ...
- Longer Repetitive Dive Times. ...
- Reduced Fatigue. ...
How deep can you dive with nitrox?
Why is Nitrox better for diving? Divers who use nitrox absorb less nitrogen, making them stay underwater for longer. They're also less likely to get decompression sickness. It's worth noting that older divers and those who've experienced decompression sickness or physical injuries can reduce no-decompression limits with the gas.
What do you need to know about diving with nitrox?
Nitrox diving reduces the risk of decompression sickness As Nitrox gas has a lower percentage of nitrogen this means diving on Nitrox reduces the risk of decompression sickness (DCS). Decompression sickness is caused by the release of nitrogen that’s been absorbed into the body during the dive, usually as a result of a fast ascent.
Is it worth it to dive nitrox?
Jul 02, 2021 · Many professional and frequent scuba divers choose to use nitrox. The higher oxygen percentages give divers longer dive times and shorter surface intervals. While the lower nitrogen amounts reduce the chances of developing decompression sickness (DCS). Many divers also find that they are less tired after repetitive days of diving.
What you should know about Nitrox diving?
Divers prefer to use diving with nitrox for a variety of reasons. One of the primary reasons, though, is because it gives you the ability to stay at depth a bit longer, thanks to the higher no-decompression limit. Because you’re breathing a lower amount of nitrogen during the dive, your body is absorbing it slower than it normally would.
Is it better to dive with nitrox?
Nitrox proves to be especially useful for divers, who want to perform more than one dive per day. Due to having absorbed less nitrogen on the first dive, Nitrox divers will have a longer allowable bottom time on a repetitive dive.
Should I dive nitrox or air?
Breathing air which is enriched with more oxygen reduces the amount of nitrogen and therefore reduces the risk. A dive on Nitrox will be much safer than the same dive profile on air. Deep for Longer: Other than health & safety benefits, Nitrox scuba dives enable you to stay at depth for longer than air does.Aug 21, 2018
What is the benefit of using nitrox?
Shorter Surface Intervals A diver using Enriched Air Nitrox absorbs less nitrogen on any given dive than a diver using air. With less nitrogen in your body, the time required to 'off gas' in between dives is decreased. Giving you less time needed to kill in between dives and getting you back in the water sooner!Jul 23, 2019
Can you dive deeper on nitrox?
You can simply reduce the risks by doing the same dive profile but on Nitrox. Though, you can't dive deeper with Nitrox! Even if many people may think so. Nitrox is actually inappropriate for deep dives!Jan 18, 2018
When should I use nitrox?
The best application of nitrox is in the 50- to 100-foot range. No stop times for dives shallower than 50 feet are often so long that you'll empty your tank before you run out of dive time.Jul 23, 2021
Is it worth getting nitrox certified?
Is a nitrox certification “worth it”? If you fancy staying down longer and getting back in the water sooner, then yes; getting nitrox certified is worth it. You can take more photos, wave to more turtles, and spend more time exploring at depth. Many divers wait too long to try nitrox.Feb 23, 2021
Does nitrox make you less tired?
Is it likely that nitrox will make you more fatigued in the water? In short — no, but it's a significant step away from proof that nitrox can combat postdive fatigue.Jul 10, 2019
How deep can you dive with 36 nitrox?
However, when diving on nitrox, the potential for oxygen toxicity lurks well within the depth range of recreational diving: the maximum depth on 32 percent nitrox is 121 feet; on 36 percent nitrox, it's just over 100 feet.Apr 7, 2013
How deep can you go on 30 nitrox?
Calculating Enriched Air Nitrox Depth LimitsOxygen PercentageMaximum Operating Depth (ft.)Contingency Depth (ft.)29%12614930%12114331%11613732%11113226 more rows•Oct 4, 2021
How deep can you dive on 40% nitrox?
Choice of mixture The two most common recreational diving nitrox mixes contain 32% and 36% oxygen, which have maximum operating depths (MODs) of 34 metres (112 ft) and 29 metres (95 ft) respectively when limited to a maximum partial pressure of oxygen of 1.4 bar (140 kPa).
What Are The Effects of Diving With Nitrox?
In the majority of dives, it is the amount of nitrogen that is absorbed that dictates your bottom time or no decompression limit (NDL).As the press...
Do You Need A Specialty Training to Dive With Nitrox?
Yes, you do! As mentioned before diving with Nitrox does have some additional risks. The more severe is the risk of oxygen toxicity. Under pressure...
Symptoms of Oxygen Toxicity
1. Muscle twitching and spasm, notably facial muscles 2. Nausea and vomiting 3. Dizziness 4. Vision (tunnel vision) and hearing 5. Difficulties (ti...
What Do You Learn in The Enriched Air Nitrox Course?
The course covers the understanding and use of: 1. Managing oxygen exposure 2. How to analyze the content in your tank 3. Enriched air tables 4. En...
Why Should You Consider Diving With Nitrox?
Divers prefer to use diving with nitrox for a variety of reasons. One of the primary reasons, though, is because it gives you the ability to stay a...
What is nitrox?
Normal recreational scuba tanks have an air mixture of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% of additional gases. This mimics the normal air we breathe on the surface. Nitrox refers to a few mixtures of gas that all have higher levels of oxygen at different percentages.
Advantages of diving with nitrox
One of the main reasons divers will get EAN certified is to have longer bottom times. When using a normal tank of air, you’re limited on time based on depth and nitrogen absorption. Excess nitrogen is what causes DCS. When your body absorbs the nitrogen from a regular gas mix, it builds up in body tissues and forms bubbles.
Disadvantages of diving with nitrox
Many believe that EANx diving lets you go to deeper depths like a technical diver. Unfortunately, this is incorrect. Tec divers use trimix gas, not nitrox. The higher levels of oxygen in an EAN tank will actually lead to shallower dives within the no-decompression limits.
How to get nitrox certified
Learning how to dive with nitrox and calculate the limits and other safety procedures is all covered in a nitrox course. The Enriched Air Diver course is one of PADI’s most popular and many who become dive instructors will take it 8.
Nitrox gear
Most gear is compatible with regular and nitrox air mixes. However, if you are using your own gear, you will want to make sure your regulator will work with both. The biggest concern would be using a titanium regulator. These oxidize at lower levels and won’t work well with an oxygen-rich gas.
Conclusion
Nitrox is a more concentrated mixture of oxygen than regular compressed air. It varies in oxygen percentage and each type has its own dive depth and time limits. While you will have longer dives on EAN, you will have to stay at shallower depths.
Why do divers use Nitrox?
One of the primary reasons, though, is because it gives you the ability to stay at depth a bit longer, thanks to the higher no-decompression limit.
What is the abbreviation for Nitrox?
Nitrox is an abbreviation of Nitrogen-Oxygen the primary content of the air we breathe every day. In recreational diving, we use the term Enriched Air Nitrox or EANx, for a breathing gas blend with a higher percentage of oxygen than the usual air we breathe.
How deep can you dive with oxygen?
If you breathed pure oxygen (100%), on a dive you would reach 1.6 ATA in 13 feet, 4 meters. This why it’s vitally important that you take the right nitrox courses to learn about how to determine the maximum depth you can go to by using the partial pressure and percent of oxygen in the mix you’re using.
Why does the body absorb nitrogen?
As the pressure increases the deeper, you dive, the nitrogen in the air you breathe dissolves into your bloodstream. Your bottom time is limited as a result of this absorption of nitrogen. So, as you dive deeper and in some cases longer, your body will absorb more nitrogen.
How long can a scuba diver decompress?
To illustrate this concept, a scuba diver would have a no-decompression limit of about 56 minutes at around 18 meters of 60 feet if he or she were breathing normal air . If that same scuba diver were using a 36% nitrox mix, even at the same depth, his or her limit would now be 130 minutes.
What are the symptoms of oxygen toxicity?
Symptoms of oxygen toxicity. Irritability, confusion, anxiety and a sense of impending doom. Unfortunately, these symptoms and signs may not occur in any particular sequence, and can occur with little or no warning. Oxygen toxicity won’t be a problem if you adhere to the maximum depth you are trained to dive too.
How far down do you have to go to reach 1.6 ATA?
On air to reach the 1.6 ATA, you would have to go down approximately 258 feet, which would be a foolish thing to do as you probably would be narced like a drunk hoot owl by the time you reach 150 feet.
Why do you need Nitrox for diving?
The most important benefit of diving with Nitrox is that it will give you more bottom time. Because there is less nitrogen in the air your breath less nitrogen will be absorbed which gives you more time at depth compared to regular air. The second benefit of diving with Nitrox is that you can use Nitrox to plan more conservative dives.
When did Nitrox start?
In the 1970s, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established standards for Nitrox diving. They established Nitrox-I containing 32% oxygen and Nitrox-II containing 36% oxygen. Back then commercial gas blending businesses made these blends available for the early adopters and the recreational diving training agencies adapted ...
What is the abbreviation for Nitrox?
Nitrox is an abbreviation of Nitrogen-Oxygen the basic content of the air we breathe every day. In the diving community, we use the term to identify any blend of air, especially those that have a mix different from our usual 79% nitrogen / 21% oxygen plus minute parts of other gasses.
What dictates the bottom time of a dive?
In the majority of dives, it is the amount of nitrogen that is absorbed that dictates your bottom time / No decompression limit (NDL) The higher the partial pressure of nitrogen the greater the absorption rate, which means it takes less time to match the NDL.
Why do you dive on Nitrox?
Well here are the three main reasons for diving on Nitrox. The number one reason to dive on Nitrox is the added safety measure. I’m going to quote Dr. Dario Gomez who is not only the DAN medical liaison but also the Doctor at the Chamber in the Aquatic Sports Medicine Center at CostaMed in Cozumel who said:
What is Nitrox 32?
When you are diving with Nitrox, you are breathing enriched air (with extra Oxygen in it). Nitrox 32 simply means there is 32% Oxygen in the gas.
What is the oxygen in Nitrox 32?
Nitrox 32 simply means there is 32% Oxygen in the gas. With standard scuba cylinders, you will find the percentage of Oxygen is more like 20.8%, which is close to what we breathe in everyday life on the surface (see above science lesson).
Why do we breathe nitrogen underwater?
When you are diving your body absorbs more of the gasses that you are breathing due to the increased pressure than you would on the surface. That means that the nitrogen you are breathing underwater begins to build up. Unlike oxygen, our bodies don’t actually need that much nitrogen so it just floats around in our bodies.
What is a no stop time?
To put it simply your ‘no-stop’ time is the length you can safely dive at a given depth without having to take an extra safety stop, to expel excess nitrogen. Most divers now dive with a dive computer which will work this out for you.
How old do you have to be to take OWD?
Anyone who holds the OWD certificate can take the course and the minimum age is 12 years old. On the course, you will have a ‘classroom’ section where you will learn all about the relationship between the gasses, pressures, and your limitations when diving.
Does Nitrox increase bottom time?
What he doesn’t mean is that diving on Nitrox will increase your actual bottom time length. The second reason to dive on Nitrox is that you can stay at a given depth for longer on air – as stated above. The final reason, some say is a placebo effect.
What is Nitrox or Enriched air?
To start out, we’re already trying to confuse you by having two names for the same thing.
Why Dive with Nitrox?
In scuba diving it is always the amount of nitrogen in our bodies that dictates how deep and how long we can stay down diving underwater.
Pros and Cons of Nitrox Diving
So far, Nitrox sounds pretty awesome, reducing nitrogen loading to allow more dives in a day or longer, deeper dives (depending on air supply), but it also has some downsides, so let’s look at the pros and cons of using nitrox.
Enriched Air Nitrox Diving Tables
Just as diving with normal air, Nitrox has its own set of diving tables to calculate your no-stop times.
Dangers of Diving with Nitrox (Why do you need a Nitrox Certification?)
Just as with any diving, using Nitrox comes with its own set of dangers with the main one being Oxygen Toxicity.
Scuba Diving Nitrox Certification
The main part of the nitrox diving course is teaching people how to avoid oxygen toxicity, through good planning and understanding of limits imposed by the gas mixture in your tank.
How Deep Can You Scuba Dive with Nitrox?
Looking at the above table, the depth you can dive to is going to be greatly affected by the mixture in your tank.
What is NITROX?
NITROX is a breathing-gas which contains more oxygen than in normal breathing-gas (Air) 21% Oxygen 79% Nitrogen. NITROX in Scuba Diving starts with 22% of Oxygen. Recreational Sports Divers are supposed to obtain a certification to use NITROX or Enriched Air which contains a maximum of 40% oxygen.
Why I should use a Gas like NITROX?
Many Sportsdiver thinks that NITROX is used by Deep-Dives only. This is already a rumour. Yes, NITROX diving got popular in Technical Diving but the Tec Divers didn’t use NITROX as a Bottom Gas, they were using NITROX for their decompression as a Deco Gas and or Travel Gas. Which is totally different to Recreational diving.
Determine the Partial Pressure
Another important Calculation is also how to determine the Partial Pressure of a given NITROX Blend. Convert % to Bar = Blend % / 100 = _____Bar Blend N32 32%/100=0.32Bar Calculate the Partial Pressure in depth of 30m Remember your Open Water Diver Course! Pressure increase every 10m NITROX Blend*Surrounding Pressure= N32 0.32Bar*4Bar= 1.28Bar PPo2
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When was Nitrox first used?
The use of nitrox was first introduced to sport divers in 1985 by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Diving Officer Rick Rutkowski but it wasn’t fully embraced by some diving enthusiasts due to possible risks. In 1991, Dr. Peter Bennett, co-editor of The Physiology and Medicine of Diving, Bove, and SkinDiver Magazine took a stand against the use of nitrox in recreational diving.
Why is scuba diving so exciting?
Scuba diving in the deep blue waters is an incredible experience because you get to explore a fascinating environment like no other. No matter how many times you dive, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever get tired of doing it because there’s always something new and exciting to discover each time you descend beneath the waves. The boundless charm of the underwater world and marine life just never ceases to amaze. With that said, wouldn’t it be nice if you could make each dive last a bit longer? The good news is that you can maximize your time exploring the wonders of the sea or the ocean by diving with Nitrox (EANx).
Does oxygen help with nitrogen narcosis?
The greater the percentage of oxygen in the tank, the less nitrogen you take in which reduces the risk of nitrogen narcosis. Although nitrogen narcosis is considered a temporary condition which may cause symptoms such as poor judgment, disorientation, and short-term memory loss, it may have more serious health consequences. In severe cases, a diver can go into a coma or even die.
Can high oxygen levels cause death?
While we need oxygen to live, very high concentrations can also be harmful to the body which can result in oxygen toxicity, a medical condition attributed to exposure to oxygen at high pressure. Extreme levels of oxygen can cause dizziness, nausea, convulsions, unconsciousness, breathing difficulties, eye damage, lung damage, and in extreme cases, even death.
Is Nemo diving a PADI?
If you want to experience the advantages of Nitrox diving, Nemo Diving Center offers a PADI Enriched Air Certification Course. We provide proper and safe training so you can enjoy a whole new level of scuba diving in Dubai.