Therefore, diving on Nitrox vs air enables you to have shorter breaks between each dive.įeel Better Between Dives: Many people believe and report that diving on Nitrox compared to air results in less tiredness between and after dives. Shorter Surface Intervals: Because you will have absorbed less nitrogen than you do on air, your body needs less time to ‘off gas’ before it is safe to dive again. A Decompression Stop is absolutely necessary for any diver who has exceeded their NDL. A safety stop is not mandatory, but it’s safer than proceeding straight to the surface. Nitrox divers are able to extend their NDL because the gas that they are breathing has less nitrogen than a diver’s on air.Ī Decompression Stop is not the same as a Safety Stop, but they are done for the same end result. The NDL (No Decompression Limit) is the maximum length of time you can stay at a particular depth and still be able to slowly surface without having to perform a Decompression Stop*. A diver on air needs to start ascending to the surface sooner than a diver on a Nitrox mix because of the build-up of nitrogen in the diver’s bloodstream and tissues. Due to the increased oxygen causing reduced nitrogen levels, you are able to stay at a particular depth for longer than if you are breathing regular air.

A dive on Nitrox will be much safer than the same dive profile on air.ĭeep for Longer: Other than health & safety benefits, Nitrox scuba dives enable you to stay at depth for longer than air does. Breathing air which is enriched with more oxygen reduces the amount of nitrogen and therefore reduces the risk. DCS is caused by too much nitrogen absorbed into the body after repetitive deep or unsafe diving profiles. Health & Safety Benefits: Every certified scuba diver should understand the sport’s most-common risk, which is DCS ( The Bends). There are several benefits of diving on Nitrox, they include your health & safety between & after repetitive dives, and how long you are able to stay at depth.

What are the Benefits of Nitrox Scuba Diving?

In general Nitrox divers start off with 32%. The best Nitrox mix for you depends on several factors, such as the planned dive profile. The most-common mixture is 32%, but 36% is also used by some scuba divers. Nitrox is generally considered to be any mixture of gases with more than 21% oxygen. A regular scuba tank is filled with compressed air, and therefore has 21% oxygen.

The air we breathe on land at normal altitudes is made up of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and the final 1% is a combination of argon, carbon dioxide, water vapour and a few other gases. Nitrox is a general term used for any mixture of air that has a higher concentration of oxygen than the 21% which we breathe on land or from a regular scuba tank.

Padi nitrox dive table pdf