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Nitrox diving is a technique widely used by recreational divers to extend their bottom time. So how is it done? Simply put, the air we breathe is composed of oxygen, nitrogen and a few other trace gases. More specifically, it is made up of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. It is this nitrogen concentration that is the focus of a scuba diver's limitation of bottom time and decompression sickness risks. As every good diver knows, nitrogen absorbed into the body while at depth can be dangerous if not monitored and controlled. The scuba diver controls the absorption levels by limiting the number of dives in a day, by shorter and shallower dives, by decompression stops and by allowing the nitrogen to dissipate from the body during surface intervals. Of course, every diver wishes they could have more dives, longer dives, no safety stops and less sitting around. So how can Nitrox help? (More below)
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Nitrox, also known as Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN), is a blend nitrogen and oxygen where the percentage of oxygen has been increased, thereby decreasing the percentage of nitrogen. Nitrox is supplied in a number of concentrations but the most common are 32% and 36% oxygen. These higher concentrations of oxygen result in nitrogen levels at 68% and 64% respectively. With a lower concentration of nitrogen being breathed by the diver, the body will adsorb less nitrogen. It's that simple. Used properly, Nitrox can provide the recreational diver with more bottom time and more dives in a day. Although diving using Nitrox is no more difficult that using regular compressed air, it does require special certification . You can learn more about Nitrox diving by searching our Scubaduba Directory and logging in to our Discussion Board . |
