Nitrox

Decompression or diving computers are designed to provide a diver with information on a variety of factors, but most importantly diving computers allow the diver to easily view a model of their decompression status. Computer models vary widely in available options but all track depth and bottom time as well as vital information such as […]

Examining the no-decompression stop time limits in the air and nitrox tables will demonstrate that significantly longer bottom times are allowed when using nitrox mixtures. There is a common misconception that nitrox is a gas used for deep diving, but examining the no-decompression stop times for a variety of gases and depths should convince the

Planning nitrox dives is very similar to planning dives on air. Mixtures other than air must be analyzed and divers must determine their MOD and plan for their oxygen exposure times. In addition, divers will still establish planned maximum depths and maximum bottom times or minimum pressure readings prior to diving. When planning for decompression

The partial pressures of nitrogen in a diver’s breathing gas will be reduced when using nitrox mixtures. Henry’s law states that the absorption of gas by liquid and is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas contacting the liquid. Therefore, if a diver is exposed to lower partial pressures of nitrogen at a

To a diver exposed to pressure, there is no gas mixture that eliminates the need to plan for decompression. Divers must therefore plan for the fact that they will absorb inert gases during a dive and must safely eliminate these gases on the ascent and while on the surface. The theory behind diving with nitrox

Nitrox is commonly available in mixtures of 32% and 36% oxygen, but any nitrox mixture from 22% to 40% oxygen is acceptable for use as a breathing gas in recreational or scientific diving as long as the diver does not exceed their maximum oxygen exposure. The advantage of using less nitrogen in the breathing mixtures

If we were using air and our tables one of the rules is to round up. Because 111 fsw is equal to a table depth of 120 fsw and the diver cannot go deeper than 111 fsw or exceed their planned oxygen exposure, they should conservatively reduce the MOD or round down to 110 fsw

This indicates that the diver will be exposed to a maximum of about 1.1 atm of oxygen when they reach 80 fsw. Some nitrox dive tables incorporate PO₂ values alongside the depth column in the no-decompression stop limit table so that the diver is reminded of their planned oxygen exposure. Once the diver knows their

Many divers are convinced that they have extra energy following nitrox dives, or at least are not as tired. Other divers report no noticeable difference. Only one clinical trial has been conducted to examine this lack of fatigue, and it detected no statistical difference between air breathing and nitrox breathing (Brubakk and Neumann, 2003). Although