As a human being, you cannot breathe underwater—For this reason, you need a scuba tank with you while diving. There are three types of gas mixes that can fill these tanks, which are regular filtered air, trimix, or nitrox. As a scuba diver who wants to spend more time underwater, scuba diving with nitrox is the best option. But what is nitrox? and How can it help you while diving? That is what you will know in this article.

What is Nitrox?

In a simple sentence, Nitrox is nitrogen mixed with oxygen. Nitrox is also known as Enriched Air Nitrox (EANx) because it has a high oxygen percentage. These specifications are what distinguish it from other common diving gases.

Both recreational and technical divers prefer scuba diving with nitrox. In recreational diving, using this breathing gas helps you absorb less nitrogen due to its high percentage of oxygen. Nitrox mixes have more than 21% oxygen, but this percentage does not go above 40%.

Technical divers use two nitrox-based mixtures: Nitrox I and Nitrox II. Both these two mixes combine pure oxygen and air. Nitrox I has 32% of this combination, on the other hand, Nitrox II contains 36%. They also have 68% and 64% of nitrogen, respectively. 

But, the question here is “what are the pros of scuba diving with nitrox over regular air?

What are the Advantages of Scuba Diving with Nitrox?

So why should you choose nitrox diving? There are a few substantial advantages that can make you choose nitrox diving over scuba diving with regular air, these advantages including:

Longer Bottom Times

Scuba divers using nitrox mixture absorb less nitrogen, this enables them to stay longer underwater. They also have less risk of Decompression Sickness. There is another important advantage which is that older divers in addition to those who’ve experienced DCS or physical injuries can reduce their no-decompression limits when using this gas. With nitrox, you have twice as much your dive time at 50 to 100 feet in some cases.

But using this mixture won’t enable you to exceed your maximum depth safely. As a result, You should look at your depth gauge closely while diving. It is also important to set a depth alarm If you have a dive computer to warn you immediately when your depth exceeds your maximum depth.

Less Fatigue

There isn’t enough research  to prove this advantage yet, but many scuba divers report less fatigue with nitrox. And many divers believe that a gas mixture having less nitrogen means fewer micro-bubbles in the bloodstream as well as less decompression stress. It can also make you feel less tired and drained after scuba diving.

Longer Dive Times

Unfortunately, dives using normal air always have pretty short repetitive dive times, which is considered disappointing for you as a diver, especially if you are diving in exciting dive sites that beg to be explored. On the other hand, with nitrox diving, you will absorb less nitrogen on your first dive, which gives you more repetitive dive times. With a nitrox gas mixture, You’ll also have about five more minutes at 70 feet. You may feel it is a short period, but those extra five minutes may appear precious in specific types of dive.

Shorter Surface Intervals

Scuba diving with nitrox means you have shorter surface intervals. This is considered a great advantage in case of deciding to perform repetitive dives. 

This is due to having less nitrogen to get rid of, which can make a remarkable difference in the period your body needs to de-gas on the surface. But if you want to ensure your safety and stay away from any risk, you should look at your dive tables to know the correct time for surface intervals before diving.

What are the Disadvantages of Scuba Diving with Nitrox?

Despite all the previous advantages, nitrox diving also has some disadvantages in addition to potential dangers. It is essential to understand these risks besides getting the right training in using scuba diving equipment so you can have a safe and enjoyable diving experience. Here are some cons to consider before scuba diving with nitrox.

Not Suitable for Deep Diving

Before scuba diving with nitrox, you’ll need to delve into special training and learn certain procedures to be able to deal with this gas. One misconception about this gas is that it will help in deep diving. But in fact, deeper depths will make nitrox poisonous.

Oxygen Toxicity

High concentrations of oxygen can lead to oxygen toxicity. Using nitrox in recreational diving can lead to high risks of this condition. So before using this gas in your dives, it is important to think about your oxygen limit. This factor covers the exposure of your lung to oxygen and how long they should take it in while being underwater.

There are different symptoms to the acute oxygen toxicity, such as distorted vision and convulsions. A nitrox diver when experiencing convulsions can drown and die as a result of that. So, it is important to keep a close eye on your maximum depth and total oxygen exposure, to make sure you won’t suffer from oxygen toxicity.

Nitrox vs Air: Which Gas to Choose?

After covering both the advantages and disadvantages of nitrox diving, there are two more factors that you should keep into considerations when using this mixture: cost and availability. Scuba diving with nitrox typically costs more than regular scuba diving with filtered air, this is because:

• Trained scuba divers and dive shop personnel use both special procedures and equipment to produce this gas mixture.
• Pure oxygen prices are expensive.

It is also rare to see nitrox in most dive shops and destinations, although it gets much more popular with recreational divers. And of course, scuba tanks are filled with compressed air for non-technical diving.

Getting Nitrox Certification

Scuba diving with nitrox can lead to many dangerous situations underwater. This is why you should be certified for it. Taking the proper training will help you understand to what depth you can go with nitrox. And just as you learn about scuba diving equipment and how you should use them, you’ll enjoy a safer and greater diving experience after knowing how to use this gas properly.

During your Enriched Air Nitrox course, You will learn the following skills:

• How to determine your oxygen exposure.
• Analyzing the nitrox capacity of your scuba tank. 
• How to use special air tables and scuba diving equipment for producing enriched air.
• How to place the right markings on your dive gear.
• The proper way to fill up your tank with the gas.
• The right way to program your dive computer for scuba diving with nitrox.

Many scuba divers who have an Open Water Diver certification eventually take an Enriched Air Diver or nitrox certification course. PADI, ISS, TDI, and other scuba diving certification organizations offer EANx courses to scuba divers who looking for nitrox diving.