What Is Nitrox and Nitrox Diving

What Is Nitrox and Nitrox Diving

By: Manny Lagos | Date: 2025-07-25T09:18:35.005Z

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Ever wish your surface intervals were a bit shorter and your dives just a little bit longer? Or perhaps you might've heard someone mention Nitrox and wondered what the hype is all about?

Well, Nitrox Diving is an amazing option that can make your dives enjoyable. But what exactly is Nitrox and how does it work? What are the benefits compared to conventional diving methods? In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Nitrox Diving. After going through this guide, you’ll know if Nitrox Diving is worth your time and investment or not.

What is Nitrox and Nitrox SCUBA Diving?

Simply put, Nitrox (also known as enriched air Nitrox) is a gas mixture that contains a higher percentage of oxygen than regular air used for diving purposes. Standard air in a SCUBA tank has about 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. With Nitrox, you get around 32% - 36% Oxygen.

Using Nitrox during diving not only helps you stay underwater for longer but also reduces fatigue and helps you feel less wiped out afterwards. More oxygen helps your muscles work more efficiently! It’s that simple.

Why do divers use Nitrox when diving?

One of the biggest reasons people are turning to Nitrox is a process called Nitrogen absorption. When you breathe underwater, your body absorbs nitrogen from the air and this nitrogen accumulates in your body which then reduces your dive time. Too much of it can also lead to decompression sickness or “the bends”.

But here’s the good part: since Nitrox carries less nitrogen than regular air, it allows you to:

1. Stay underwater longer without reaching decompression limits.
2. Experience less fatigue after diving.
3. Have shorter surface intervals between dives.

It’s no surprise Nitrox has become a hit, especially amongst those who want to maximize their dive time while minimizing risks.

How Deep Can You Dive With Nitrox?

Nitrox surely has some significant advantages, but it comes with some limitations too. Depth being the most important one.

Due to the higher concentration of oxygen in Nitrox, you need to be careful about oxygen toxicity, which becomes a risk at greater depths. This happens when you go deeper into the water, and your body starts to absorb more oxygen. Go too deep and it can even cause convulsions and blackouts. Who wants that?

That’s why it’s important to know the depth limits for different Nitrox mixes:

Nitrox 32% – Max depth: 33 meters (110 feet)

Nitrox 36% – Max depth: 28 meters (95 feet)

Regular air, on the other hand, allows divers to go up to 40 meters (around 130-140 feet), making it a better choice for deep explorations.

Benefits of Nitrox Diving

Now, let’s discuss the benefits of Nitrox diving in a bit more detail:

1. Longer bottom time:

Since Nitrox carries less nitrogen, you can spend more time underwater before reaching your no-decompression limit. This is especially beneficial for recreational divers who want to maximise their dive time and make the most of every dive.

2. Reduced risk of decompression sickness:

Less nitrogen in your system means less gas dissolving into your bloodstream, which significantly reduces the chances of decompression sickness or “the bends” even if you take multiple dives.

3. Less post-dive fatigue:

While scientific evidence hasn’t been put forward yet, many divers say they feel less tired after using Nitrox. The effect has been attributed to lower Nitrogen levels.

4. Shorter surface intervals:

Since you’re absorbing less nitrogen, you can eliminate nitrogen faster between dives, reducing the number of times you have to rise above the water’s surface.

5. Perfect for repetitive dives

If you’re doing multiple dives in one day like on a liveaboard trip or a dive holiday, Nitrox can extend your safe diving limits and allow you to fit in more dives without pushing your nitrogen exposure limits too far.

Is Nitrox Diving Worth It?

As we’ve already discussed, Nitrox has some great advantages, but it also comes with a few limitations. So how do you decide if you should choose Nitrox over regular air or not?

Here are a few things to think about.

Nitrox is for you if:

• You do multiple dives in a single day
• Spending more time below without reaching decompression limitations is what you desire.
• The goal is to reduce post-dive tiredness.
• You desire greater safety since you're worried about decompression sickness.

Nitrox may not be for you if:

• You rarely dive or do shallow single dives.
• You like going deeper than what Nitrox can handle.
• You don’t want to spend extra money on Nitrox accessories.

Why Should You Take a Nitrox Diving Course

If you are intrigued by the concept of Nitrox SCUBA diving and want to experience it for yourself, you’ll need to complete a Nitrox certification course first. Utila Dive Center offers several specialty courses, including the PADI Enriched Air Diver course. It’s a quick course and usually takes just 1-2 days to complete.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How Nitrox affects your body underwater.
• How to analyse your gas mix before a dive.
• How to calculate maximum operating depth (MOD) based on your Nitrox mixture.
• How to use an oxygen air analyser.
• How to set up your dive computer.
• How to avoid oxygen toxicity at greater depths.

Once you’ve completed the certification, you’ll be eligible to rent or buy the necessary equipment required for Nitrox Diving. The best part? At Utila Dive Center, we provide all the equipment you need to have a safe, and comfortable Nitrox dive.

Conclusion: Should I Choose Nitrox or Air for Diving?

Nitrox Diving comes with numerous benefits like increased dive time, enhanced safety, and reduced post-dive fatigue making it a popular choice among experienced and regular divers. But you should also know– it’s not for everyone. There are some trade-offs too such as depth restrictions and the need for Nitrox certification, which makes it inaccessible for casual and first-time divers. 

At Utila Dive Center, our aim is to help you with that and make diving accessible to everyone, no matter the experience level. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, we have trained thousands of divers– from beginners to pros in SCUBA diving, freediving, and more. Let us guide you too. 

So, if you’re ready to dive and experience the warm, clear waters of Utila, start your diving journey today!

References

[1] – Scubadiving.com - A guide to Nitrox scuba diving and certification

[2] – Blog.padi.com - What is Nitrox? An introduction for scuba divers

[3] – Blog.padi.com - The benefits of diving Nitrox versus air

[4] – Changdiving.com - What is Nitrox and how does it affect your dive?