The Science Behind Enriched Air Nitrox Diving

So, you’re a diver and you’ve heard about enriched air nitrox and how it can enhance your scuba diving experience. The PADI Enriched Air Diver course is a great certification to earn and a fantastic way to deepen your diving adventure.

Diving with nitrox means you’re breathing gas with more oxygen than the regular air. This lets you safely enjoy your dives for a few extra minutes. In this article, we’ll dive into how enriched air nitrox works and why it’s becoming so popular while diving in Malta.

What is Enriched Air Nitrox?

Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN), or Oxygen Enriched Air, contains more than the usual 21% oxygen found in breathing air. This tweak in the gas mix means you absorb less nitrogen, allowing for longer dives without increased decompression risk.

But, to know what enriched air nitrox is, we must first understand regular breathing air.

Regular breathing air has two main gases, about 21% oxygen, the stuff that keeps us alive, and roughly 78% nitrogen. The remaining 1% is a tiny pinch of other gases, like argon and carbon dioxide. When we breathe in, our lungs distribute oxygen-rich blood to our organs and limbs. Oxygen is metabolised and used as fuel, converted to carbon dioxide, and returned to the lungs for exhaling.

Nitrogen is a crucial component of the air we breathe. However, despite its abundance, the human body is unable to break down nitrogen for use in bodily processes. This is because nitrogen is an inert gas that does not react easily with other substances.

When we inhale nitrogen, it enters our lungs and dissolves in our bloodstream. From there, it is carried throughout the body to provide pressure to the various organs and tissues. However, because our bodies are unable to use nitrogen for energy or other biological functions, it is ultimately exhaled from the body.

When diving with nitrox, understanding the natural process of nitrogen absorption and elimination in your body is key. As divers, our bodies adapt to the underwater environment, managing nitrogen levels effectively, especially when we adhere to our no decompression limits (NDLs).

This adherence ensures that nitrogen saturation isn’t a concern during recreational dives, allowing us to enjoy the underwater world safely and with peace of mind.

While diving with nitrox, you’ll often use a mix of 28% to 32% oxygen. Remember, more oxygen means less nitrogen, thus a longer no-deco limit.

No Decompression Limit

The No Decompression Limit (NDL) is like a clock that tells divers how long they can stay underwater at a certain depth without having mandatory decompression stops on their way back up.

Here’s how it’s calculated:

1. Depth and Time: The deeper you go, the more pressure there is – this affects how much nitrogen your body absorbs. The NDL is based on the depth of your dive and how long you plan to stay there.
2. Nitrogen Absorption: Our bodies take in nitrogen from the air we breathe while diving. The NDL is calculated to ensure you don’t absorb too much nitrogen, which could lead to decompression sickness if you ascend too quickly.
3. Dive Tables or Computers: Divers use special tables or dive computers that have all this information programmed in. You just need to know your depth and dive time, and these tools will tell you your NDL.

How Does Enriched Air Diving Work?

When diving with nitrox, you’re tweaking the gas mix to have more oxygen and less nitrogen. This means your body absorbs less nitrogen, which delays saturation and extends our NDL. This ultimately gives us a few extra minutes of bottom time to enjoy.

So in recap: Enriched Air Nitrox allows you to reduce nitrogen absorption, extending your no-deco limit. Dive tables or dive computers help you manage your bottom time and depth to stay within safe NDL boundaries.

By understanding the science behind enriched air diving, divers can enjoy longer dives while mitigating the risks associated with excessive nitrogen uptake. This makes diving safer, and more fun and helps divers stay underwater longer.

Benefits of Enriched Air Diving

Diving nitrox versus regular air offers many benefits. For the most part, EAN extends your no-decompression limit, allowing you to stay down longer, while keeping things safe. So, even though you’re using air at the same rate, diving with nitrox is like a backstage pass to more bottom time without compromising on safety.

1. Extended Bottom Time: Nitrox diving increases your No Decompression Limit (NDL), allowing you to stay underwater longer before needing mandatory decompression stops. This is especially beneficial for divers wanting to maximize their exploration time on a single dive.
2. Reduced Nitrogen Absorption: With a higher oxygen content in your breathing gas, there’s less nitrogen for your body to absorb. This reduced nitrogen uptake decreases the risk of decompression sickness, providing a safer diving experience.
3. Shorter Surface Intervals: Because your body absorbs less nitrogen, it also off-gasses nitrogen faster during your surface interval. This means you can safely return to the water sooner for another dive.
4. Reduced Nitrogen Narcosis Risk: Nitrogen narcosis affects divers at deeper depths, causing confusion and impairing judgment, much like being tipsy. By using nitrox, with its lower nitrogen content than regular air, divers can reduce the risk of experiencing nitrogen narcosis, leading to clearer thinking and safer underwater decision-making.
5. Reduced Exhaustion: With less nitrogen in your tank, you’ll experience less fatigue and exhaustion during and after your dives. Less nitrogen means your body doesn’t have to work hard to express the excess waste. This is especially helpful when planning multiple dives as it allows for sustained energy and endurance throughout the day.

Risks of Diving With Nitrox

Diving with nitrox brings its perks, but it’s not without risks, especially when talking about the Maximum Operating Depth (MOD). Nitrox allows you to absorb less nitrogen, granting more bottom time, but the increased oxygen content comes with a catch. The MOD is the deepest you can go with a specific nitrox mix before oxygen toxicity becomes a concern.

Nitrox Tables

Enriched air divers need to be vigilant about their depth and ensure they respect their training. Diving deeper or staying longer isn’t the only important thing. Diving smarter, following the rules, and understanding the risks of staying underwater longer are also important. Always dive safely within your depth limits.

Do I Need Special Gear to Diver With Nitrox

When diving with Nitrox, the only essential equipment you’ll need is a nitrox-capable dive computer. You’ll set your dive computer with your nitrox mix and it will automatically adjust your NDL accordingly.

Before you go in the water, you’ll need to know the percentage of oxygen in your Nitrox cylinder. Dive centres will always have an Oxygen analyzer available for you to test your scuba cylinder. If you’re an experienced diver and often rent gear to dive with your friends, you might want to invest in your own oxygen analyser.

Dive centres also ensure that dedicated Nitrox cylinders are available, serviced, cleaned, and clearly labelled for Nitrox use.

While it’s important to understand the equipment required for Nitrox diving, dive centres usually provide all necessary items including dive computers.

Becoming a PADI-Enriched Air Diver

To become a PADI Enriched Air Diver, you must complete the PADI Enriched Air Diver course. This course teaches divers the necessary skills and knowledge to safely use enriched air nitrox for diving. In the course, you’ll learn about gas planning, how to measure the oxygen in your tank, and what diving equipment to use.

To enrol in the course divers must hold a minimum of an Open Water Certification. Even Junior Open Water Divers as young as 12 years of age can become nitrox divers

Divers who complete the PADI Enriched Air Diver Course are certified to dive with nitrox containing up to 40% oxygen.

Conclusion

Nitrox diving is best for those divers who want to improve their bottom time and overall diving safety. With its extended bottom time and shorter surface intervals, it is becoming a popular choice for ocean adventures.

Remember, training and safety are important for safe and fun scuba diving in Malta, and abroad. So why not become a PADI Enriched Air Diver and learn to dive deeper, for longer, and safer?

Get in touch today to find out more about the course. Or visit our deals and promotions page to explore our special offers on courses and guided diving packages.