Why Learn Nitrox?
Learning nitrox should be your next step for any serious diver after doing their Open Water course. Using Nitrox gives you many benefits and with the knowledge, you learn you can choose how to use it to get the most out of your diving.
LESS NITROGEN
A nitrox mix is a gas mix with a lower percentage of nitrogen than air. This means your body will absorb less nitrogen into your body when compared to using air on the same dive. This can have benefits for your body especially if you are planning multiple dives.
MORE BOTTOM TIME
The lower about of nitrogen means a longer bottom time is available for a given dive. For example, using a 36% Nitrox mix will give you 98 minutes of bottom time at 18m, compared to 52 minutes using air. That’s almost 47% longer!
MORE OXYGEN
The nitrox mix has a higher percentage of oxygen than air. This can make you feel less tired during and after a dive. But that does mean there is a hard limit on the maximum depth of a mix. Called the MOD (Maximum Operating Depth), exceeding this depth significantly increases your chance of oxygen toxicity.
LESS SURFACE INTERVAL
The lower amount of nitrogen also affects our surface intervals; it means we can have a shorter surface interval when compared to using air. For the same subsequent dive.
All RAID training centers & instructors will be able to offer a Nitrox Specialty course. This teaches you how to make the most of diving with Nitrox, in a safe manner. If you can’t find a dive center in your area that offers a RAID Nitrox Specialty course, let us know.