 Just what is enriched air/nitrox? Enriched air/nitrox is recreational diving's tool in the struggle to safely extend no-decompression limits. This gas is particularly effective in the 50-100 foot range. Enriched air (as you will learn) depends on the exact mixture of oxygen and nitrogen. It extends dive time by replacing some of the nitrogen in our normal air mixture with a higher percentage of oxygen. You already know that our bottom time is dictated by a depth and time limitation based on nitrogen being absorbed into our system. If we decrease the nitrogen then our NDL's should be longer. There is a trade off for being able to stay longer at these depths and using higher concentration of oxygen. A higher oxygen percentage brings new concerns and precautions due to the effect oxygen has on our central nervous system. The PADI Enriched Air Course teaches you how to plan dives and to take into consideration both nitrogen and oxygen exposure limits. You learn how to find and log these limits based on PADI's Enriched Air RDP's.
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