Nitrogen narcosis or deep drunkenness

Carefully planning a diving is synonymous with success and, of course, fun in the sport you like to practice the most. Therefore, the first thing you should keep in mind is that you should never dive alone anymore if you already have enough knowledge to dive to depths greater than 30 meters in which dangerous situations can arise. One of the most frequent is poisoning of the body or nitrogen narcosis, also known colloquially by the "drunkenness of the depths".

This alteration occurs in deep diving dives as a consequence of the high solubility of the gas used for the practice with the water itself, which affects the diver's consciousness. Although its effect is reversible, it can cause dizziness, hallucinations and even loss of consciousness, so it is best to know what we expect from nitrogen narcosis and the precautions that anyone should follow.


The greater the depth, the greater the increase in pressure and therefore, the greater the density of the air. This gives rise to a respiratory crisis that causes our body to retain carbon dioxide, which is what causes poisoning or intoxication.

Recent studies have shown that reducing nitrogen in the gas mixture used for immersion reduces this effect, but it has not been possible to confirm with complete accuracy that this is the direct trigger of poisoning, just as others are behind the fact that they are the chemical compounds resulting from nitrogen, carbon dioxide and pressure, which cause such poisoning.

What is a reality is that from 60 meters on scuba dives, the risk of suffering from nitrogen narcosis is highly probable.






It must be made clear that narcosis is an intoxication, not a disease, and therefore, revocable. Very similar to having a few drinks, but that does not mean we should ignore the symptoms because just one of them can end up being a serious accident.

Symptoms usually appear in this order:

• Mental clumsiness, noticing how gradually our brain reacts more slowly.

• Slowing down of movements considerably.

• Feeling of anguish, carelessness and even euphoria unexpectedly.

• Loss of consciousness or fainting, at which point the situation begins to be extremely dangerous.

As in any emergency situation, following a few key steps prevents the moment from becoming a worrying situation. Hence, it is important to always follow these tips:

• If you are not prepared to overcome the 40 meter depth barrier, don't even think about doing so. Diving to these extremes requires your preparation, meter by meter. You don't want to run before you learn to walk.

• As soon as you notice the first symptom of narcosis, no matter how mild, it begins to ascend. A few meters will be enough for a pressure symptom to disappear.

• Act the same if from -40 meters you start to feel euphoric. A few meters up and it will have been resolved, which is why it is almost vital to understand our state of mind.

• Don't force yourself on deep scuba dives. Overexertion at such a depth favors the appearance of this poisoning.

• If you feel that everything is especially difficult for you, go up a little. Paying attention to mental and physical coordination is key.

• And of course, the maxim that every responsible diver looking for fun should follow: never dive alone.

It is true that theory is very relative to practice since there are divers who make most of their dives between -20 -40 meters deep and have never suffered nitrogen narcosis and others who claim to have felt symptoms. It depends above all on the physical condition of the day you are going to dive, but also on the temperature at which the water is that day (especially if it is low) or if there is alcohol in the blood among many other factors that can make the safety curve vary.

As long as diving safety rules are followed, nothing bad will happen. This is the best advice any diving lover can give you. In fact, if you want to have a day of extreme diving on any of the coasts Spanish, take a look here at all the diving schools strong> from our country that will provide you with the best service.