Unlock a Better Vacation: 5 Reasons Your Next Hurghada Trip Should Be on Nitrox
You’ve booked the flights, you’re dreaming of the sun-drenched reefs, and your dive gear is waiting patiently. A scuba diving trip to Hurghada is one of the most exciting holidays a diver can plan. But what if we told you there was a simple, easily accessible tool that could fundamentally upgrade your entire experience, making every single dive longer, safer, and more enjoyable?
That tool is Enriched Air Nitrox.
Often misunderstood as something only for “technical” divers, Nitrox is, in fact, the most popular PADI specialty for a reason: its benefits are practical, immediate, and perfectly suited to the kind of diving we do here in the Red Sea. At Scubadore Hurghada, we see the difference it makes every single day.
If you’re still diving on standard air, here are five powerful reasons why you should make your next Hurghada trip a Nitrox trip.
First, What is Nitrox (In Simple Terms)?
Standard air that we breathe (and that’s in a standard dive tank) is approximately 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. Enriched Air Nitrox is simply a breathing gas with a higher percentage of oxygen and, therefore, a lower percentage of nitrogen. The most common recreational blends are 32% (EANx32) and 36% (EANx36). By reducing the nitrogen, we change the game.
1. Spend More Time Where It Matters – On the Reef
This is the number one benefit of diving with Nitrox. Your time at depth is limited by the amount of nitrogen your body absorbs. This is your No-Decompression Limit (NDL). By breathing a gas with less nitrogen, you absorb it much more slowly.
What this means for you: Longer bottom times.
Imagine this common scenario: You’re at 22 meters, mesmerized by a giant moray eel getting cleaned by a shrimp. You’re perfectly calm, you have plenty of air left in your tank, but your dive computer starts beeping insistently—your NDL on standard air is running out. You have to ascend. Your buddy, who is diving on Nitrox, gets to stay, enjoying several more precious minutes of the encounter.
When you’ve travelled all the way to the Red Sea to see its wonders, Nitrox allows you to maximize every moment underwater.
2. Conquer the “Repetitive Dive Day”
A typical dive vacation in Hurghada involves multi-day trips with at least two dives per day. As any certified diver knows, your NDL for the second dive of the day is always significantly shorter than the first because of the residual nitrogen still in your system.
Nitrox is the ultimate solution to this. Because you absorb less nitrogen on your first dive, you begin your surface interval with less to off-gas. This results in a much more generous NDL for your second dive. It turns your second dive from a shorter, more limited experience into another full-length exploration. For a week-long diving holiday, this effect is cumulative, giving you substantially more quality underwater time over the course of your trip.
3. More Energy for Your Entire Holiday
This is one of the most celebrated—though anecdotal—benefits of diving with Nitrox. While PADI is careful not to make official medical claims, countless divers from all over the world report feeling significantly less tired after a day of diving on Nitrox compared to standard air.
The logic is that your body has to do less work off-gassing the lower levels of inert nitrogen. You’re on holiday to enjoy every part of it, not just the diving. By feeling fresher at the end of the day, you’ll have more energy to enjoy a beautiful dinner, explore the town, or simply relax with your friends and family without feeling completely exhausted.
4. The Perfect Tool for Hurghada’s Prime Depths
Many of Hurghada’s most spectacular dive sites, from the walls of Small Giftun to the deeper coral gardens of other reefs, have their most interesting features in the 20-30 meter (65-100 foot) range. This depth range is the “sweet spot” where Nitrox provides its most significant advantage.
On a dive to 18 meters, the difference in bottom time is noticeable. On a dive to 25 meters, the difference is massive. Nitrox gives you the freedom and time to properly explore these prime underwater landscapes. For deeper wrecks like the legendary SS Thistlegorm, it’s considered by many to be an essential tool for a truly satisfying and safe dive.
5. An Added (and Smarter) Layer of Safety
While the primary purpose of recreational Nitrox is to extend bottom time, it also offers a significant safety advantage for conservative divers. If you dive with Nitrox but set your computer to “Air” mode (or simply follow the NDLs for air), you are building an enormous safety margin.
You are operating with far less nitrogen in your system than your computer’s algorithm assumes, drastically reducing your risk of Decompression Sickness (DCS). Choosing to dive this way is a hallmark of a smart, conscientious diver who prioritizes their long-term health and safety.
Getting Nitrox Certified with Scubadore Hurghada
Convinced? The great news is that becoming a PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver is incredibly simple. At Scubadore Hurghada, we offer a streamlined, one-day course that is hands-on and efficient.
- No eLearning Required: We handle the theory portion directly with you, using official PADI materials and our expert instructors.
- Practical Skills: You’ll learn how to analyze your tank’s oxygen content and set your dive computer.
- Two Included Nitrox Dives: You’ll immediately put your knowledge into practice on two dives in the Red Sea.
You can easily complete the course on the first day of your dive package and enjoy the benefits for the rest of your trip.
Already certified? Fantastic! Just let us know when you book, and we will ensure you have Nitrox tanks waiting for you on the boat.
Don’t just visit the Red Sea—experience it to its fullest. Make your next trip a Nitrox trip. You’ll never look back.
