What is an important factor in planning a nitrox dive for multiple days?

In planning a nitrox dive for multiple days, considering how many dives are performed is crucial because each dive adds to the cumulative nitrogen absorption in the body. This cumulative effect influences the potential for decompression sickness and dictates how the dive plan should be structured, including factors like surface intervals and the need for a dive computer or tables to monitor nitrogen loading.

When divers plan multiple dives over consecutive days, it is essential to account for the total number of dives made, as this impacts the amount of nitrogen that remains in the body. Proper management of dive profiles, including depth, duration, and surface intervals, is vital to ensure that divers stay within safe limits, especially when utilizing enriched air nitrox, which alters nitrogen loading dynamics compared to air dives.

While the other factors—wetsuit thickness, surface interval duration, and depth underwater—do play roles in specific aspects of dive safety and comfort, they do not address the cumulative nitrogen loading and its implications for multiple-day dive planning as directly as the total number of dives does.